What do you think?
Rate this book
Following Jesus Beyond Church Walls: A Catalyst for Your Spiritual Growth
272 pages, Paperback
Published April 7, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 20, 2026
There is a certain kind of book that does not argue loudly for attention, yet leaves a lingering weight once it is set aside. This is one of them.
In this work, Chantal Morales McKinney offers what is, at its core, a personal account of faith under strain, particularly when the structures meant to sustain it begin to fail. The narrative unfolds less as a formal argument and more as a record of experience: reflective, at times unsettled, and often searching.
The book is anchored in a central question: what remains of faith when institutional confidence is shaken? That question is not answered quickly, nor is it resolved in any simplistic way. Instead, the author allows it to remain present throughout, shaping both the tone and direction of the work.
One of the more notable aspects of the book is its willingness to remain with discomfort. The experiences described, particularly those involving disillusionment within church settings, are not softened. They are presented with a level of directness that suggests the author is less concerned with persuasion and more concerned with honesty.
Structurally, the movement of the book reflects a gradual shift rather than a decisive break. There is a sense of transition, from reliance on institutional frameworks toward a more personal and expansive understanding of faith. This progression is not framed as a rejection, but as a reorientation, shaped by both loss and continued conviction.
There are also moments where the writing leans into contemplative territory, drawing on themes such as presence, spiritual formation, and the possibility of encountering God beyond formal settings. These sections do not dominate the narrative but serve to broaden its scope, offering a quieter counterbalance to the more difficult experiences described.
What remains most consistent throughout the book is its tone. It is neither defensive nor overtly instructional. Instead, it reads as a considered reflection, one that acknowledges fracture without entirely surrendering hope.
This will not be a book for every reader. Its pace is measured, its concerns are inward, and its conclusions are not forcefully stated. But for those willing to engage with its questions, it offers something of value, not in the form of clear answers, but in the articulation of a process many will recognize, even if they have not yet named it.
In this work, Chantal Morales McKinney offers what is, at its core, a personal account of faith under strain, particularly when the structures meant to sustain it begin to fail. The narrative unfolds less as a formal argument and more as a record of experience: reflective, at times unsettled, and often searching.
The book is anchored in a central question: what remains of faith when institutional confidence is shaken? That question is not answered quickly, nor is it resolved in any simplistic way. Instead, the author allows it to remain present throughout, shaping both the tone and direction of the work.
One of the more notable aspects of the book is its willingness to remain with discomfort. The experiences described, particularly those involving disillusionment within church settings, are not softened. They are presented with a level of directness that suggests the author is less concerned with persuasion and more concerned with honesty.
Structurally, the movement of the book reflects a gradual shift rather than a decisive break. There is a sense of transition, from reliance on institutional frameworks toward a more personal and expansive understanding of faith. This progression is not framed as a rejection, but as a reorientation, shaped by both loss and continued conviction.
There are also moments where the writing leans into contemplative territory, drawing on themes such as presence, spiritual formation, and the possibility of encountering God beyond formal settings. These sections do not dominate the narrative but serve to broaden its scope, offering a quieter counterbalance to the more difficult experiences described.
What remains most consistent throughout the book is its tone. It is neither defensive nor overtly instructional. Instead, it reads as a considered reflection, one that acknowledges fracture without entirely surrendering hope.
This will not be a book for every reader. Its pace is measured, its concerns are inward, and its conclusions are not forcefully stated. But for those willing to engage with its questions, it offers something of value, not in the form of clear answers, but in the articulation of a process many will recognize, even if they have not yet named it.
April 18, 2026
Chantal Morales McKinney is an ordained Episcopal priest who began her career in a fairly traditional way - as an associate rector at a large and prosperous church. She was young, married, with two young children. As she states plainly and without apology, her family needed her to have the job, the salary, the health benefits. Plus her two sons attended the preschool at that parish. She was also a dedicated, talented, intelligent priest who deeply loved her vocation and this particular congregation. Not long after she arrived, the rector (senior priest) began harassing her, coming on to her, trying to catch her alone, and threatening that he would say it was consensual if she blew the whistle on him. The abuse escalated until finally one day he put his threats into an email. Now that she had written confirmation, she approached a superior who told her to bring charges. And then another layer of horror began: the way the church handled her accusation. McKinney tells the story well, and I believe it would be healing for other victims of abuse (at the hands of clergy or otherwise) to read it.
That chapter in McKinney's professional life led to a long period of healing and discernment. The way she was treated at the white suburban church helped lead her to ministry in a lower-middle-class neighborhood where she began to experience grace and church at its best. She is now an advocate for different kinds of church communities - some in buildings, some not, some traditional, many not. She writes directly to people who have been turned off to the church for many reasons, but who still are compelled by the story of Jesus.
She also describes her expansive theology and spirituality, informed by nature, by her Hispanic heritage, by native spirituality, by feminist thought, and through a deep dive into other religious traditions.
Anyone looking for a new way to imagine a faith life and community that makes sense in this time and place: you have a kindred spirit, a guide and a resource.
I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
That chapter in McKinney's professional life led to a long period of healing and discernment. The way she was treated at the white suburban church helped lead her to ministry in a lower-middle-class neighborhood where she began to experience grace and church at its best. She is now an advocate for different kinds of church communities - some in buildings, some not, some traditional, many not. She writes directly to people who have been turned off to the church for many reasons, but who still are compelled by the story of Jesus.
She also describes her expansive theology and spirituality, informed by nature, by her Hispanic heritage, by native spirituality, by feminist thought, and through a deep dive into other religious traditions.
Anyone looking for a new way to imagine a faith life and community that makes sense in this time and place: you have a kindred spirit, a guide and a resource.
