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Staying Awake: The Gospel for Changemakers
"Sit’s work sizzles with energy, humor, and empathy. This impressive guide conveys urgent, timely guidance for pastors, Christians, and seekers looking to marry faith and social justice."—Publishers Weekly (starred review "This book is so smart, so fresh, and so bursting with energy for Spirit-led justice that it makes me want a do-over at being Christian."–Barbara Brown Taylor, author of Holy Envy and Always a Guest Jesus asks his followers to stay awake, which begs the stay awake to what? Staying Awake is a practical exploration of Christianity for people who want to show up for justice and stay in the movement. Discover nine essential practices to transform you for transforming the world. Complete with stories, worksheets, poetry, original cartoons, and a commitment to centering queer people of color, this book is here to support you in staying to God, to the evils of oppression, and to the world's coming liberation.
264 pages, Paperback
Published April 6, 2021
21 people are currently reading
655 people want to read
About the author
Tyler Sit
2 books13 followersRev. Tyler Sit has had the immense pleasure of being the church planter of New City Church, a church that focuses on environmental justice. He is a lover of Minnesota, a United Methodist pastor, and the son of a Chinese immigrant. Tyler earned a BS in Communication Studies from Boston University and a Masters of Divinity from Candler School of Theology, and he has lived in four continents. He has formal training as a prison chaplain, community organizer, and social entrepreneur. When he is not at New City, you’ll find Tyler wandering around the Mississippi River.
New City has been featured in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Minnesota Public Radio, and more.
New City has been featured in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Minnesota Public Radio, and more.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 22, 2021
This book is laughter, personal challenge and collective summons, third-way anti-oppression playbook and multidimensional prayerbook, and just pure spiritual joy.
Tyler Ho-Yin Sit "is the pastor and church planter of New City Church, a community in Minneapolis led mostly by queer people of color". He testifies to a pattern and picture of Gospel life for folks exploring Christianity for the first time – and for practicing Christians across the theological spectrum who are exhausted or oppressed or oppressing or searching or self-examining or all of the above and so longing for a different way of being of church. With a comedian's wit and mystic's capacious heart, he invites us all to get honest about the programmes and systems – secular and religious – that we are (often unconsciously) run by. And to discover and be found by an available grace, who is God, who is the undercurrent of the universe, the energy of worship, the love that creates Christian community, the power of social change, and the fuel for personal composting and transformation.
My favorite through-line of the book is Tyler's teaching (and experience) that Jesus can transform restrictive "purity cultures" or reactive "call out cultures" – both those of more conservative folks and communities and those of more progressive folks and communities – into generous channels of freedom, friendship, responsibility, growth, risk, maturity, justice, and joy. These are reverberations, manifestations of the Holy Spirit.
I also love how Tyler describes the Gospel holding together dimensions of life and mission that are sometimes split (falsely and cynically) by the "culture wars" within Christendom. Everything starts with worship and the community's experience of being awake to God's dynamic love. From this embodied experience of transcendence flow other life-giving church practices: centering marginalized voices, prayer, small groups, sabbath, leadership development, generosity, and church planting. There is a freshness and verve to how Tyler and his collaborators share about these practices that I don't think I've experienced before.
And best of all – unlike the effect (at least in me) of lots of theory of change or leadership books I've read, which often leave me feeling either farther up my own ass in insufferable, preening, overweening analysis or exhausted by the call to just do more, be the best, etc. (I can be guilty of both of these!) – this book integrates and offers something very different, a life/ministry/mission/community which is both extensively hopeful and exceedingly sustainable.
If you're on a spiritual journey and curious about God or Jesus or church, and/or if you're a Christian leader in the 21st century, I promise: this is a book for you.
Tyler Ho-Yin Sit "is the pastor and church planter of New City Church, a community in Minneapolis led mostly by queer people of color". He testifies to a pattern and picture of Gospel life for folks exploring Christianity for the first time – and for practicing Christians across the theological spectrum who are exhausted or oppressed or oppressing or searching or self-examining or all of the above and so longing for a different way of being of church. With a comedian's wit and mystic's capacious heart, he invites us all to get honest about the programmes and systems – secular and religious – that we are (often unconsciously) run by. And to discover and be found by an available grace, who is God, who is the undercurrent of the universe, the energy of worship, the love that creates Christian community, the power of social change, and the fuel for personal composting and transformation.
My favorite through-line of the book is Tyler's teaching (and experience) that Jesus can transform restrictive "purity cultures" or reactive "call out cultures" – both those of more conservative folks and communities and those of more progressive folks and communities – into generous channels of freedom, friendship, responsibility, growth, risk, maturity, justice, and joy. These are reverberations, manifestations of the Holy Spirit.
I also love how Tyler describes the Gospel holding together dimensions of life and mission that are sometimes split (falsely and cynically) by the "culture wars" within Christendom. Everything starts with worship and the community's experience of being awake to God's dynamic love. From this embodied experience of transcendence flow other life-giving church practices: centering marginalized voices, prayer, small groups, sabbath, leadership development, generosity, and church planting. There is a freshness and verve to how Tyler and his collaborators share about these practices that I don't think I've experienced before.
And best of all – unlike the effect (at least in me) of lots of theory of change or leadership books I've read, which often leave me feeling either farther up my own ass in insufferable, preening, overweening analysis or exhausted by the call to just do more, be the best, etc. (I can be guilty of both of these!) – this book integrates and offers something very different, a life/ministry/mission/community which is both extensively hopeful and exceedingly sustainable.
If you're on a spiritual journey and curious about God or Jesus or church, and/or if you're a Christian leader in the 21st century, I promise: this is a book for you.
July 16, 2021
Moving and inspiring message for Christians to live the Gospel and create change in their lives and the world!
May 28, 2021
This book energized me for the work of faith while reminding me of the healing gifts of faith.
The intended audience for this book skews more toward new Christians, or people considering faith, though as someone who continues to choose a life following Jesus in spite of all the harms perpetuated by religion, I found it to be a real gift. The author speaks directly, honestly, and relateably, from a place of wisdom and experience paired with humility. Highly recommend for those who believe there must be something better and who are committed to discerning their part in co-creating the change they hope for. By centering people and practices too often marginalized in religious spaces, this author provides a breath of fresh, queer, anti-racist, Spirit-filled air.
The intended audience for this book skews more toward new Christians, or people considering faith, though as someone who continues to choose a life following Jesus in spite of all the harms perpetuated by religion, I found it to be a real gift. The author speaks directly, honestly, and relateably, from a place of wisdom and experience paired with humility. Highly recommend for those who believe there must be something better and who are committed to discerning their part in co-creating the change they hope for. By centering people and practices too often marginalized in religious spaces, this author provides a breath of fresh, queer, anti-racist, Spirit-filled air.
February 20, 2022
This is an excellent book to read in community about planting intentional communities active in justice work and the spiritual practices necessary for this sort of community. I love the metaphor of "sacred composting" in transforming our time together on earth into meaningful life. I believe that metaphor can expand into existing churches desiring to leave Christendom for Christianity. The author is a queer person of color who planted a new church in Minneapolis, and this book is a good place to start dismantling Christendom to follow Jesus in community.
December 5, 2022
So many inspiring and profound concepts were introduced to me and amplified in this book. Very grateful to have read it, looking forward to rereading it and sharing it with others along my journey.
“In a Sabbath paradigm, resting in God is the center of your life, and the point of work is only to be able to return to rest.”
“In worship, we create space to entertain the notion that we might be just as much a part of the Empire’s problem as we are God’s solution, and our belovedness remains intact regardless.”
“In a Sabbath paradigm, resting in God is the center of your life, and the point of work is only to be able to return to rest.”
“In worship, we create space to entertain the notion that we might be just as much a part of the Empire’s problem as we are God’s solution, and our belovedness remains intact regardless.”
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October 28, 2022Loved it. Did not realize it was about church-planting (something I am neither equipped nor qualified not want to do) but did give me some actionable ideas for small group creation at the church I work at. Also - very accessible read, very friendly and earnest without being cloying. Liberation is a hard topic but Sit navigates it without getting too in his feelings, just guiding the reader through their own journey without (too much) judgment.
September 8, 2022
Super practical distillation of a whole lot of theological and emotional work. Excellent blueprint for people doing pioneering in a post-empire Faith context
November 30, 2024
Some great analogies for the change makers among us (although it was hard, at times, to pinpoint who exactly he envisions the broad audience of change makers to be).
December 20, 2025
This book was good for church leaders
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews