Holy Disruption: A Manifesto for the Future of Faith Communities

by Amy Butler, Dawn Darwin Weaks, Brian D McLaren (foreword)

Feeling the weight of empty sanctuaries and the fading echoes of the past? Are you a pastor or church leader wrestling with the What is the church becoming? You’re not alone. The traditional model of church in America is undeniably changing, leaving many wondering if there’s a future beyond the familiar.

This isn't a book offering easy answers or a five-step plan to revive what was. Instead, Holy A Manifesto for the Future of Faith Communities steps alongside you in this uncharted territory. Authors Amy Butler (Beautiful and Terrible Things) & Dawn Darwin Weaks (Breakthrough), two "die-hard clergywomen," refuse to believe that decline is the final word. They understand the grief and the humbling reality of what's dying – "large sanctuaries with crowds of people listening to grand organs, boisterous choirs, and manuscript preachers; the privileged influence of being 'the place to be' at 11 am on Sunday mornings; plentiful volunteers" – but they also share a stubborn faithfulness in searching for what comes next.

Imagine a world where the gospel is wildly effective in new and surprising ways. This manifesto dares to What if the definition of "church" expanded beyond four walls and Sunday mornings to encompass any community doing gospel work?

144 pages, Paperback

Published September 16, 2025

Reviews

[Ryan Motter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of stories of what church can truly be. I enjoyed the stories in the first portion of the book, and found the best and most important piece of this book to be the last few chapters, which make an impassioned argument for the church to give its life for the sake of the gospel. Resurrection is disruption- what a gift!

[Melanie Briscoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars! Amy Butler and Dawn Darwin Weaks have done an incredible work in this “manifesto of hope” for the future of the church! I received this book one day and devoured all 130 pages in one day. In chapters 2-7 they give an anthology of examples- countless communities that have chosen to prioritize love of neighbor in need. These “holy disrupters” are identifying the need & pushing back on unjust systems perpetuating the problems. And these examples of “faith in action” are not looking anything like the institutions and systems that we have come to identify with “church”, but ironically are exactly what Jesus did in his day! And in chapters 8-10 they articulate their theology of how this is in fact the new life coming from the death and resurrection of a new way to live and understand faith in a world of need! I think it is very well done and encourage anyone discouraged by the decline of the church today to grab a copy and germinate your own seeds of new things God would have us do and be as Christ in the world today!

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An upending of what felt comfortable and steady

Teach people to love God and their neighbor in ways that change the world.

1. Radicalizing our resources
2. Blessing our neighbors
3. Growing our communities
4. Disrupting unjust systems

Turn the focus from ourselves to the good of the whole community around us.

I hope that I die warmed by the life that I tried to live.
Nikki Giovanni

[Jennifer Steele-Lantis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read for congregations who are ready to imagine what God might be ready to do in their midst with their unique gifts, resources, and contexts. Readers are invited to ponder how God might be calling them to disrupt hopelessness and participate in the work of repairing the world.