Bøker av Andrew Root

How Do You Minister to People Who Are Spiritual but Not Religious?In a secular age that offers a buffet of spiritualities focused on the self and on personal transformation, Andrew Root demonstrates the difference between these reigning mysticisms and an authentic Christian view of transformation."Root playfully illustrates how we have become trapped in the present by way of the past, and neither heroics nor introspection nor ourselves will save us. Instead, he posits an enticing, ancient transformation in confession and surrender to something beyond ourselves. A balm for those guilted by Instagram and self-help, Root's book is both illuminating intellectual history and an essential guide for spiritual leaders navigating secular mysticisms."--Erin Raffety, Princeton University and Princeton Seminary"A theological gem. This book is a primer on spiritual theology and philosophical theology that inspires readers to recover and reconsider traditions of confession and surrender. Root balances wit and humor with intellectual depth. This thought-provoking book is an important read that challenges mainline pastors and congregations striving for relevance in the secular age."--Kermit Moss, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary"A gifted practical theologian, Root invites us to wrestle with the nature of historical and contemporary mysticism in the Western world so that we might resist a spirituality that essentially ends in the self and respond to the transformative invitation to Christ-centered relationships. Ministry leaders will benefit greatly from Root's practical wisdom."--Angela Reed, Truett Seminary, Baylor University"Root's final book of the Ministry in a Secular Age series passes on a legacy: the mystery of how a theology of the cross paradoxically offers a path for transformation of the self. At the end of his secular pilgrimage, Root becomes a mystical guide, pointing passionately at how transcendence may be found in the receptive life--a life of passive surrender and confession."--Bård Norheim, NLA University College, Norway; coauthor of The Four Speeches Every Leader Has to Know

A leading practical theologian articulates why congregations feel pressured by the speed of change in modern life and encourages an approach that doesn't fall into the negative traps of our secular age.

Through an abundance of examples, this book explores how pastors have both perpetuated and responded to our secular age, and provides a new vision for pastoral ministry today.

Your Church Needs Help. What Now?What if the solution for the decline of today's church isn't more money, people, programs, innovation, or busyness?What if the answer is to stop and wait on God?When Church Stops Working shows how actively watching and listening for God can bring life out of death for churches in crisis today."This book seeks to address where we are by reminding us of who God is and who we are. It is a profoundly hope-giving book. The church needs teachers like this."--The Most Rev. Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury"This book will draw every leader and Jesus follower who wonders what could work today into a deeper, more faith-full relationship with the God who is always working."--Kara Powell, executive director, Fuller Youth Institute; chief of leadership formation, Fuller Seminary"Root and Bertrand make clear that we must put away our strategies and gimmicks and wait on the Lord all over again. I pray we all would follow this brilliantly antiprogrammatic counsel."--Jason Byassee, senior pastor, Timothy Eaton Memorial Church, Toronto; coauthor of Faithful and Fractured: Responding to the Clergy Health Crisis"We're all feeling the crisis of church decline and frantically trying to fix the problem. This groundbreaking book proposes that we've misdiagnosed the problem and that our supposed treatment is actually making things worse. It offers both a better diagnosis and a helpful, human way forward."--Mandy Smith, pastor and author of Unfettered: Imagining a Childlike Faith beyond the Baggage of Western Culture and The Vulnerable Pastor"Rejecting pithy slogans and slick approaches, this book challenges us to think first about God's place in our church and, in the process, rediscover just how beautiful her life might become once again."--Steve Bezner, senior pastor, Houston Northwest Church

"This perceptive and engaging book is a godsend for leaders and pastors"The call for pastors and congregations to be innovative can have a dark side: an obsession with contemporary relevance and entrepreneurship that lacks theological depth and promises burnout and exhaustion. The Church after Innovation shines a light on the problem and offers a treatment."This book will help you to consider the possible costs of chasing innovation and entrepreneurship--for you and your church. It provides significant insights and questions regarding some of the most pressing challenges of our time."--Angela Williams Gorrell, Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University"There's something satisfying about a story that is this big, bold, and revealing about how our cultural presumptions came to be--especially when so beautifully told. When Christians fall in love with ideas of leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship, we can be sure they have ignored for too long the secular economic context in which they live and breathe. A timely wake-up call."--Brian Brock, University of Aberdeen"This perceptive and engaging book is a godsend for leaders and pastors. In a market saturated with quick-fix, innovate-or-die polemics on church growth, this book offers a richer path to help realize a transcendent creativity of epiphany (over innovation) that values people, nurtures personhood, and promotes flourishing for the church in a secular age."--Nick Shepherd, FRSA, Archbishops' Council of the Church of England"With penetrating analysis and prophetic force, Root exposes how the false idols of capitalism are being smuggled into the church through the Trojan horses of innovation and entrepreneurialism. A bold, necessary, and urgent book."--Richard Beck, Abilene Christian University; author of Hunting Magic Eels: Recovering an Enchanted Faith in a Skeptical Age"Seminaries need to assign this book. Ministers need to read this book. I'm grateful to Root for so powerfully articulating the biggest problem facing the church--namely, our supposed need to innovate."--Tripp Fuller, founder and host of the Homebrewed Christianity podcast"This important book is worthy of reading and rereading."--Rodney Clapp, author of Naming Neoliberalism: Exposing the Spirit of Our Age

Andrew Root reviews the history of relational/incarnational youth ministry in American evangelicalism and recasts the practice as one of "place-sharing"--not so much "earning the right to be heard" as honoring the human dignity of youth and locating God in their midst.