I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
April 7, 2026
This is an inspiring story that takes the reader from hurt to healing, from trauma to trust, from death to resurrection. The author’s journey offers hope to a dying church that it may be rebirthed into new life. As she discovered in her own story, a spark of the Divine resides in each of us, and we are called to share that knowledge in the relationships we have in the world.
Chantal McKinney invites us to a more holistic understanding of God that includes both the feminine and masculine qualities of God instead of the patriarchal experiences of church that currently exist. We are invited to God’s sanctuary in nature, to be still and reflect on the sacredness of the ordinary and extraordinary moments of our lives. We are invited to a time of sabbath to help us find balance in the storms of life.
We are called to envision more than an institutional church that is confined to buildings and membership. We are called to compassion and gentleness. We are called to listen to others and discover where the spirit is moving in their lives. And we are called be co-creators with God in our lives where everyone has a gift to share with the world in which we live.
Enjoy this mystical writer’s understanding of the faith and the way she invites us to share that understanding with future generations. May we move from pyramids and hierarchal models of church to more compassionate circles of trust.
March 9, 2026
This book is for deconstructing Christians, exvangelicals, spiritualists, those who have left church buildings trying to find God, and even those of faiths outside the Christian faith.
Chantal is a modern-day Christian mystic.
She has explored religious diversity, various Christian denominations, universalism, Buddhism, Bahai, meditation, Reiki, Hare Krishna, communing with natural and spiritual beings, and she has landed with a belief in Christ that allows room for others to land elsewhere.
She is an Episcopal priest and her desire is to reform the way we do “church,” decrease abuses, give more to the poor and needy, stand for justice, and nurture healing spaces and communities.
This book will open your eyes to spiral fractals, the divine feminine, and to seeing and praying and living with Christ-eyes: loving-spiritual-eyes. God is within and all around us, and God is love. Chantal inspires us to form communities that resonate and spiral out with that all-loving divine vision!
In this book, Chantal inspires another reformation of Christianity, the church, and our personal and corporate spiritual lives!
Chantal is a modern-day Christian mystic.
She has explored religious diversity, various Christian denominations, universalism, Buddhism, Bahai, meditation, Reiki, Hare Krishna, communing with natural and spiritual beings, and she has landed with a belief in Christ that allows room for others to land elsewhere.
She is an Episcopal priest and her desire is to reform the way we do “church,” decrease abuses, give more to the poor and needy, stand for justice, and nurture healing spaces and communities.
This book will open your eyes to spiral fractals, the divine feminine, and to seeing and praying and living with Christ-eyes: loving-spiritual-eyes. God is within and all around us, and God is love. Chantal inspires us to form communities that resonate and spiral out with that all-loving divine vision!
In this book, Chantal inspires another reformation of Christianity, the church, and our personal and corporate spiritual lives!
April 8, 2026
Following Jesus Beyond Church Walls is one of those rare books that feels honest from the very first page.
What stood out most to me is the vulnerability of the author. This isn’t a book written from a distance or from theory, it’s lived, it’s wrestled with, and you can feel that throughout. There’s a courage in the way the message is shared, and that makes it easy to trust.
The book doesn’t try to force faith into a rigid structure. Instead, it opens things up. It creates space to explore what a relationship with Jesus can actually look like outside of fear, routine, or pressure. That alone makes it feel refreshing.
It’s not loud or preachy. It’s real. And that’s exactly why it works.
If you’ve ever felt unsure about where you fit in when it comes to faith, or if you’re looking for a more personal and less fear-based way to explore it, this book will resonate.
This is the kind of book that doesn’t just give you answers, it gives you room to breathe
What stood out most to me is the vulnerability of the author. This isn’t a book written from a distance or from theory, it’s lived, it’s wrestled with, and you can feel that throughout. There’s a courage in the way the message is shared, and that makes it easy to trust.
The book doesn’t try to force faith into a rigid structure. Instead, it opens things up. It creates space to explore what a relationship with Jesus can actually look like outside of fear, routine, or pressure. That alone makes it feel refreshing.
It’s not loud or preachy. It’s real. And that’s exactly why it works.
If you’ve ever felt unsure about where you fit in when it comes to faith, or if you’re looking for a more personal and less fear-based way to explore it, this book will resonate.
This is the kind of book that doesn’t just give you answers, it gives you room to breathe
April 8, 2026
Rev. Chantal McKinney is as engaging a writer as she is a speaker. Her story is a vital contribution to not only church but society at large. For those who have stepped away from church or for those who are finding their way within it, this book is for you. McKinney interweaves her own experience as a SA survivor within church walls to her breakthrough spiritual journey and inspiring community work building a Church with priorities rooted in the teachings of Christ rather than institutional self preservation. A book that invites us into the mystical heart of faith.
April 7, 2026
Bold, courageous, faithful: the Rev. Dr. Chantal Morales McKinney shares her own raw and intimate spiritual journey, and models how one moves from victim to victorious in Christ. Abused by an institution that she loved dearly, McKinney never loses sight of Jesus - digging deep into Christ-like compassion to find healing and hope - not just for herself, but for others who may be struggling with the incongruity of religion and faith.
Read
May 22, 2026Following Jesus Beyond Church Walls is thought-provoking, challenging, and full of vulnerability. I really wasn't sure what to expect going into this book, but I was really drawn in by the title. I was quickly drawn in by the author sharing her personal experience and difficult time within the church. Her writing is raw and full of urgency. I found myself stimulated and engaged as I explored her many powerful ideas. Thanks to Chantal McKinney and Contemporary Mystics Publishing for this ARC.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews