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Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation | 
 enlarge | Author: Carol Howard Merritt
Publisher: The Alban Institute
Category: Book
Buy New: $17.00
New (1) Used (2) from $14.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 104086
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 164
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.5
ISBN: 1566993474
Dewey Decimal Number: 259.25
EAN: 9781566993470
ASIN: 1566993474
Publication Date: September 10, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
Many churches are seeking ways to reach out to the younger generations. Unfortunately this often manifests as either a "come be just like us!" attitude--suggesting an unwillingness to change in order to be inclusive of young people--or as a slick marketing campaign that targets young adults in much the same way secular advertising does. Both of these approaches often leave young adults feeling that their particular spiritual gifts and needs are unwanted by the church. "We only want you for your demographics" is the message given.
Carol Howard Merritt, a pastor in her mid-thirties, suggests a different way for churches to be able to approach young adults on their own terms. Outlining the financial, social, and familial situations that affect many young adults today, she describes how churches can provide a safe, supportive place for young adults to nurture relationships and foster spiritual growth. There are few places left in society that allow for real intergenerational connections to be made, yet these connections are vital for any church that seeks to reflect the fullness of the body of Christ.
Using the metaphor of a tribe to describe the close bonds that form when people of all ages decide to walk together on their spiritual journeys, Merritt casts a vision of the church that embraces the gifts of all members while reaching out to those who might otherwise feel unwelcome or unneeded. Mainline churches have much to offer young adults, as well as much to learn from them. By breaking down artificial age barriers and building up intentional relationships, congregations can provide a space for all people to connect with God, each other, and the world.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Conservatives May Squirm June 10, 2008
2 out of 11 found this review helpful
I purchased this book hoping to get a better understanding of young adults and what my church can do to better reach out to them. The author does a good job of expressing the needs, challenges, and concerns of today's young adults -- and I found that very helpful and will certainly take the information to heart.
There's also a recurring plea for churches to become places where homosexuals and unmarried couples can feel at ease. This author does not believe that homosexuality is a sin. It is unclear whether she considers fornication to be a sin. While I can agree that Christians should reach out lovingly to everyone as Jesus did, Jesus also knew when to say, "Go, and sin no more."
 It's for Real May 17, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
We see in our church, Western Presbyterian of Washington D.C, how Carol's ideas work, and how Carol works. Its highly effective outreach to students at nearby George Washington University, a stunningly successful attraction of young marrieds, plus a long standing tradition of racial and national diversity have saved our downtown congregation from the senescence and slow death faced by other established churches. She has played a positve role in all of this, and we older members feel rejuvenated to see her do it. That's the transgenerational part. She writes well of what she knows, and her thinking is much in keeping with the radically new ways the 'connected generation' thinks and where they will inevitably take all of us in our personal and social relationships and our spiritual practice.
It's not just for pastors December 15, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Being the active church member and aging Boomer that I am, this book really gives me great ideas on how we can better welcome and serve the young people who are obviously not getting much of what they need from the church. I love the multi-generational models and real situations that Merritt shares and can't wait to get to my next membership meeting to share her ideas and recommendations.
I'm also giving a copy to my pastor for Christmas.
Will Tribal Church Benefit the Evangelical? December 3, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
As an Evangelical who works within the disability community, I found Rev. Merritt's observations benefitial and I highly recommend her book. I love the concept of an intentional generational approach where the energy and enthusiasm of the young adults is utilized more effectively. Children, then teenagers and now seniors have been the primary focus of the church as baby boomers have aged. This is the time to turn our focus to new leadership.
While some of her theology was troubling to me, I could not escape the loving and understanding approach presented in her thesis. Rev. Merritt knows the Evangelical world. She appreciates and commends the Evangelical fervor for spreading the goodness of Christ. There is much to learn from her regarding how the missing generation preceives the Evangelical church and why they are hesitant to return to the church.
A must read for everyone who loves the church and her "missing generation" October 21, 2007
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Tribal Church is perhaps the best-ever book for those who sincerely want to create a place for young adults to worship and serve. At last, we can stop our hand-wringing and lamentations over the absence of our adult children in church because now, Carol Merritt has offered us a vision of the church in which everyone, young and old and in-between, has a place, a voice and an equal opportunity to share their gifts and to grow in truth and love. With clarity, kindness and authority, Rev. Merritt shatters those long-held, false assumptions that have far too long kept us from reaching out to the "missing generation" and provides a way for us to welcome them on their own terms and meet them where they are, not necessarily where we would like them to be. Tribal Church provides a path toward insight, understanding and acceptance of this generation's unique perspecitves, their needs and challenges, as well as their gifts for ministry and mission. In the end, Carol's book is about hope. Hope for those of us who have earnestly prayed for an authentic way to approach and serve our young adults, and real hope for the future of the church.
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