{"title":"Books by Andrew Root","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780801098482","title":"The Congregation in a Secular Age","description":"\u003cb\u003eA New Paradigm for Understanding the Congregation in Contemporary Ministry\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChurches often realize they need to change. But if they're not careful, the way they change can hurt more than help.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLeading practical theologian Andrew Root offers a new paradigm for understanding the congregation in contemporary ministry. He articulates why congregations feel pressured by the speed of change in modern life and encourages an approach that doesn't fall into the negative traps of our secular age.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Congregation in a Secular Age\u003c\/i\u003e calls congregations to reimagine what change is and how to live into this future, helping them move from relevance to resonance.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56294802358645,"sku":"9780801098482","price":21.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780801098482_4b95e369-620a-4df7-ae6e-7d147abc9c4a.jpg?v=1786015882"},{"product_id":"9780801098468","title":"Faith Formation in a Secular Age","description":"\u003cb\u003eA New Vision for Faith Formation in a Secular Age\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe loss or disaffiliation of young adults is a much-discussed topic in churches today. Many faith-formation programs focus on keeping the young, believing the youthful spirit will save the church. But do these programs have more to do with an obsession with youthfulness than with helping young people encounter the living God?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLeading practical theologian Andrew Root offers an alternative take on the issue of youth drifting away from the church and articulates how faith can be formed in our secular age, exploring\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e● a theology of faith constructed from a rich cultural conversation\u003cbr\u003e● a deeper understanding of the phenomena of the \"nones\" and \"moralistic therapeutic deism\" \u003cbr\u003e● the reasons why forming faith is so hard in our context \u003cbr\u003e● our loss of an imagination for how and where God could be present in our lives \u003cbr\u003e● steps we can take to move into faith and apply a Pauline concept of faith as encounter with divine action","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56294904103285,"sku":"9780801098468","price":20.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780801098468_24dc92de-a3bb-4bf7-bbe4-a76bbc1f9be1.jpg?v=1786015880"},{"product_id":"9780801049057","title":"Bonhoeffer as Youth Worker","description":"\u003cb\u003eNamed a 2014\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e Jesus Creed \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eBook of the Year (Biography)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBest New Contribution to Bonhoeffer Studies \u0026amp; Best Youth Ministry Book for 2014, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHearts \u0026amp; Minds Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe youth ministry focus of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's life is often forgotten or overlooked, even though he did much work with young people and wrote a number of papers, sermons, and addresses about or for the youth of the church. However, youth ministry expert Andrew Root explains that this focus is central to Bonhoeffer's story and thought. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRoot presents Bonhoeffer as the forefather and model of the growing theological turn in youth ministry. By linking contemporary youth workers with this epic theologian, the author shows the depth of youth ministry work and underscores its importance in the church. He also shows how Bonhoeffer's life and thought impact present-day youth ministry practice.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56294944571765,"sku":"9780801049057","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780801049057_dc5e0c30-4dd3-481f-9656-d59bcf939555.jpg?v=1786015733"},{"product_id":"9780801098475","title":"The Pastor in a Secular Age","description":"\u003cb\u003eA New Vision for Pastoral Ministry Today\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eFaith Formation in a Secular Age\u003c\/i\u003e, the first book in his Ministry in a Secular Age trilogy, Andrew Root offered an alternative take on the issue of youth drifting away from the church and articulated how faith can be formed in our secular age. In \u003ci\u003eThe Pastor in a Secular Age\u003c\/i\u003e, Root explores how this secular age has impacted the identity and practice of the pastor, obscuring his or her core vocation: to call and assist others into the experience of ministry.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUsing examples of pastors throughout history--from Augustine and Jonathan Edwards to Martin Luther King Jr. and Nadia Bolz-Weber--Root shows how pastors have both perpetuated and responded to our secular age. Root then turns to Old Testament texts and to the theology of Robert Jenson to explain how pastors can regain the important role of attending to people's experiences of divine action, offering a new vision for pastoral ministry today.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56294953189749,"sku":"9780801098475","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780801098475_49de8b7d-ed41-4b49-8c47-dbea50d5bba8.jpg?v=1786015880"},{"product_id":"9781662520471","title":"Stemosaurus","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMeet Spike the Stemosaurus: he’s curious, great with numbers, and about to save the day!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot everyone has heard of Spike, the Stemosaurus. Unlike the other dinosaurs, he’s small, quiet, and rather weak. But Spike has boundless curiosity. He loves math, making inventions, and discovering new things about the world around him. Which is why the other dinosaurs come to him when they discover something LARGE coming right at the earth. It’s a giant meteor!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat’s a STEM-loving dinosaur to do? Save his friends, that’s what! Spike is about to come up with the invention of a lifetime…\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301866942837,"sku":"9781662520471","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781662520471_4f3440df-2184-4efa-b90f-486f1e7d3c67.jpg?v=1786024324"},{"product_id":"9781540964816","title":"Churches and the Crisis of Decline","description":"\u003cb\u003eA Rich Vision for the Church's Future\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCongregations often seek to combat the crisis of decline by using innovation to produce new resources. But leading practical theologian Andrew Root shows that the church's crisis is not in the loss of resources; it's in the loss of life--and that life can only return when we remain open to God's encountering presence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book addresses the practical form the church must take in a secular age. Root argues the church must be a waiting community that recognizes that the only way for it to find life is to stop seeing the church as the star of its own story. Instead of resisting decline, congregations must remain open to divine action. