Community as Church, Church as Community

“While church institutions often seem consumed with anxiety about their future, many local congregations quietly and imaginatively find ways forward that work where they are. Michael Plekon’s book reflects that grassroots critical confidence which grows out of the contexts where lives and communities are actually being changed by God in Christ. Honest and theologically acute, this book should help nurture such critical confidence more broadly.”

—Rowan Williams, theologian and former archbishop of Canterbury



“In an age of institutional skepticism, social and ecclesial polarization, and religious disaffiliation, we need a renewed ecclesiology that responds to the ‘signs of our times.’ Community as Church provides us with exactly this kind of theological resource. Plekon’s depth of knowledge and facility with key Christian sources brings a robust academic grounding to a timely pastoral challenge. This is a book that should be read by scholars and pastors alike.”

—Daniel P. Horan, OFM, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago



“Michael Plekon draws from diverse narratives to show how Christian communities are responding to sweeping demographic, economic, and political changes in America. This well-supported study is a reality check for parish leaders, much needed in an era of denial and alternative truths. Plekon adds a touch of optimism to his expert sociological assessment: there is hope for the church, because communities can experience resurrection after death. A must-read for students, scholars, and pastors of American Christianity.”

—Nicholas Denysenko, Valparaiso University



“Plekon’s outlook at the church, through the prism of congregations, is more adequate to the church’s nature than the ecclesiological perspective focused on administrative structures. The author navigates his readers between various and perilous ecclesiological scyllas and charybdis, and leads them to the destination of a clearer understanding of what the church is.”

—Cyril Hovorun, Sankt Ignatios College, Stockholm

“While church institutions often seem consumed with anxiety about their future, many local congregations quietly and imaginatively find ways forward that work where they are. Michael Plekon’s book reflects that grassroots critical confidence which grows out of the contexts where lives and communities are actually being changed by God in Christ. Honest and theologically acute, this book should help nurture such critical confidence more broadly.”

—Rowan Williams, theologian and former archbishop of Canterbury



“In an age of institutional skepticism, social and ecclesial polarization, and religious disaffiliation, we need a renewed ecclesiology that responds to the ‘signs of our times.’ Community as Church provides us with exactly this kind of theological resource. Plekon’s depth of knowledge and facility with key Christian sources brings a robust academic grounding to a timely pastoral challenge. This is a book that should be read by scholars and pastors alike.”

—Daniel P. Horan, OFM, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago



“Michael Plekon draws from diverse narratives to show how Christian communities are responding to sweeping demographic, economic, and political changes in America. This well-supported study is a reality check for parish leaders, much needed in an era of denial and alternative truths. Plekon adds a touch of optimism to his expert sociological assessment: there is hope for the church, because communities can experience resurrection after death. A must-read for students, scholars, and pastors of American Christianity.”

—Nicholas Denysenko, Valparaiso University



“Plekon’s outlook at the church, through the prism of congregations, is more adequate to the church’s nature than the ecclesiological perspective focused on administrative structures. The author navigates his readers between various and perilous ecclesiological scyllas and charybdis, and leads them to the destination of a clearer understanding of what the church is.”

—Cyril Hovorun, Sankt Ignatios College, Stockholm