Christopher L. Heuertz

Christine D. Pohl

In our anonymous and dehumanized world, the simple practice of friendship is radically countercultural. But sometimes Christians inadvertently marginalize and objectify the very ones they most want to serve. Chris Heuertz, international director of Word Made Flesh, and theologian and ethicist Christine Pohl show how friendship is a Christian vocation that can bring reconciliation and healing to our broken world. They contend that unlikely friendships are at the center of an alternative paradigm for mission, where people are not objectified as potential converts but encountered in a relationship of mutuality and reciprocity. When we befriend those on the margins of society by practicing hospitality and welcome, we create communities where righteousness and justice can be lived out. Heuertz and Pohl's reflections offer fresh insight into Christian mission and what it means to be the church in the world today.

Discovering Mutuality in Service and Mission

Friendship at the Margins

Every Christian should read this provocative book! Christine thoroughly delineates the interlocking relationships and dangerous deformities of practices that could deepen our communities but often destroy them. This volume is pertinent to our families, churches, even places of work. -- Marva J. Dawn author of Truly the Community

Cultivating Practices That Sustain Us

Living Into Community

Nicola Hoggard Creegan

Nicola Hoggard Creegan and Christine D. Pohl tell their own stories and draw from the experiences of ninety other women scholars to helpfully and hopefully address the boundary between the evangelical world and the concerns of feminism found in the academy.

Evangelical Women, Feminism and the Theological Academy

Living on the Boundaries

Søren Kierkegaard

C. S. Lewis

Jean Vanier

Eugene H. Peterson

Thomas Merton

Joan Chittister

Henri J. M. Nouwen

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

Richard J. Foster

Chiara Lubich

Saint Benedict

Howard A. Snyder

Dorothy Day

David Janzen

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Eberhard Arnold

John M. Perkins

Christine Christine

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Why, in age of connectivity, are our lives more isolated and fragmented than ever? And what can be done about it? The answer lies in the hands of God's people. Increasingly, today's Christians want to be the church, to follow Christ together in daily life. From every corner of society, they are daring to step away from the status quo and respond to Christ's call to share their lives more fully with one another and with others. As they take the plunge, they are discovering the rich, meaningful life that Jesus has in mind for all people, and pointing the church back to its original calling: to be a gathered, united community that demonstrates the transforming love of God. Of course, such a life together with others isn't easy. The selections in this volume are, by and large, written by practitioners--people who have pioneered life in intentional community and have discovered in the nitty-gritty of daily life what it takes to establish, nurture, and sustain a Christian community over the long haul. Whether you have just begun thinking about communal living, are already embarking on sharing life with others, or have been part of a community for many years, the pieces in this collection will encourage, challenge, and strengthen you. The book's fifty-two chapters can be read one a week to ignite meaningful group discussion.

The Life Jesus Wants for His People

Called to Community

Every church, every organization, has experienced them: betrayal, deception, grumbling, envy, exclusion. They make life together difficult and prevent congregations from developing the skills, virtues, and practices they need to nurture sturdy, life-giving communities. In Living into Community Christine Pohl explores four specific Christian practices -- gratitude, promise-keeping, truth-telling, and hospitality -- that can counteract those destructive forces and help churches and individuals build and sustain vibrant communities. Drawing on a wealth of personal and professional experience and interacting with the biblical, historical, and moral traditions, Pohl thoughtfully discusses each practice, including its possible complications and deformations, and points to how these essential practices can be better cultivated within communities and families.

Living into Community

Christine D. Pohl

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