Customer Reviews

The Emerging Church: A Model for Change and a Map for Renewal

5 star:		(4)
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I am loving Bruce Sanguin's book - I have to rate it a WOW! I primarily come from the post-evangelical side of the emergent aisle, but hearing this mainline minister's creation-centered, Spiral-ly dynamic, evolutionary take on Christian spirituality is refreshing. While I don't agree with the author's every contour (nor, I think, would he want me to uncritically), I really appreciate how he synthesizes a host of influences from Matt Fox to Ken Wilber and shows how they've incubated in his congregation these past dozen years.

And can I say that the cover is *gorgeous*?

Highly recommended!

Rev. Sanguin offers for those interested, a tried model of bringing the church into the 21st Century. This book is only for churches ready to move away from the traditional model,long held on to as sacred or untouchable.
From his own experience,he shared the ups and downs of moving from the old idea of"church" toward the direction of more ownership by the congregants.
Here is a message of survival of the intrinsic values,while giving way to new ideas of how we gather for spiritual growth.
I recommend this book for both clergy and congregations who are seeking to bring the religious/spiriitual experience into the now.

Synopsis:
The Rev. Bruce Sanguin, realizing the importance of creating a practical guide for both ministers and congregations who are seeking to transform their congregational culture, rebuild a dying church or start a new church will find this practical yet inspiring guide for pastors or consultants to pastors immensely helpful. Pastor Sanguin grounds this book in the experience of his own congregation over ten years, as a way to establish context and to share real-life examples. You will be able to use his guidance immediately, or translate his direction so that it will match more effectively your personal situation. At the same time, Bruce inspires the reader to understand how to inspire your congregation to understand how effective and spiritually nourished they will be when the picture of success that he helps you to paint for your people becomes for everyone a realistic reality. Written in language laypeople can understand, this book is filled with no-nonsense, realistic advice on the pitfalls and possibilities of following the vision of an emerging congregation
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Many books in the "21st century church" genre offer "stones" instead of "bread;" they are self-congratulatory tomes promoting bells and whistles. Not so The Emerging Church. Bruce Sanguin leads the reader through the process his congregation undertook, which included plenty of learning along the way. There is no "sure path" to "success;" what books such as this should do is point out what the terrain is like.

Sanguin does this admirably in his application of Spiral Dynamics to the church. Pastors can serve others better (and retain some peace of mind) once we accept the fact that people approach the faith with various levels of complexity, and that's OK. I've been working with Spiral Dynamics for a decade now and appreciate Sanguin's reader-friendly introduction to it.

That said, I do suggest that there's more to the achievement-oriented, rational level (coded orange) than Sanguin implies. The spiritual gifts of orange run deeper than he suggests -- Martin Luther's insistence upon "a priesthood of all believers," for example, is a prototype of orange -- namely, the recovery of the individual from a by-then stifling medieval chain of being. There also are more pervasive layers of orange spirituality than Sanguin acknowledges. These include the "prosperity gospel" and also the self-congratulatory tomes I referenced earlier.

I mention this because I imagine much of the audience for this book would view the world through a generally holistic (green) spiritual lens. If they are to move into a more integral spirituality, it's important to appreciate the contributions and pitfalls of all levels, especially the ones they are most recently leaving behind. Holists need to appreciate rationalists before they become integral.

I give this book a hearty five stars because it is one of very few about which I could have thought to write the preceding paragraph! Thank you, Bruce!