Community as Church, Church as Community
Foreword by Jason Byassee
Imprint: Cascade Books
Parishes of all denominations are in decline, shrinking, closing, dying. We know that there are increasing numbers, young and older, who are religious "nones" and "dones." This book explores why the decline is taking place, why the distancing is going on. But it goes on to examine parishes from all over the country and from various church bodies that are resurrecting. The central theme of death and resurrection shapes the analysis of parishes covered. Parishes are resurrecting by reinventing their ministries, by repurposing their building to better serve their neighborhoods, thus replanting and reconnecting with them. All of this is the Spirit's doing but through the community of sisters and brothers who make up each congregation of faith. Community as the core of church is the other reality shaping the book's reflection. And community, a parish being with those around, living for more than its own survival are visions for going forward. Other aspects of congregational life are also examined, most importantly the pastors--how they serve when budgets shrink, how they are trained, how pastors act with the community not above it. No recipes are suggested for parish resurrection, but the stories of the parishes that have revived bear within numerous lessons for us in the future.
Michael Plekon is Professor Emeritus, Baruch College of The City University of New York. He has served forty years as a priest in both the Western and Eastern churches and has authored numerous publications including The World as Sacrament, Uncommon Prayer, Saints as They Really Are, Hidden Holiness and Living Icons, among others.
“While church institutions often seem consumed with anxiety about their future, many local congregations quietly and imaginatively find ways forward that work where they are. Michael Plekon’s book reflects that grassroots critical confidence which grows out of the contexts where lives and communities are actually being changed by God in Christ. Honest and theologically acute, this book should help nurture such critical confidence more broadly.”
—Rowan Williams, theologian and former archbishop of Canterbury
“In an age of institutional skepticism, social and ecclesial polarization, and religious disaffiliation, we need a renewed ecclesiology that responds to the ‘signs of our times.’ Community as Church provides us with exactly this kind of theological resource. Plekon’s depth of knowledge and facility with key Christian sources brings a robust academic grounding to a timely pastoral challenge. This is a book that should be read by scholars and pastors alike.”
—Daniel P. Horan, OFM, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago
“Michael Plekon draws from diverse narratives to show how Christian communities are responding to sweeping demographic, economic, and political changes in America. This well-supported study is a reality check for parish leaders, much needed in an era of denial and alternative truths. Plekon adds a touch of optimism to his expert sociological assessment: there is hope for the church, because communities can experience resurrection after death. A must-read for students, scholars, and pastors of American Christianity.”
—Nicholas Denysenko, Valparaiso University
“Plekon’s outlook at the church, through the prism of congregations, is more adequate to the church’s nature than the ecclesiological perspective focused on administrative structures. The author navigates his readers between various and perilous ecclesiological scyllas and charybdis, and leads them to the destination of a clearer understanding of what the church is.”
—Cyril Hovorun, Sankt Ignatios College, Stockholm