A Seat at the Table

by Timothy Gaines

Overview

If you are a young person who wonders if there is a place in the church for someone like you, or if you want to know if your own church can be the kind of body in which young people are welcome, A Seat at the Table will give you a new personal and kingdom perspective. Embrace the challenge to re-imagine your relationship with the church in light of this "generational collision", not seeing it as an unredeemable rift, but as an opportunity to give and receive hospitality.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780834128354
Publisher:	Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City
Publication date:	09/01/2012
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

SHAWNA and TIMOTHY are the co-pastors of Bakersfield First Church of the Nazarene in Bakersfield, CA. Shawna (M.Div., Nazarene Theological Seminary) has served as Youth Pastor in Chicago, Il and as a Communications Consultant and curriculum writer for Nazarene Missions International. Timothy (M.Div., Nazarene Theological Seminary) is a doctoral fellow at the Stead Center for Ethics and Values at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and teaches theology and ethics. His Ph.D. dissertation focuses on Trinitarian theology and Christian ethics.

Editorial Reviews

The problem of twenty-somethings leaving the church isn't a new one, but insights from co-pastors Gaines and Gaines could finally help church leaders fix the generational gap. Through the stories of a handful of young people who have left their churches, the authors demonstrate that older generations of Christians have classified young people as a homogenous group that should be placed into existing structures set up for their benefit (e.g., the "singles group"). This inability to acknowledge young people's individuality and organic interactions combined with a lack of trust (e.g., one church leader told young members "they were not qualified to lead a Bible study") have kept young people from finding their place in churches. These insights should give readers plenty to chew on, though they will have to get past the authors' excessive number of rhetorical questions and loose, repetitive writing. Still, Gaines and Gaines have reignited a tough discussion that should both humble churchgoers and help them refocus on serving one another instead of catering to divisive debates. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly