Mending the Fracturing Church : How to Navigate Conflict and Build Trust for Thriving Communities

Hale, Andy

T&T Clark（2026/01発売）

• 製本 Hardcover:ハードカバー版／ページ数 224 p.
• 言語 ENG
• 商品コード 9798881806644

Full Description

The local church in the United States is at a crossroads. Declining attendance, aging congregations, and costly buildings are compounded by deep divisions over issues like sexuality, gender, race, and immigration. Generational gaps have widened, and many congregations lack diversity, becoming politically homogenous and fragmented. Amid these tensions, the sense that something is profoundly wrong is palpable.

Mending the Fracturing Church offers a way forward, inviting churches to confront and navigate the issues that divide them. By addressing relational challenges such as biases, communication styles, and conflict dynamics, this book provides tools to understand and respond to the cultural and theological polarization affecting so many congregations. Each chapter combines theological reflection, insights from social and cognitive psychology, and stories from real congregations. Group exercises and step-by-step guides help leaders put these insights into practice, transforming theory into action.

With a focus on connection, trust, and belonging, this book provides the tools to help churches build stronger relationships, engage their communities more effectively, and embrace a renewed vision for thriving together.

Contents

Introduction
Is the Church Irrevocably Fracturing?

Chapter One
Discovering Relationships Hidden Under Bylaws & Constitutions

Chapter Two
Into the Unknown

Chapter Three
Excavating the Minefield We Didn't Know Was

Chapter Four
Ain't No People Like Church People

Chapter Five
Research to Disprove Confirmation Bias Confirmed I Was Right All Along

Chapter Six
Change is Like Death, But It Doesn't Have to Be

Chapter Seven
I'll Commit to the Trust Fall Right After You

Chapter Eight
You're Gonna Need More than Water, Food & Shelter

Chapter Nine
Maybe the Greatest Thing to Fear is How We View Others

Chapter Ten
Why Are You The Way That You Are?

Chapter Eleven
The Greatest Single Cause of Atheism in the World Today is Political Idolatry

Chapter Twelve
Project Strength To Avoid Conflict—Peace Through Superior Firepower

Chapter Thirteen
Ground Control to Major Tom

Chapter Fourteen
How To Be Here, Here

Chapter Fifteen
Okay, Boomer!

Chapter Sixteen
Congregations That Play Together, Stay Together

Conclusion
The Thriving Church

Bibliography

About the Author