We live in a culture that fetishizes growth. Bigger is better. Go big or go home. Our economy worships the ever-expanding market. Churches are not immune to this thinking—narratives of “church decline” and gnawing worry over empty pews haunt our moral imaginations when we talk about who the church is now called to be. What if those fears keep us from following where God is leading?
This is the provocative case that renowned theologian Andrew Root makes in his new book, Baal and the gods of More: Rescuing Church Growth from Idolatry. On Thursday November 12 at 4:00 p.m. CT, don’t miss the opportunity to hear Dr. Root speak live in Garrett’s Chapel of the Unnamed Faithful.
His keynote address kicks off Garrett’s Homecoming weekend, and you are cordially invited to participate in three days of fruitful conversation, reflection, and prayer. But single-day tickets are also available, which include both the keynote lecture and subsequent dinner reception.
Please, seize this chance to think deeply about how we can mindfully live the gospel in a moment of ever-increasing demands and finite resources. As the book opens, Dr. Root offers that his mission is “to free us from this logic of escalation and redirect the church from seeking to grow something (such as resources and relevance) to seeking to grow into…relationality that sits at the core of divine action.” Turning away from the gods who measure faithfulness by numbers isn’t an abdication of our calling, it’s a chance to refocus our energy where the Spirit moves.
Come, gather with others over prophetic words and hearty supper. Make space for the still, small voice to stir dreams about who we might become.
