Book Nook - Thriving Church: What We Can Learn from Faithful Congregations

 

Many churches today are struggling to survive amidst shifting cultural landscapes. But a new book, Thriving Church: What We Can Learn from Faithful Congregations, from Chalice Press, reveals that thriving is not about size or budget, but about faithfully embracing identity and adapting with resilience. Authored by Erin Cash and Kory Wilcoxson, Thriving Church is the result of research from the Thriving Congregations Project at Lexington Theological Seminary (LTS), which received a $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc. to study congregations and answer the question, “What makes a church thrive?”. While initial research anchored thriving in mission, healthy clergy, empowered laity, and measuring success, the project discovered other crucial shared qualities highlighted in the book. Based on a five-year study of over 20 congregations, expanded to include 29 churches in total, the book identifies 10 key traits shared by churches that are flourishing in unique ways. Thriving Church positions the book itself as a guide, offering real stories, practical steps, and visionary insights to empower pastors and laity alike. The churches featured represent diverse settings, ethnicities, sizes, ages, and clergy staff. These are congregations intentionally chosen to reflect a broad spectrum and highlight stories that might otherwise go unheard, including those worshiping with fewer than 50 people or new church starts. Thriving churches can be identified by these traits: Rooted in Scripture Know Their Mission & Vision Understand Community & Rest Reject a Fear Mentality Collaborative Generous Flexible Willing to Take Risks Forward Thinkers Refuse to Be Stagnant. The authors emphasize that thriving is a journey, not a destination, and no single church excels at all traits simultaneously. The book provides practical action steps and discussion questions to help congregations grow deeper in their thriving. Rev. Dr. Erin Cash is the Project Director for the Thriving Congregations Project at Lexington Theological Seminary. She wrote the observational/lessons learned portions of the book, synthesizing five years of research. She is an active member of First Christian Church in Georgetown, Kentucky. Rev. Dr. Kory Wilcoxson is the pastor of Crestwood Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky, one of the churches that participated in the Thriving Congregations Initiative. Before ministry, he was a journalist and communications professor. The authors lead workshops and webinars and are available for events. Thriving Church is available in print, EPUB, and EPDF formats. You can purchase the book at ChalicePress.com and other major book retailers.

About Chalice Press

Chalice Press is an imprint of Chalice Media Group, which works to grow and equip a community that is vibrant and energizing, a worldwide force for justice, peace, inclusion, and multi-faith cooperation.