When Methods Die

“For millennia, Black and brown people’s prophetic imagination has revived the church—and with this book, Rev. Dr. Jason Villegas carries forward this powerful and holy lineage. Timely, wise, provocative, practical—and above all, faithful—When Methods Die reads like a love letter to a church that has lost its way. Jason invites readers who also love the church to cast off the shackles of certainty, control, and death avoidance—and join him in bringing death and resurrection into cosmic and practical unity. May all who have ears to hear, hear!”
— Christena Cleveland, author of God Is a Black Woman

“This young Latinx pastor brings the voice of a new American apostolate—with a sober eye on the legacy of the church and a heart for its future. He begins with a searing yet empathetic eulogy for a dying ‘Method of Church,’ then walks us through a labyrinth of decline and denial toward an expectancy of resurrection. A hip-hop poet exploring fraught terrain through language and metaphors both playful and poignant, Miller-Villegas serves the tradition he loves as hospice chaplain and midwife.”
—Elaine Enns and Ched Myers, authors of Healing Haunted Histories: A Settler Discipleship of Decolonization

“In this book, Rev. Dr. Jason Villegas, ‘does not turn away’ but looks straight into death and loss, both of the church and its fading ideologies. While expressing both grief and a longing hope, he expertly weaves story, scripture, and insight. This is a book to be read, for all of us, who are actively witnessing our churches pass away yet are longing for resurrection. Jason will walk you through the loss, the grief, and the beauty of hope and God’s good care.”
—Fatimah Salleh, founder, A Certain Work

“When Methods Die is a stunning, honest, courageous love letter to the church and its people.  Jason Miller-Villegas reflects deeply on the church’s struggles and institutional brokenness with a yearning hope for resurrection. Through poetry and prose, with prophetic urgency and pastoral tenderness, he names our dying and weaves a hope-filled vision of renewal. This is a must-read for anyone longing to see the church reborn in love and justice.”
—Steve Taylor, home missioner, Spring Forest New Monastic and Missional Community UMC

“Jason Miller-Villegas writes with tender clarity and fierce wisdom, drawing for us a deep and enduring vision for the future of the church. We need to hold room for real grief in institutional church spaces, and When Methods Die helps us do that through the lens of deep hope. This book is about facing death as a transition to life and honoring the power of resurrection in a hurting world. I highly recommend it!”
—Kaitlin B. Curtice, award-winning Potawatomi author of Native and Living Resistance