Beyond the Broken Church: How to Leave Church Problems Behind Without Leaving the Church

by Sarah Cunningham

Overview

Beyond the Broken Church is a collection of heartfelt learnings from Sarah Cunningham, a young adult raised in the faith, about the church she's not always sure she wants to be part of. The book engages concerns of a disillusioned generation head on and offers hope and honest, practical ideas for moving beyond one’s frustrations.

In the end Beyond the Broken Church tells a story that will be familiar to many: the journey of overcoming disillusionment and staying the course.

This revised and expanded version of the popular book Dear Church revisits the existing book with additional chapters, fresh statistics, new insights into why people are leaving the church, and a resource guide for those who care about the disillusioned and want to understand them better. Beyond the Broken Church will be a breath of fresh air to others who have experienced frustration in church as well as an insider’s guide for those seeking to understand current trends in church attendance, particularly among the younger generation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310336945
Publisher:	Zondervan
Publication date:	04/22/2014
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Sarah Raymond Cunningham is the author of Portable Faith and The Well Balanced World Changer and the creator of the children's Christmas book, the Donkey in the Living Room. As a freelance consultant, she has also helped develop some of the top Christian events in the country. When her hands aren't busy juggling projects, Sarah is living as Chief Servant to the Emperor, her four year old son, and his chief of staff, his one year old brother. She blogs about finding extraordinary friendships in an ordinary world at sarahcunningham.org.

Table of Contents

Preface: This Is Important 9

Introduction: Read This First 11

Chapter 1 You Are Not Alone 17

Chapter 2 Don t Want to Be the Church Anymore 29

Chapter 3 Know What Disillusions You 35

Chapter 4 Let It Go 47

Chapter 5 The Road beyond the Broken Church 55

Chapter 6 Wise Counselor 63

Chapter 7 Lessons in How to Leave the Church and End Up Staying 73

Chapter 8 How Can We Go On Living? 83

Chapter 9 Withness 93

Chapter 10 Should I Stay or Should I Go? 113

Chapter 11 Church at Home, Church on the Road 121

Chapter 12 Your Grandmother's Church 133

Chapter 13 No One Owes You an Explanation 141

Chapter 14 Love Letter 159

Afterword: Where I Am Now 167

Beyond the Broken Church 169

Appendix A Resources for the Disillusioned 171

Appendix B Resources for the Local Pastor or Church Staff Who Serve the Disillusioned 181

Appendix C Resources for Denominational Leaders 213

Appendix D Resources for Parents and Family Members of the Disillusioned 215

Appendix E Fifty Things I've Learned about Forgiveness 111

Appendix F Resources for Learning More about Disillusionment 233

Acknowledgments 247

Notes 249