Across North America, congregations and their leaders are experiencing unprecedented anxiety. Despite the many organizational and growth strategies offered to congregational leaders over the last five decades, few congregations are growing, and most are coping with numerical decline. With fewer people attending worship and fewer students offering themselves for ordination, at least in mainline denominations, many Christians worry that the church across the continent is in the process of dying.
While Ervine’s book may not offer swift solutions, it does offer hope. Fearful congregations and their leaders are invited to set the search for quick-fix solutions aside and, instead, take the time to discover and then respect the identity, purpose, and ministry priorities that the New Testament provides to congregations. This book is written in the conviction that clarity about their “in Christ” identity, their purpose in God’s ongoing mission, and what is essential to their ministry will give congregations new confidence to offer Christian witness rooted in biblical teaching while respecting twenty-first-century cultural realities.
Industry Reviews
“Drawing on his experience in church and academy, Clyde Ervine offers us a thoughtful and thorough approach to congregational studies in a post-Christian era. Ervine invites us to reframe our understanding of local Christian witness through the lens of respect, including a respect for congregations, to take up the tasks that God has entrusted local Christian communities for mission in a post-Christendom world.”
—Ross Lockhart, Dean of St. Andrew’s Hall, Vancouver School of Theology
“In a time when ‘respect’ is mobilized as a weapon of ideological warfare, it is refreshing to hear Clyde Ervine reassert the truth that respect is a daily challenge that is both tough and tender. In a time when haughty individualism runs rampant in church and culture alike, it is sobering to be reminded that the congregational community lies at the heart of Christian discipleship. In a time when impatient quick-fix solutions afflict life within and beyond the church, Clyde Ervine reveals, with compassion and conviction, the perils of short-termism and narrow horizons. Respecting Congregations is a tonic for our troubled times.”
—David N. Livingstone, Emeritus Professor, Queen’s University Belfast
“Local congregations face myriad challenges in our day, including a crisis of confidence in relation to their identity and purpose. Clyde Ervine offers a clear description of this crisis and, more importantly, a compelling vision of the value and significance of local communities of faith. The affirmation of congregations that he offers, rooted in careful scriptural, cultural, and theological reflection, is one that pastoral and lay leaders will be grateful to receive.”
—Roland De Vries, Principal, The Presbyterian College, Montreal
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