Slow Church Study Guide

High-speed internet. Rapid rewards. Quick thinking. Fast food. Fast . . . church? Slow Church by Chris Smith and John Pattison has been eagerly received by a people who are ready to be invited out of franchise faith and back into the kingdom of God. This eleven-session study guide provides an opportunity to reflect on the message of this groundbreaking book both individually and in community. Each session features



- A guide to lectio divina

- Suggested videos that can be watched online

- A series of in-depth questions expanded from what is currently in the book

- A quote for reflectionHere is an opportunity to begin to develop a deeper and richer community where people know each other well and love one another as Christ loved the church.



C. Christopher Smith is editor of The Englewood Review of Books, and a member of the Englewood Christian Church community on the urban Near Eastside of Indianapolis.



John Pattison is managing editor of CONSPIRE magazine. Previously he served as deputy editor of the Burnside Writers Collective. A member of the National Book Critics Circle, he is the coauthor of Besides the Bible.

Contents


How to Use this Study Guide


1 A Theological Vision for Slow Church


2 Terroir


3 Stability


4 Patience


5 Wholeness


6 Work


7 Sabbath


8 Abundance


9 Gratitude


10 Hospitality


11 Dinner Table Conversation as a Way of Being Church

Praise for Slow Church: "Slow Church is a manifesto and handbook rolled into one. . . . It reads like what it is: the long, patient fruit of two men deeply rooted in a particular place, among neighbors they know, love, and serve. . . . Make haste, then. Run, do not walk, to your favorite bookstore, buy a copy, and set your church table for a feast."



Praise for Slow Church: "Inspired by the 'slow food' movement and disheartened by the 'fast' church trends, Smith and Pattison are advocating for 'reimagining what it means to be communities of believers gathered and rooted in particular places at a particular time.' Slow Church promises something richer and more substantive than quick fixes."



Praise for Slow Church: "The authors write clearly and persuasively; each section of the book offers a theoretical and scriptural basis . . . and practical suggestions for their implementation." weniger anzeigen expand_less