Radical Welcome : Embracing God, The Other, and the Spirit of Transformation

**An inspirational and practical guide to embracing those who are often marginalized into a welcoming, inclusive Christian community.** For two years, Stephanie Spellers conducted over two hundred interviews with people in urban, suburban, and rural congregations around the United States to find out how they dealt with welcoming those across lines of race and ethnicity, generation, sexual orientation, and class privilege. Here she presents her findings and lays out the theological underpinnings of tackling fears head-on in order to accept change as a part of community life. By modeling the most loving and effective ways to embrace marginalized individuals and groups within a church, denomination, or society, __Radical Welcome__ aims to create a place of compassionate inclusivity where people of all kinds can feel like they belong. Radical Welcome: Embracing God, the Other, and the Spirit ofTransformation 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 theWay; God of Welcome, God of Grace; With Hearts Wide Open; Getting Real; Facing Our Fears and Embracing the Dream; The Joy in the Struggle.

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. 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 where 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. (Back cover) A theological, inspirational, and practical guide for congregations that want to move beyond diversity and inclusion to present a vision for the church of the future: one where the transforming gifts, voices, and power of marginalized cultures and groups bring new life to the mainline church. Drawing on interviews with more than 2 church leaders and in-depth studies of eight congregations, this accessible and inspiring book presents a fresh vision for the mainline church - and the practical tools communities need to release fear, plan for ch