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRoot offers a rich vision for the church's future that moves away from an obsession with relevance and resources and toward the living God.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56303311880565,"sku":"9781540964816","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781540964816_10f8d2f5-0c00-4990-9707-e66397c18a9e.jpg?v=1786023266"},{"product_id":"9781540961396","title":"The End of Youth Ministry?","description":"\u003cb\u003eWhat is youth ministry actually for? And does it have a future?\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAndrew Root, a leading scholar in youth ministry and practical theology, went on a one-year journey to answer these questions. In this book, Root weaves together an innovative first-person fictional narrative to diagnose the challenges facing the church today and to offer a new vision for youth ministry in the 21st century.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInformed by interviews that Root conducted with parents, this book explores how parents' perspectives of what constitutes a good life are affecting youth ministry. In today's culture, youth ministry can't compete with sports, test prep, and the myriad other activities in which young people participate.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThrough a unique parable-style story, Root offers a new way to think about the purpose of youth ministry: not happiness, but joy.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56303525822837,"sku":"9781540961396","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781540961396_d1299072-134b-4dd3-9b4e-f02bc75bfc36.jpg?v=1786023199"},{"product_id":"9781540964823","title":"The Church after Innovation","description":"\u003cb\u003eShining a Light on the Problem of Innovation\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eChurches and their leaders have innovation fever. Innovation seems exciting--a way to enliven tired institutions, embrace creativity, and be proactive--and is a superstar of the business world. But this focus on innovation may be caused by an obsession with contemporary relevance, creativity, and entrepreneurship that inflates the self, lacks theological depth, and promises burnout.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this follow-up to \u003ci\u003eChurches and the Crisis of Decline\u003c\/i\u003e, leading practical theologian Andrew Root delves into the problems of innovation. He explores \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e● where innovation and entrepreneurship came from and how they break into church circles\u003cbr\u003e● the \"new imaginations\" like neoliberalism and technology that hold the church captive to modernity\u003cbr\u003e● the moral visions of the self that innovation and entrepreneurship deliver--which lead to significant faith-formation issues\u003cbr\u003e● a healthier spiritual alternative: a return to mysticism and the poetry of Meister Eckhart","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56304416915829,"sku":"9781540964823","price":20.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781540964823_b1ff6ff8-a1ab-42c1-bac6-71e3903d2691.jpg?v=1786023267"},{"product_id":"9781540966735","title":"The Church in an Age of Secular Mysticisms","description":"\u003cb\u003eHow Do You Minister to People Who Are Spiritual but Not Religious?\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePost-Christian life and society do not eliminate a desire for the transcendent; rather, they create an environment for new and divergent spiritual communities and practices to flourish. We are flooded with spiritualities that appeal to human desires for nonreligious personal transformation. But many fail to deliver because they fall into the trap of the self. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the last book of the Ministry in a Secular Age series, leading practical theologian Andrew Root shows the differences between these spiritualities and authentic Christian transformation. He explores the dangers of following or adapting these reigning mysticisms and explains why the self has become so important yet so burdened with guilt--and how we should think about both. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo help us understand our confusing cultural landscape, he maps spiritualities using twenty of the best memoirs from 2015 to 2020 in which \"secular mystics\" promote their mystical and transformational pathways. Root concludes with a more excellent way--even a mysticism--centered on the theology of the cross that pastors and leaders can use to form their own imaginations and practices.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56312607998325,"sku":"9781540966735","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781540966735_367102eb-b282-4b83-ae44-a5df59cc4849.jpg?v=1786023311"},{"product_id":"9781587436628","title":"A Pilgrimage into Letting Go","description":"\u003cb\u003eHow parents and pastors can trade anxiety for authentic relationships\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat do pastors and parents have in common? They often feel pressure to be in control.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf you're an anxious parent watching your teens navigate an unpredictable world or a ministry leader overwhelmed by the pressure to \"save\" the church in today's challenging landscape, Andy and Kara Root understand your struggle--and they've discovered a transformative path forward. They learned that releasing control actually helps us regain genuine connection.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen control-focused approaches to Christian parenting and church leadership left them exhausted, this ministry couple followed the ancient way of Saint Cuthbert and embarked on an extraordinary sixty-three-mile walking pilgrimage across England and Scotland with their two kids. In this book, they offer\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e● strategies for parents to move from \u003cb\u003eanxiety-driven control to faith-based guidance\u003c\/b\u003e that strengthens family relationships,\u003cbr\u003e● insights for pastors and ministry leaders on \u003cb\u003eembracing uncertainty as a pathway to authentic spiritual leadership\u003c\/b\u003e amid declining church attendance,\u003cbr\u003e● biblical wisdom for modern parenting challenges to help you \u003cb\u003enavigate raising teenagers in today's tumultuous world\u003c\/b\u003e, and\u003cbr\u003e● \u003cb\u003ewisdom for church leaders\u003c\/b\u003e struggling with the pressure to single-handedly revitalize their ministries.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThrough honest storytelling, spiritual reflection, and practical wisdom gained from their pilgrimage journey, Andy and Kara offer parents and pastors a refreshing alternative to the exhausting cycle of trying to control outcomes. Instead of paving the way for your children or congregation, learn how to walk alongside them with confidence and trust in God's transformative grace.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eStop trying to control everything. Start experiencing the freedom and connection that comes from truly letting go.\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56419896131957,"sku":"9781587436628","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781587436628_d5f2193d-52e6-47a3-8522-6341315d8618.jpg?v=1786023766"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-andrew-root.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}