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Faith in Community
Practices that Stengthen Churches and Neighborhoods
Faith in Community
Practices that Stengthen Churches and Neighborhoods
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Description
In the face of polarization and disconnection in American society, congregations remain vital for helping people create authentic community. This resource teaches pastors and church members how to strengthen their congregations through practices such as hospitality and small-group sharing and how to build up their neighborhoods through public service and faith-based community organizing. Stiltner provides inspiration and advice for Christians who still have hope for community.
Stiltner argues that America's deepest crisis is a crisis of community. Drawing on six years of research in six congregations, Stiltner shows how churches can help rebuild social trust and strengthen civic life. Faith in Community offers a hopeful call for congregations to be the communities that God calls them to be, which will make their local communities stronger in the process.
Community is fragile these days, sometimes even in congregations. Stiltner contends that, in the face of political polarization and eroded social trust, Christians need to be very intentional about how they build community. What's most important for doing so, both within the congregation and as the congregation reaches out, is nurturing relationships. With numerous examples from his research, Stiltner develops strategies for community building that are doable for any church.
Accessibility Information
Additional accessibility information
- PDF/UA-2, 1.4
- accessibility@bloomsbury.com
Hazards
The publication contains no hazards
Support for non-visual reading
Has alternative text descriptions for images
Navigation
- Page list to go to pages from the print source version
- Elements such as headings, tables, etc for structured navigation
- All or substantially all textual matter is arranged in a single logical reading order
Table of Contents
Introduction: The Crisis and the Call
1. Created to Belong: Theology and Ethics of Community
2. From “I” to “We”: Congregations as Community Builders
3. A Home Away from Home: Hospitality and Small Groups
4. Called to Be Sent: Discipleship and Mission
5. Love Thy Neighborhood: Service and Partnerships
6. Living a Public Vision: Dialoguing and Organizing
Conclusion: Sharing the Joy of Community
Appendix: Methods Used in this Study
Discussion Questions
For Further Study
About the Author
Notes
Product details
| Published | 15 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (PDF) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Pages | 224 |
| ISBN | 9798765167915 |
| Imprint | T&T Clark |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
About the contributors
Reviews
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Brian Stiltner knows that the Christian faith is inherently communal: Jesus Christ saves us as a group. After carefully studying six diverse, vital congregations, Brian has written a compelling, research-driven, wise book for pastors and church leaders. He vividly shows how churches can be gifts of God to a culture suffering from great fragmentation, division, and vast loneliness. Here's a practical, encouraging book that's matters right now for those who are called to lead the church into the future
Will Willimon, Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry, Duke Divinity School, United Methodist Bishop, retired, author of The Church We Carry: Loss, Leadership, and the Future of Our Church

























