AL384 Claiming the Beatitudes: Nine Stories from a New Generation
Anne Howard

By sharing the stories of ten earnest young men and women of faith who take the beatitudes both literally and seriously, Anne Howard brings Jesus’s simple yet revolutionary words to life for her readers. The moving stories and compelling reflections offered in Claiming the Beatitudes provide a glimpse of transformational wisdom for today’s churches—one that grounds life in God’s beauty, truth, and goodness.

AL373 Imagining Church: Seeing Hope in a World of Change
Gary Shockley and Kim Shockley

Imagination is one of the great gifts bestowed on us by our Creator, observe authors Gary and Kim Shockley, and it can be the spark that ignites a fire of change in our lives. Drawing on their more than thirty years of pastoral and church consulting experience, the Shockleys illustrate the power of imagination using personal stories born of their own quest to be faithful in ministry. They also show readers that imagining church is a shared experience among God’s people. When we imagine the church—form a mental image of what we believe the church is and ought to be—we are cocreators with the Master Designer, and can help others imagine church. They remind leaders, “If you can’t see it, neither will anyone else.”

AL372 Lost in the Middle? Claiming an Inclusive Faith for Christians Who Are Both Liberal and Evangelical
Wesley J. Wildman and Stephen Chapin Garner

By working to reclaim the traditional, historical meaning of the terms liberal and evangelical—and showing how they complement rather than oppose each other—Wesley Wildman and Stephen Chapin Garner stake a claim for the moderate Christian voice. Lost in the Middle? guides readers through a process of diagnosis and articulation, offering complementary perspectives on the phenomenon, problem, and promise of Christians with both liberal and evangelical instincts. The authors show how individuals and institutions alike can reclaim and celebrate the highest virtues of both liberal and evangelical Christianity, and how doing so can lead to the creation of authentic and vibrant communities of faith.

AL382 Promise and Peril: Understanding and Managing Change and Conflict in Congregations
David R. Brubaker

Based on careful and creative research, Promise and Peril offers insight into understanding the nature and dynamic relationship of change and conflict in congregations. Using compelling examples, David Brubaker demonstrates that, while change can—and often does—cause conflict, it doesn’t have to. In fact, he shows that conflict can be redeemed and even bring positive growth. In this volume he provides insights and tools to enable congregational leaders to become more effective change agents and conflict managers, with the ultimate result being healthier congregations that contribute more effectively to spreading the kingdom of God.

AL383 When God Speaks through Worship: Stories Congregations Live By
Craig A. Satterlee

In When God Speaks through Worship, Craig Satterlee challenges us to pay closer attention to what God is doing our churches’ worship practices and reminds us that worship is, first and foremost, about God. Through a beautiful tapestry of unassuming yet profound stories of worship experiences in which congregations experienced God giving them new life and gathering them to share God’s work of bringing new life to the world, Satterlee offers inspiration and guidance to congregational leaders who hunger for a deeper and fuller life of faith.