Author Description

Every year, more congregations in North America close their doors. Can a near-dead church be revived and renewed? Marketing campaigns or managerial innovation aren’t going to work. We need theological and pastoral answers that come from the on-the-ground realities of churches. Joseph Lear has seen first-hand God breathe new life into a dying congregation. Resurrecting Worship is a pastoral theology of renewal for the local church, offered through the story of one near-dead congregation becoming a vibrant, life-giving safe haven for the poor, the hungry, and the educated elite in Iowa City. Lear shows that every church service can be a mini-Pentecost. The Spirit of God will set hearts on fire as Jesus makes himself known in the breaking of bread and the faces of children. This church’s Pentecostal liturgy started a slow-burn revival that renewed, motivated, and sustained a community who held kid-friendly potlucks, welcomed immigrants, housed the homeless, and canceled debts. Lear’s book will help you see what the Holy Spirit is doing in your own church no matter its condition, and equip you to fan into flame the gifts God has given your community.