‘Faithful’ Looks Beyond Edges of Religious Traditions

June 21, 2017

In an era of rapid change in religious identity and practice, institutional leaders across America ask “to what are we faithful?” As affiliation declines and new communities emerge, we are torn between loyalty to what has been and a desire to be part of what is next.

In January 2017, senior leaders of Jewish, Christian, and Unitarian Universalist denominations came together to explore this tension. ‘Faithful’—a new report from HDS Ministry Innovation Fellows Casper ter Kuile and Angie Thurston written in collaboration with colleagues Sue Phillips, Lisa Greenwood, and Gil Rendle—builds on that gathering, offering frameworks to help make sense of a new reality and five case studies that illustrate institutions attempting to adopt a faithful stance toward change. The purpose is three-fold:

To stimulate the thinking of religious leaders about the future of our institutions
To offer common language for shared experiences
To inspire those who are leading change from within.

‘Faithful’ is written for three groups of readers:

Those inside religious institutions who know things need to change, and are figuring out how
Those leading innovative communities at the edge of religious traditions who distrust institutions
Those interested in America’s changing religious landscape, including students aspiring to religious leadership.

Download the report in its entirety and send feedback to the authors.