Andrew Root's Blog

Explore the limitations of traditional church growth strategies and the potential of “faithful innovation” in this thought-provoking discussion. Dr. Andrew Root ‪, the Rev. Dr. Michael Binder, Dr. Terri Elton ‪@terrielton‬, and the Rev. Dr. Dwight Zscheile debate whether innovation is a helpful category for churches seeking to thrive in changing times. Discover insights on balancing faithfulness with adaptation, the importance of listening practices, and how to measure true ministry effectiveness beyond numbers. Essential viewing for church leaders looking to move beyond conventional growth tactics and deepen their congregation’s engagement with God’s mission.

The Displacement of Enchantment

People are still spiritually curious, passionate, and committed today even while many are leaving traditional churches. Watch this pivot podcast episode with Dr. Dwight Zscheile and Dr. Andy Root to dive deep into the intersection of Christian faith and our secular age. In today’s pivot podcast episode, we are taking a deeper dive into the transformation or displacement of sacred impulses and rituals onto secular sources during this secular age. Listen to this whole episode to hear what insights Jean Jacque Rousseau, Lesslie Newbigin, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer can provide about how people are engaging in spiritual transformation apart from traditional sacred rituals and spiritual practices. People still want a mystical experience and to be part of a sacred journey. Discover your role as a spiritual leader in a secular age.

Examining Mysticism in Today’s Culture

Join us for our discussion with theologian Andrew Root on his book The Church in An Age of Secular Mysticism. In a world flooded with spiritualities promising personal transformation, Root sheds light on the differences between these mysticisms and authentic Christian transformation. We’ll explore the dangers of following or adapting these reigning mysticisms and learn why the self has become so important yet so burdened with guilt–and how we should think about both. Root will present a better way–even a mysticism–centered on the theology of the cross that pastors and leaders can use to form their own imaginations and practices. For secular mysticism explained and how a Christian should approach mysticism, tune in to this episode of The Remnant Radio!

We’re Making it Way too Complicated

Ministry Collaborative program staff Adam Borneman and Beth Daniel continue our series “Faith Overflowing with Hope” with the Rev. Dr. Joe Scrivner (Stillman College, Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church) and Dr. Andrew Root (Luther Seminary) about secularism’s influence on worship, having our being in Christ, and the importance of clearing the way to hear the voice of God.

Sacred Waiting in the Secular Age with Andy Root

n this episode of The Biggest Table, host Andrew Camp discusses with Andy Root, a professor of Youth and Family Ministry, the intersection of faith, hospitality, and our secular age. Root elaborates on his six-volume series, ‘Ministry in a Secular Age,’ emphasizing the challenges and opportunities for experiencing God in the modern world, particularly through the lens of Charles Taylor’s philosophies. The conversation also touches on the concepts of secularism, the sacredness of ministry, the impact of modernity on faith communities, and the significance of embodying Christ’s presence in everyday practices, especially around the table. Andy shares insights into how faith has evolved for him personally, the importance of community, and the potential for meaningful connections in everyday moments. The discussion concludes with Andy Root providing a reflection on navigating faith amidst modern challenges and the power of waiting and attentiveness to God’s presence in life’s various aspects.

Navigating Faith & Ministry In A Secular World with Dr. Andrew Root

oin us at the Bible Bistro as we welcome Dr. Andrew Root, known as Andy, from Luther Seminary, to discuss faith and secular challenges. We dive into Andy’s insights from his academic work and life in a small church community. Our conversation revolves around Charles Taylor’s “A Secular Age” and Andy’s books, “The Church in an Age of Secular Mysticism” and “When Church Stops Working.” We examine the challenges facing faith communities today and explore ways to navigate faith formation in our secular society.

Listen as Andy discusses the role of divine action in ministry and its relevance for our audience’s faith engagement. We also consider the tension between secular pressures and transcendent faith experiences. Through personal stories like Derek Tronscard’s and philosophical insights from Taylor, we explore the difficulty and potential of connecting believers with the divine.

We delve into the theology of the cross and how stories of suffering can lead to moral and spiritual transformation. Andy helps us understand the impact of secularism on faith practices and offers ways to cultivate congregational life that acknowledges God’s transformative work.

In concluding our time with Andy, we address the pressing issue of church renewal in a challenging era. Reflecting on the exhaustion of competing with secular attractions, Andy advises a focus on genuine divine engagement. We discuss the implications for church leaders and present “When Church Stops Working,” which aims to simplify complex ideas for a wider audience.

Andy shares how small church communities have provided support through significant life events and how culture informs pastoral care. We also talk about secular mysticism, the rise of personal guilt in today’s performance culture, and the influence of his writings on pastors seeking to rejuvenate their ministry amidst the growth of the “nones.”

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If you are having conversations about innovation in the church, chances are that Andy Root’s name has come up. Writing books like, When the Church Stops Working and The Church After Innovation and The Pastor in a Secular Age, Dr. Andrew Root is leading the way in helping leaders to name and face current reality and lean into new ways of leading. What we love in Andy’s work, and it comes through in this episode, is that he doesn’t turn to expected solutions or ways of behaving. Deeply grounded in scripture and our shared Christian narrative, he invites us to consider a counter-intuitive way of showing up. As always, it is our great hope that this podcast will spark a new imagination within you, perhaps a new conversation and a new way of leading in this season and if it does, please share with friends and leave us a review! Thanks for listening.

The Church in an Age of Secular Mysticisms with Andy Root

Andy becomes the first official repeat-guest on “Books and Big Ideas.” We had a great discussion based on the material in his most recent book.

Andrew Root on why Pastors are focused on the wrong crisis.

Most Pastors would agree that the American church in the midst of a crisis of decline, as lagging attendance, giving, and influence continue to cause havoc in local congregations. Yet, despite all this, Andrew Root argues the real crisis that should keep pastors up at night isn’t shrinking budgets or lessening participation–rather it is the realization that for most people, even many pastors, we can live and act as if God doesn’t matter and doesn’t even exist. In this conversation, we talk about the three stages of secularism that have impacted American Christianity, what it means to believe that “God is God,” and why the only story churches need to proclaim is God’s story.

As Dave Schmelzer and Vince Brackett talked about in a recent episode, faith looks very different than it did a few hundred years back–and even than it did sixty years back. Professor Andrew Root–who was Vince’s enthusiastic teacher on the subject–walks us into some of the ins and outs of what this looks and feels like.

Faith Formation in a Secular Age: Responding to the Church’s Obsession with Youthfulness, by Andrew Root, the first in a series of books about living in a secular age as seen through the eyes of Charles Taylor and Hartmut Rosa.

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