Forming Communities of Hope in the Great Unraveling: Leadership in a Changing World

In the midst of a massive unraveling where the churches find themselves disoriented and paralyzed, this book invites leaders to embrace three practices formed out of God’s engagements with God’s people in Scripture and our traditions that direct us toward forming communities of hope.

“Here we stand in misbelief at the collapsing of the institutions that have formed our lives. Gladly, Al Roxburgh and Roy Searle offer us hope. Their book Forming Communities of Hope in the Great Unraveling reminds us that God is still present and acting, that God has given us practices to join with him in the forming of his people anew. Forming Communities is a riveting masterpiece written to churches seeking a path forward in our times of disillusion and decline.” – David Fitch, Lindner Chair of Evangelical Theology, Northern Seminary, Chicago

“When church leaders with a lifetime of experience ask awkward questions about how we do things, you probably need to pay attention. Al Roxburgh and Roy Searle have seen the church go from a dominant cultural force to marginal curiosity and ask how we might now be an effective spiritual presence in today’s world. Instead of trying to fix things by clever techniques they take us back to some key Bible narratives and the insights of Christians of earlier generations. It’s a book that may challenge you at a deep existential level, while offering accessible examples of attitudes and practices that can be lifegiving for both leaders and communities.” – John Drane, author The McDonaldization of the Church