Living for Shalom: The Story of Ross Langmead

by Jeanette Woods, Alison Langmead (Foreword)

Ross Langmead will be remembered as one of Australia's leading missiologists, having established his credentials as a young man in founding Westgate Baptist Community after writing a report on the struggling churches in the west of Melbourne. His distinguished academic and teaching career led him to join the faculty at Whitley College until his death in 2013. He will also be remembered for his seventies folk group, Daddy's Friends, and the songs of love and justice he wrote over forty-five years that are still sung today. This biography starts with his missionary family upbringing and traces the influences that shaped his passion for sharing Jesus with the urban poor. He was a key player in the radical discipleship movement in Australia; his understanding of incarnational mission was that Christians need to be the people of God just where they are. Above all, he lived simply that others might simply live, his passion extending to ecomissiology and support for the unemployed, indigenous, and refugees. He would want this book to inspire readers to make a difference in the world.

310 pages, Hardcover

Published August 31, 2021

Reviews

[Alan Marr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure I have read the bio of a close personal friend and colleague before. I approached it with some trepidation. There is still some grief and my memories of Ross are precious so I didn't want them to be tarnished. They weren't. It is a beautifully written story of a very good person who lived life with integrity and faith. it was enhanced because Ross journaled like nobody else i know. He also wrote beautiful songs so a good part of the story is in his own words. if you want to know how a Christian life can be lived, with all its struggles. this is a good place to start.

[Sarah Bacaller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will help to put Australia on the global theological map, as did the subject of its exploration. This biography of Rev. Dr. Ross Langmead is written by his sister, Jeanette Woods, who has done an excellent job of balancing the special insights of familial intimacy, with professional distance that prioritises the reader. The narrative is as engaging as Langmead's life is challenging and inspiring. A valuable read for anyone interested in contextual and localised theology, missiology in Australia and the interweaving of deep, critical theological and creative impetuses.

[Julie Cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ross was a big fixture in my life growing up. This book celebrates his deep love for people, for music, for Jesus and for his family. To hear his voice and his songs in my head again has been a great privilege.