Wise Church

“Wise Church is a wonderful invitation to join a rich dialogue of pastors and scholars. Its contributors tackle twenty-first-century issues ranging from social justice to social media, to the Christian life in the family household and in the household of faith. Having served over thirty years as an urban pastor, this book helped me reflect and retool for yet another season of leading our congregation for maximum impact for God’s kingdom.”


—Marshall Elijah Hatch, senior pastor, New Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church, Chicago





“In our trying times, sources of wisdom are rare, but this book is one of them. Scot McKnight has been a wise counselor to me for many years. In Wise Church, Scot and his students have put together a topical toolkit that will assist church leaders with practical wisdom for common aspects of life and ministry.”


—Todd Hunter, Anglican bishop and author of Our Character at Work





“Wise Church is a wise book. It is wise because it embodies in words the wisdom culture it promotes. It is wise because its practical contents have to do with how churches are called to live life. It is wise because it portrays wisdom as a trinitarian virtue: God-activated, Spirit-inspired, Christ-shaped. And it is wise because the exceptionally rich variety of topics are presented by its thirteen contributors with pastoral grace . . . and wisdom.”


—Graham Buxton, Senior Lecturer in Theology, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia





“As demand increasingly outstrips supply, wisdom’s value continues to grow. In Wise Church, McKnight, Hanlon, and a team of ministry practitioners offer this priceless commodity to the church, with guidance for its diverse ecclesial applications, from racial reconciliation to marital relationships and social media engagement.”


—Will Kynes, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies, Samford University





“In an age of technique, celebrity, and toxic leadership, Wise Church calls us to walk the paths of ancient wisdom for our own time, lived out in the midst of godly community.”


—Jay L. Greener, Church of the Redeemer, Highwood, Illinois