Congregations often seek to combat decline by using innovation to produce new resources. Leading practical theologian Andrew Root shows that the church's crisis is not in the loss of resources but in the loss of life--and that life can return only when we remain open to God's encountering presence.

Think about sin and the cross-the way that salvation changes who we are and how God sees us. It's a central part of our faith, and yet it's one of the most confusing and difficult things to teach. Especially to a room full of teenagers.In Taking the Cross to Youth Ministry, Andrew Root invites you along on a journey with Nadia-a fictional youth worker who is wrestling with how to present the cross to her own students in a meaningful way. Using Nadia's narrative, along with his own insights, Root helps you reimagine how the cross, sin, and salvation can be taught to students in a way that leads them to embrace a lifestyle that chases after Jesus, rather than creating teenagers who just try to "e;be good."e;

Even if you know you're called to youth ministry and are passionate about the students in your group, you've probably had a few of those moments when you've wondered why you're doing certain things in your ministry, or wondered why you're even doing youth ministry in the first place. If you've ever stopped to ask, "e;What's the point of youth ministry?"e; ...In Taking Theology to Youth Ministry, Andrew Root invites you along on a journey with Nadia-a fictional youth worker who is trying to understand the "e;why"e; behind her ministry. Her narrative, along with Root's insights, help you uncover the action of God as it pertains to your own youth ministry, and encourage you to discover how you can participate in that action. As you join this theological journey, you'll find yourself exploring how theology can and should influence the way you do youth ministry.

Fern isn't your usual unicorn...she loves chemistry and math-and she refuses to change who she is in this sweet and empowering picture book about being yourself and standing up for yourself, too!

Using an innovative first-person fictional narrative, an expert in youth ministry diagnoses the challenges facing the church today and offers a new way to think about what youth ministry can be for: not happiness, but joy.

In the bestselling tradition of Inside of a Dog and Marley & Me, a smart, illuminating, and entertaining read on why the dog-human relationship is unique--and possibly even "spiritual."

Many things threaten the faith of youth today, but none more than science. The commitments of science and Christianity seem to be at oddsscience makes truth claims based on experiments and proofs, while religion asks for belief and trust. But Andrew Root demonstrates that, in fact, the two are not incompatible.Root, a renowned expert on adolescent spirituality, shows how science overstates its claims on truth, while faith often understates its own claims. Both faith and science frame the experience and reality of teenagers, and both have something valuable to offer as adolescents develop.Drawing on a fictional account of a youth pastor and the various students he encounters, Root paints a compelling picture of how faith can flourish, even in our scientific age.

A leading practical theologian offers an alternative take on the issue of youth drifting away from the church and articulates how faith can be formed in our secular age.

Finding practical theology not always able to present frameworks for understanding concrete and lived experience with divine action, Andrew Roots Christopraxis seeks to reset the edifice of practical theology on a new foundation. While not minimizing its commitment to the lived and concrete, Root argues that practical theology has neglected deeper theological underpinnings. Root seeks to create a practical theology that is properly and fully theological, post-postmodern, post-Aristotelian, and that attends to doctrines such as divine action and justification.

One of the Academy of Parish Clergy's "e;Top 10 Books of 2013 for Parish Ministry"e;

The youth ministry focus of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's life is often forgotten or overlooked, even though he did much work with young people and wrote a number of papers, sermons, and addresses about or for the youth of the church. However, youth ministry expert Andrew Root explains that this focus is central to Bonhoeffer's story and thought. Root presents Bonhoeffer as the forefather and model of the growing theological turn in youth ministry. By linking contemporary youth workers with this epic theologian, the author shows the depth of youth ministry work and underscores its importance in the church. He also shows how Bonhoeffer's life and thought impact present-day youth ministry practice.

For half a century, relational or incarnational ministry has been a major focus in youth ministry. But for too long, those relationships have been used as a means to an end. It's time to tear down the old structure of relational youth ministry and start again. Explore the idea of place-sharing and find practical ideas to help you recreate the role of relationships in your ministry.

A recognized authority on youth ministry explores from a theological and spiritual standpoint the baffling sense of loss of self experienced by children of divorce.