Bloomsbury Studies in Religion and Civic Culture – serie

This open access book is a testimony to telling good religion stories to advance vital conversations around some of the most critical issues of our time.Written by reporters and researchers who worked for five years with the University of Southern California’s Center for Religion and Civic Culture, this book focuses on some of the greatest challenges to the current human experience; from education, health care and socioeconomic development to environmental justice, gender and sexual equity, and interreligious dialogue. It draws on compelling profiles of spiritually engaged humanitarians motivated by religious values and spiritual practices to reimagine the ways we engage the tangible, troubling realities of contemporary life.Originating from different traditions and diverse corners of the globe, the power and humanity of these portraits help dispel discouragement about the state of the world and instead inspire readers to take positive action to address shared global challenges.The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California.

This open access book is a testimony to telling good religion stories to advance vital conversations around some of the most critical issues of our time.Written by reporters and researchers who worked for five years with the University of Southern California’s Center for Religion and Civic Culture, this book focuses on some of the greatest challenges to the current human experience; from education, health care and socioeconomic development to environmental justice, gender and sexual equity, and interreligious dialogue. It draws on compelling profiles of spiritually engaged humanitarians motivated by religious values and spiritual practices to reimagine the ways we engage the tangible, troubling realities of contemporary life.Originating from different traditions and diverse corners of the globe, the power and humanity of these portraits help dispel discouragement about the state of the world and instead inspire readers to take positive action to address shared global challenges.The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California.

Why do some congregations flourish, while others can barely stay open at all in the face of disaffiliation, aging congregations, financial hardships, and clergy burnout? Grounded in research from 10 Protestant congregations, this open access book explores the characteristics connected to congregational flourishing, and demonstrates how worship, leadership, sermons and difficult conversations all play an important role in fostering a strong congregational identity as well as individual and social prosperity.From leadership styles to congregational conflict to enacting faith in the local community, this book explores many areas of church life to determine what they reveal about and how they contribute to the overall health of the congregation. Surveys, interviews, focus groups and participant observation are utilised in the chapter’s findings. These discussions provide an up-to-date examination of congregational life in the Unites States for scholars of religion as well as a thoughtful roadmap for ministers looking to put their faith community on a stronger path toward congregational vitality.The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California.