Countercultural: Subversive Resistance and the Neighborhood Congregation

by Gil Rendle

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. Politics and the economy have proven themselves gridlocked and incapable of breaking the narratives of fear and scarcity that now divide us.

However, to step up into public space in order to offer what they hold as so important to these divided times, leaders of congregations need to understand why they are so countercultural and why being countercultural is an important role to play. This is not a time for congregations to try to fit into the culture and to worry about growing their membership and increasing their finances. It is not a time to let organizational anxieties determine next steps. What is required is courage – leaders courageous enough to speak openly with confidence of what they know, congregations courageous enough to seek new forms with which to offer the ancient wisdom that people still search for.

As much as religious institutions are now needed, old forms no longer work in a fast and deeply changing culture. 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.

195 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 8, 2023

Reviews

[Stephanross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rendle provides a stunningly accurate and enlightening description of the current situation for Christianity in USAmerican culture.
I’d give him 5 stars except…
The situation Christianity is in has, in part, to do with the increasingly global perspectives of human beings (due to techno-media putting so many of us in touch with one another), as well as the increasingly global scope of some of our challenges (such as climate change). I would appreciate some additional attention to how Christianity can strengthen both the congregational expression he addresses AND the necessary global conversation Christians need to be cultivating with one another and with other major religions toward a consensus on basic human moral values.
And, his use of language can be a bit fussy. I only need to read “institutional organizational congregation” a very few times before I long for an acronym or even a newly minted word to save on the ink and paper😉.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Church Council (lay leadership body) developed a behavioral covenant more than a dozen years ago, based on Gil Rundle's earlier book, and it is still an adaptive and gracious way for us to be authentic, welcoming, diverse and courageous as a leadership body. This book invites the church to focus ever more deeply on our core values and practices in a way that gives public voice to who we are, while seeking flexible organizational strategies. It doesn't offer easy answers while recognizing the crisis time in which the U.S. finds itself culturally and socially. Our Church Council will study this book together in 2024 as a way of leaning into our conversations and decisions prayerfully together.

[Lisa Lewton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rendl continues to urge the church forward. He makes new points and offers new challenges for the Christian church. He clarifies the tension in our culture and why it matters so much to the proclamation of the gospel. Although this book is relevant for all church leaders, he speaks directly to the UMC church of today. But again, this is an important writing for the whole church.

[Julianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent and very timely book for those of us wanting to know where and how our church fits into these unprecedented times.

[Mamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has taken me a minute to get through this book. I found the first half more useful and interesting than the second half. It felt like the book was setting the reader up to consider ways of subversive resistance, but instead the book is just a long exploration of the argument that churches must offer that resistance. I found pieces of the reading very engaging and will continue thinking about them. I found pieces to be comforting - for instance, having no idea what will happen now may just be where we are and it can be a faithful place. But I also found good bits that just didn't add much to what had already been said.