Northern Lights

“If you are hoping that your church will thrive but have always found an emphasis on church growth distasteful, then this is the book for you. It is not about slick techniques, but rather messy testimonies. If you are looking to learn the right way for you to grow your church, you will not find it spelled out here. If, however, you are willing to gain insights from a basketful of right ways for others, then read on. This is a sharply observed, narrative-driven account by a wise and good minister-scholar-journalist who has seen up close what is working among the mainliners, evangelicals, liberals, and high church—not to mention a wide range of creative and productive misfits. I came away inspired.”


—Timothy Larsen, McManis Professor of Christian Thought, Wheaton College





“Jason Byassee has written an excellent account of Christian faith in contemporary England, specifically in areas that we might have thought deeply hostile to faith. The result is an insightful account of churches, parachurch networks, and church planting in a modern secular society, and it is far more relevant to current US conditions than we might initially think. His book is very well-written, and often really entertaining. Heartily recommended!”


—Philip Jenkins, Distinguished Professor of History, Institute for Studies of Religion, Baylor University





“Byassee takes up the pen with the mind of a theologian, the heart of pastor, and the eye of a journalist. He recently walked into the strange and beautiful world of England’s Christ-haunted North East, fell in love with the place, and started asking questions. He has discerned with wisdom and articulated with skill what those of us who live here experience consciously and unconsciously every week. His account of divine patterns and cultural trends in the North East’s particulars bears wisdom for the wider church at the dawn (or mid-morning?) of post-Christendom.”


—Andrew J. Byers, former Director of the Free Church Track in Missional Leadership and Lecturer in New Testament, Cranmer Hall, St John’s College, Durham University





“In Northern Lights, Byassee brings together the investigative skills of a journalist, the storytelling craft of a preacher, and the intellect of a scholar to paint a compelling portrait of Christian mission for the twenty-first century. With humor and honesty, Byassee explores how a diverse set of communities in northern England works at the center and the edges of society inspired by the Spirit, distilling insights for churches in North America and elsewhere. The book pulses with a colorful cast of characters brought to life—from the formidable former Archbishop of York to a tattooed barber who accidentally started a church to the down and out. Above all, Byassee brings the freshness of an outsider who refuses to take sides, listening to a diversity of voices and shining light on the raw energy, diversity, and innovation he encounters. This is a book I wish I had read years ago, crackling with insight not only into the English church, but asking bigger questions about what the church’s mission might look like as a community of communities inviting people into God’s work of making all things new. I can highly recommend it for anyone interested in the future of the church.”


—Jennifer Adams-Massmann, Chaplain, Peterhouse, University of Cambridge