Slow Church

Cultivating Community in the Patient Way of Jesus

by C. Christopher Smith and John Pattison
Foreword by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

Slow Church

Paperback

$24.99

Length: 247 pages
Dimensions: 5.5 × 8.25 in
Published: May 06, 2014
Imprint: IVP
ISBN: 9780830841141

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Fast food. Fast cars. Fast and furious. Fast forward. Fast . . . church?

The church is oftenidealized (or demonized) as the last bastion of a bygone era, dragging our feet as we're pulled into new moralities and new spiritualities. We guard our doctrine and our piety with great vigilance. But we often fail to notice how quickly we're capitulating, in the structures and practices of our churches, to a culture of unreflective speed, dehumanizing efficiency and dis-integrating isolationism.

In the beginning, the church ate together, traveled together and shared in all facets of life. Centered as they were on Jesus, these seemingly mundane activities took on their own significance in the mission of God. In Slow Church, Chris Smith and John Pattison invite us to leave franchise faith behind and enter into the ecology, economy and ethics of the kingdom of God, where people know each other well and love one another as Christ loved the church.

REVIEWS

"Smith and Pattison marshal the wisdom of our greatest cultural thinkers—people like Berry, Heschel, Pollan and Vanier—in this tour-de-force manifesto. This smart book reveals the vacuity of fast church and realigns us with the locality, rest, unpredictability and simple delight that comes with the way of Jesus."Jon M. Sweeney, author of When Saint Francis Saved the Church

"At long last, a book I relish giving away to the vast number of people longing for an alternative between 'McDonald Church' and the end of the church altogether. In neighborhoods across North America there are hundreds of thousands of Christ-followers trying to experiment with a new way of being the church in everyday life. Now there is a hopeful guidebook that is rich with empirical and anecdotal research, historical depth and theological savvy that can guide their way. This is the book you rush out and buy a dozen copies of to give hope and help to your friends who want to follow the way of Jesus."Paul Sparks, coauthor of The New Parish and cofounder of Parish Collective

"In this agitated and anxious world, our worth is determined by our productivity and our value is measured by how much we can devour. Without much thought, even our churches have become tangled up in our quick-consumption mentality. In the midst of the greedy mindlessness of ministry, C. Christopher Smith and John Pattison evoke a different vision—one of a careful community of deep relationships. As a pastor, I lingered over the words of Slow Church with delight as they inspired me and made me welcome what we might become."Carol Howard Merritt, pastor, author of Reframing Hope and Tribal Church

"All of our churches are shaped by our cultural environments, and Smith and Pattison note how forces such as fragmentation, impatience, commodification, branding, hypermobility, individualism and efficiency too often dominate our practices and priorities. So we strive for control in the midst of fears and self-protection. Slow Church provides theology and imagination that connect gospel embodiment with place and neighbors, calling us to slower lives around tables and conversations that nourish and interweave gratefulness, listening, work, hospitality, justice and the biblical trajectory toward the reconciliation of all things. Less of McDonalds; more of sabbath feasts."Mark Lau Branson, Homer L. Goddard Professor of the Ministry of the Laity, Fuller Seminary

"Hurry, worry, stress and striving have come to dominate human consciousness in the twenty-first century—the logical consequences of a society built on individualism and productivity at any cost. We long for a pace of life that allows us to enjoy deep relationships, meaningful work, spiritual vitality and the simple pleasures of life. In Slow Church, Pattison and Smith offer a hopeful vision of the future, rooted in the Christian gospel, that provides a comprehensive orientation forpursuing a more integrative path. This book tenderly calls common assumptions about the church and society into question, carefully synthesizing Christian theology with emerging ecological consciousness. For the sake of our souls, our grandchildren and the planet, I hope we pay attention to Smith and Pattison's conclusions and take action."Mark Scandrette, author of Free and Practicing the Way of Jesus

Foreword by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove
Introduction
1 A Theological Vision for Slow Church
FIRST COURSE: ETHICS
2 Terroir: Taste and See
3 Stability: Fidelity to People and Place
4 Patience: Entering into the Suffering of Others
SECOND COURSE: ECOLOGY
5 Wholeness: The Reconciliation of All Things
6 Work: Cooperating with God?s Reconciling Mission
7 Sabbath: The Rhythm of Reconciliation
THIRD COURSE: ECONOMY
8 Abundance: The Economy of Creation
9 Gratitude: Receiving the Good Gifts of God
10 Hospitality: Generously Sharing God?s Abundance
11 Dinner Table Conversation as a Way of Being Church
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Recommended Reading
Notes

Love All Our Neighbors

The Way Back to One Another

Becoming ProGrace

Undoing Manifest Destiny

Becoming God's Family

AI Goes to Church

Why I Am Protestant

You Were Never Meant to Lead Alone

The Hybrid Congregation

In Search of the Common Good

ABOUT C. Christopher Smith

C. Christopher Smith is editor of The Englewood Review of Books and a member of the Englewood Christian Church community on the urban Near Eastside of Indianapolis. He is the coauthor of Slow Church. Chris's writing has appeared in Books and Culture, Sojourners, The Christian Century and Indiana Green Living.

ABOUT John Pattison

John Pattison's essays, articles and reviews have appeared in Relevant, Books Culture and other magazines around the country. A member of the National Book Critics Circle, he is the coauthor of Besides the Bible.

Slow Church

Cultivating Community in the Patient Way of Jesus