Description
We are people of stories, and our stories, even church stories, need not be closed-ended. To be alive is to live out a story, and for our churches to come alive, we must continue to live out the gospel story, which is a living story. Therefore, the primary need in most congregations is a dynamic and compelling story, inviting people into faithful living. I believe a narrative theological perspective and the missional approach to ministry provide local congregations an opportunity to rethink, recalibrate, and resume responsible ministry by developing dynamic stories. The narrative theological perspective embraces God-talk with a view toward enlivening faith with stories. Likewise, the missional concept provides essential dynamics for the re-storying process. Alvin Christopher Bernstine serves as Senior Pastor of the Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church: For Me and My House, Too: Some More Redemptive Words for The African American Family, Richmond, California. He is the author of several books, including the classic, Ministry in A Disaster Zone.
