Gathered and Sent: The Mission of Small Church Communities Today

by Bernard J. Lee, Michael A. Cowan, Thomas H. Groome (Foreword)

In this visionary book, Bernard Lee and Michael Cowan reflect on the importance and influence of small Christian communities in the Church today—how they sustain their own members in faith and carry their mission to the larger society.They propose here a mode of doing theology within small Christian communities that is marked by conversation and active participation by all—a practical theology where people reflect on their whole lives, personal and social, in the light of Christian faith. Highlights —a hopeful yet practical work. —unique in its emphasis on small Christian communities' external mission for public life.

Author Bio: Bernard J. Lee, S.M., a Marianist priest, is professor of theology and assistant chancellor at St. Mary's University, San Antonio, TX. He directed national research on small Christian communities in the U.S. Catholic Church, funded by Lilly Endowment (The Catholic Experience of Small Christian Communities Paulist Press). Michael A. Cowan, Ph.D., a psychologist and theologian, is the executive director of the Lindy Boggs National Center for Community Literacy at Loyola University, New Orleans, LA. He is coAuthor with Bernard Lee of Dangerous Memories House Churches and Our American Story, and Conversation, Risk & Conversion The Inner and Public Life of Small Christian Communities.

224 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2003