Customer Reviews

Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
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2 star:		(1)
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Carol has written a wonderful book that should challenge our assumptions about the generations missing from mainline denominational churches. For those of us who are a bit leery about "emerging" churches' break with anything traditional this comes as a welcome revelation. We don't have to congregate at coffee houses, the blogosphere and use mysterious words like "missional" to participate in discipleship. Carol shows that we already have everything that we need at our disposal to be welcoming, intergenerational, economically sensitive, socially active, and to share power without abandoning our deepest held connections to our local congregation. All of that and she isn't afraid to be called liberal. I love this book and if you love the church you will too.

Tribal Church is perhaps the best-ever book for those who sincerely want to create a place for young adults to worship and serve. At last, we can stop our hand-wringing and lamentations over the absence of our adult children in church because now, Carol Merritt has offered us a vision of the church in which everyone, young and old and in-between, has a place, a voice and an equal opportunity to share their gifts and to grow in truth and love. With clarity, kindness and authority, Rev. Merritt shatters those long-held, false assumptions that have far too long kept us from reaching out to the "missing generation" and provides a way for us to welcome them on their own terms and meet them where they are, not necessarily where we would like them to be. Tribal Church provides a path toward insight, understanding and acceptance of this generation's unique perspecitves, their needs and challenges, as well as their gifts for ministry and mission. In the end, Carol's book is about hope. Hope for those of us who have earnestly prayed for an authentic way to approach and serve our young adults, and real hope for the future of the church.

As an Evangelical who works within the disability community, I found Rev. Merritt's observations benefitial and I highly recommend her book. I love the concept of an intentional generational approach where the energy and enthusiasm of the young adults is utilized more effectively. Children, then teenagers and now seniors have been the primary focus of the church as baby boomers have aged. This is the time to turn our focus to new leadership.

While some of her theology was troubling to me, I could not escape the loving and understanding approach presented in her thesis. Rev. Merritt knows the Evangelical world. She appreciates and commends the Evangelical fervor for spreading the goodness of Christ. There is much to learn from her regarding how the missing generation preceives the Evangelical church and why they are hesitant to return to the church.

Being the active church member and aging Boomer that I am, this book really gives me great ideas on how we can better welcome and serve the young people who are obviously not getting much of what they need from the church. I love the multi-generational models and real situations that Merritt shares and can't wait to get to my next membership meeting to share her ideas and recommendations.

I'm also giving a copy to my pastor for Christmas.

I recommend this book for anyone who wants to get a realistic and respectful take on where young adults are and what they are seeking in terms of meaningful spiritual community. Young people can tell when the church is targeting them for membership for reasons of institutional life insurance, and when it's out of an authentic desire for their gifts to be a part of our churches. Congregational leaders who read Tribal Church and take its ideas to heart will be more likely to trend towards the latter.

We see in our church, Western Presbyterian of Washington D.C, how Carol's ideas work, and how Carol works. Its highly effective outreach to students at nearby George Washington University, a stunningly successful attraction of young marrieds, plus a long standing tradition of racial and national diversity have saved our downtown congregation from the senescence and slow death faced by other established churches. She has played a positve role in all of this, and we older members feel rejuvenated to see her do it. That's the transgenerational part. She writes well of what she knows, and her thinking is much in keeping with the radically new ways the 'connected generation' thinks and where they will inevitably take all of us in our personal and social relationships and our spiritual practice.

I appreciated the quick service. The condition of the book was very good. The book has already had three readers. There is lots of very good points made.

This is a helpful book for anyone doing ministry with intergenerational challenges. Howard Merritt provides helpful suggestions and food for thought. Her specific suggestions may not be applicable to every church but she challenges today's church to engage young adults through an intergenerational model.

A useful book to be used as a springboard for conversations on the composition of your Christian community.
Often we say we want a particular group of people in our church but don't show them that they are valued. The basic premise of the book is that you need to demonstrate the value of people, and it is through the small things, through connecting in with them that you show this, throwing some money at an issue wont solve it, it requires commitment from the faith community to live with hope (resurrection hope) that when we treat a group with respect they will respond to it.
It is a book that spans the laity/clergy divide easily and is a digestible read for your whole leadership team.

A very good book with lots of room for thought. Some of the ideas are needed in every church and some of the ideas I believe are way out in left field. I think if the Bible is the ultimate truth and the Word of God, it should be respected and not changed. In a couple of places the author forgets the Word of God and tries to change it to conform to her life style. It should be the other way around.