Not What it Seems

A key piece of the work of cultivating communities is the ability to look carefully at something, in our congregations, our neighborhoods, or even inside ourselves, and to pay attention for long enough to realize that there's something deeper going on than what we could grasp in a fleeting glimpse. This work of paying attention doesn't come easily at the breakneck pace of our age; it requires that we slow down, be curious, listen, and attempt to understand.

In this issue of our newsletter, we offer three timely stories for church leaders that are loosely centered on the theme: "not what it seems."  First, a new podcast that digs into the story of Jean Vanier, founder of the L'Arche communities, in which intellectually disabled people and nondisabled people lived in community together, who posthumously was found to have sexually abused many (nondisabled) women over his lifetime. Then, a story that asks whether evangelism is still a vital Christian practice for those who have shed the "Evangelical" label. And finally, a story about the importance of reading for church leaders, that explores how reading is more than downloading information into our brains.
 

Cultivating Communities works alongside cohorts of churches that are in close-proximity to each other, providing resources and helping them discern what it might look like for their congregations and their places to flourish. Our first two cohorts (one in the mountains of East Tennessee and one on the west side of Chicago) are now underway.

(Learn more about our cohorts and 
the Cultivating Communities Learning Journey)

Unraveling the Story of Jean Vanier A new podcast explores the important questions: When trusted leaders commit sexual and spiritual abuse, how do our communities move forward? And if an abusive person shapes our faith, how does that distort our understanding of God? ( via Sojourners )

Why Reading Matters for Church Leaders "The primary purpose of reading is not to be able to consciously recall what we have read; it’s to constantly keep refining the lens through which we see reality. Even though we don’t remember 90 percent of what we have read, it still gets inside of us—in ways we’re unaware of and at depths we don’t know we have. It still enriches our filter—even when we don’t realize it is happening."  (via Christianity Today)