Claiming New Life

by Withrow, Lisa R.

• ISBN13: 9780827205116
• ISBN10: 0827205112
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-11-15
• Publisher: Chalice Pr

Summary

Claiming New Life: Process-Church for the Future invites those who care deeply about the church to move into an intentional process of co-creating the future church with God. This book explores process theology as the basis for creating an intentional process ecclesiology, or the Process-Church.

Author Biography

Lisa R. Withrow is associate professor of church leadership and director, Doctor of Ministry program at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Introduction	p. 1
Setting the Scene
Corner Church	p. 9
Questions Facing Corner Church	p. 12
The Great Hope	p. 14
The Great Commandment	p. 15
The Wilderness	p. 18
The Question	p. 24
Reflection Questions	p. 28
Church in Global Context	p. 29
The Evolution of Church	p. 29
Post-Christendom and Anti-Secularism	p. 33
Globalization	p. 36
Reflection Questions	p. 42
Church in Postmodern Context	p. 43
Postmodernism	p. 45
Postmodernism in the West and the Emerging Church	p. 49
Implications for the Mainline Church	p. 56
Reflection Questions	p. 58
Creating Process-Church
Foundations for Process-Church	p. 61
Historical and Theological Foundations	p. 62
Developing an Ethic of Inquiry	p. 69
Theological Reflection	p. 72
Reflection Questions	p. 73
Imagining the Church of the Future: A Method	p. 74
The Long View	p. 75
Scenario-building	p. 80
Seven Steps for Scenario-building	p. 85
Implications of Scenario-building	p. 100
Reflection Questions	p. 101
The Church in Transition
Living into Transition	p. 105
Theological Transition	p. 106
Transition in the Wilderness	p. 110
Emotional Transition	p. 115
Transition and Conflict	p. 116
Transition and Relevance	p. 118
Reflection Questions	p. 120
Leadership and Process-Church	p. 121
Leadership Challenges	p. 122
Ethic of Inquiry for Leaders	p. 124
Reflection Questions	p. 128
The Churches
The Process-Church: Four Narratives	p. 131
University Church	p. 133
City Church	p. 142
Field Church	p. 152
Suburban Church	p. 161
Process-Church and Scenario-building	p. 172
Conclusion	p. 174
Appendix	p. 178
Notes	p. 181
Bibliography	p. 189
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