Difficult Conversations

by Katie Day

"We don’t talk about controversial issues here!" That seems to be the unspoken rule in most faith communities. The unfortunate results of such no-talk rules are that congregations are noticeably absent from the public forum and members of faith communities fail to develop "social capital." We do not form significant connections with one another. In this book, author Katie Day invites us to begin engaging in difficult conversations, a process she hopes will become habitforming, a new way of being communities of faith. "We don’t talk about controversial issues here!" That seems to be the unspoken rule in most faith communities. The unfortunate results of such no-talk rules are that congregations are noticeably absent from the public forum and members of faith communities fail to develop "social capital." We do not form significant connections with one another. In this book, author Katie Day invites us to begin engaging in difficult conversations, a process she hopes will become habitforming, a new way of being communities of faith.

96 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2001

Reviews

[Cindy Breeding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though it's packaged poorly, this is a wonderful and short book about how congregations can talk about the issues and conflicts that scare them into silence and trap them in patterns of emotional, spiritual and financial poverty.

The book includes case studies of actual churches that have lived to tell the tale of their own difficult conversations, and there are several examples of failed a attempts.

What i like about this book: The ray of hope it projects into the lives of congregational leaders. What I dislike: the awful cover design. Must church reference books look so cheaply made?