Sustaining While Disrupting: The Challenge of Congregational Innovation

by F Douglas Powe, Lovett H. Weems

Clergy and other church leaders often feel pressed to preserve cherished traditions even as they direct people to discern the new thing God is doing. They face this tension of sustaining tradition while guiding fresh initiatives and addressing unfamiliar issues. Frederick Douglas Powe Jr. and Lovett H. Weems Jr. guide leaders in stewarding traditions while seeking innovative opportunities for faith communities. Sustaining While The Challenge of Congregational Innovation offers church leaders theological insights and practical skills for two crucial to sustain and strengthen foundational elements of the churches they serve and to guide the critical innovation required to address a context vastly different from the one that current assumptions and behaviors fit. Powe and Weems argue that approaching these tasks as competing claims does not work and that new expressions of faith are needed to engender church vitality. They explain the different approaches needed for each task and specify the knowledge and practices leaders require. While some church leaders start new ministries to reach the unserved, most clergy lead in well-established churches. They have a history, traditions, and a reputation in the community. From that base, Powe and Weems show how leaders can look forward to faithful new callings.

Genres: Leadership, Church

148 pages, Paperback

Published October 18, 2022

Reviews

[Douglas]

There are a number of books that deal with this theme. It’s the churchy way of telling people to “think outside the box.” As mainline denominations decline, books like this reference some scripture and give people some pointers regarding how to explore new territory. There is nothing wrong with this idea. There are just so many books which address this topic. None of them offer anything new or fresh.
I have three additional problems with this idea. Fist they all assume a traditional church model can be revamped and a church can be fruitful. It does not entertain the possibility that people who are not in church are never going to be interested in a traditional parish model of ministry. Second, some churches are just at the point where they need to close. This text does not admit that. Third, it isn’t helpful to think about church revitalizations in the abstract. I’ve found workbooks, such as the material Plow Point ministries produces, to be more helpful tools for helping a church examine their ministry and contemplate their futures.