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From 11 am to 12 pm on October 2, 9, 16, and 23, The EPA Congregational Development Team will be running a Zoom book study on Countercultural led by the author Gil Rendle.
Rendle, a retired Texas Methodist Foundation vice president and internationally respected consultant, writes and teaches about cultural change and adaptative leadership across denominational lines. He has authored 10 books, contributed to others, and published numerous articles and monographs. His recent books include Doing the Math of Mission (2014) and Quietly Courageous: Leading the Church in a Changing World (2018).
In Countercultural: Subversive Resistance & the Neighborhood Congregation (2023), Rendle asserts that “at a major-shifting point in our culture, the ‘ME’ thinking attitude of the past 50-60 years has been ineffective in promoting, modeling and holding folks accountable to ancient wisdom (particularly: loving God and loving neighbor).”
“Currently, our two major institutions–the political realm and the business world– have the loudest voices in sharing ultimate values and demonstrating how we deal with each other….and they’re failing! Christian congregations, led by courageous pastors have the best chance of reclaiming and reinstituting the ‘WE’ mindset which is best for society and most reflective of God’s own will.”
According to Google Books, “After decades of anti-institutionalism, here is a book that is honest about the importance of congregations and our need for them in our lives. Despite our lack of trust in institutions, we cannot live without them and still hope to live together in communities, let alone a nation. For important reasons our neighborhood institutions of religion (congregations) hold hope not found in other places.… Instead of trying to improve what is already known, this book will provide a way for congregations to thrive and fulfill their purpose by being countercultural.”
We hope you will join us for this conversation with Author and Consultant Gil Rendle.