Open the Doors and See All the People

Open the Doors and See All the People: Stories of Church Identity and Vocation

Open the Doors and See All the People will help your congregation discover a collective vocation amidst the unique needs and concerns of your community.

Everist evokes this sense of possibility by weaving together stories and observations from visits to some 90 congregations over a 15-year period. She intersperses the narrative with delightfully imaginative questions for shared reflection. Examples include:

o What biblical image of the church, for example, “vine and branches”, “rock”, “one loaf”, “salt of the earth” describes your congregation?
o What is the place of the church steeple in your community? How is it viewed by people? Whether or not your church building has one, what might “here is the steeple” mean to you and people in your congregation?
o What pieces of history in your community are carefully maintained? What parts are tempting to discard or forget? How does your history – or newness – shape the present community?

Publisher Blurb
”Emerging from the author's interviews and interactions with numerous Lutheran congregations across the country, this book explores how congregations are determining and living out their identity. Their stories are intended to encourage and inspire other Lutheran congregations to take a close look at their own contexts and plan for the future. Questions and activities for reflection make this a great tool for congregational planning and development.”

Endorsement
"With the skill of a quilter, Professor Cook Everist pieces together stories that, as a whole, lead us to reflect upon the nature of the Church and how congregations are called and equipped for God's mission. Rather than an extensive discourse on abstract ideas, she offers an engagement throughout of a context for ministry, stitching through the particulars to reveal the patterns and contrasts. This book will be a great resource for congregational leaders to use together to open meetings and to encourage small group discussion regarding congregational identity and mission."
— Kathy Gerking, Assistant to the Bishop, Southeastern Iowa Synod of the ELCA

Table of Contents
• Where Is the Church?
• What Is the Church?
• All Kinds of Steeples
• Centers of Meaning
• How Open Are the Doors?
• How Wide Are the Doors?
• See the People
• Cherish the People