Product Description

Radical Welcome: Embracing God, the Other, and the Spirit of Transformation is a practical theological guide for congregations that want to move beyond mere inclusivity toward becoming a place where welcoming "the other" is taken seriously and engaging God’s mission becomes more than just a catch-phrase.

The book is based on two years of work and over 200 interviews with people in urban, suburban, and rural congregations around the United States. Each chapter introduces specific congregations and their challenges, and lays out the theological underpinnings of tackling fears head-on and embracing change as a welcome part of community life.

Contents include: The Radical Welcome Journey; Mapping the Way; God of Welcome, God of Grace; With Hearts Wide Open; Getting Real; Facing Our Fears and Embracing the Dream, The Joy in the Struggle.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #409402 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 180 pages

About the Author
Stephanie Spellers is an Episcopal priest and the Cox Fellow and Minister for Radical Welcome at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to ordination, she was a professional religion journalist.

Customer Reviews

Radical Welcome in Practical Ways
This lively, engaging book is full of practical ways, drawn from a diverse array of local congregations, to make any congregation more welcoming. Spellers helps sort out the unconscious (and deliberate) habits of congregations which keep the doors effectively closed, and which contribute to a lack of spiritual hospitality. The book keeps the goal of welcoming all people to church before us in thoughtful ways. Easy to read in small bites, but the reflections endure.

Amen, Sister!
Stephanie Spellers writes of and helps us plan for congregations who offer hospitality "Jesus' style". Idealism is tempered by truth-telling. Radical Welcome is hard work, but it is necessary to renew and spark growth in churches that find themselves clinging to the past, and dying because of it. Spellers is an Episcopal priest, and the book is targeted for that denomination, however it can be used by anyone in any church who wishes to make their altar/table open to all God's people.