Social Justice

Micro Practices for Justice Ministry

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 20:26:44 GMT

Available May 2025; Preorder Now!

Big change starts with small acts.

What if the most profound changes in justice ministry come not from grand gestures, but from the small, faithful acts we practice every day? Micro Practices for Justice Ministry is a powerful resource that challenges the idea that only big, sweeping actions lead to real change. In this inspiring book, you'll discover how small, everyday acts—done well and consistently—can transform justice ministry in profound ways. Drawing on interviews with 40 pastors from diverse ministry contexts, this book highlights how micro practices—simple, intentional actions—have the power to reshape communities and advance justice.

Rooted in scripture and theology, Micro Practices for Justice Ministry presents hundreds of actionable practices that can be easily integrated into everyday ministry. From one-on-one conversations to small group efforts, these seemingly small actions, when practiced consistently, build momentum that drives meaningful change. Each practice is shared through engaging narrative stories, bringing the experiences of real pastors to life and demonstrating the lasting impact of doing the "small stuff" with intention.

Perfect for clergy, laity, and community organizers alike, this book offers both practical tools and spiritual encouragement for those committed to justice. Whether you're leading a congregation, working in your community, or studying ministry, this book will help you see that real transformation often starts with the smallest of steps.

Looking Inward, Living Outward

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 20:53:49 GMT

Available June 2024; Pre-Order Now!

In a world of so much hurt, how can we create communities of care and healing?

While much of contemporary Christianity careens toward a spirituality of individual salvation and the afterlife, the call of Jesus to create communities that enact justice and bring peace on earth is often tragically ignored. In his revelatory new book Looking Inward, Living Outward, author and student of the spiritual life Daniel Wolpert calls us back to a life of prayer and core spiritual practices that re-orient our gaze outward in acts of social transformation.

Drawing from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, one of the most radical speeches in human history, this encouraging and practical guide connects acts of contemplation with action, providing a biblically based and spiritually grounded course corrective for how Christians are called to live as Beloved Community today. Discover how spiritual practices can change the way you interact with the world and inspire lasting social change.

Key Takeaways:

Learn practical spiritual practices to live a life molded by a deep spiritual connection.
Explore the nature of the spiritual life and how it can become a guiding force in our daily lives.
Understand the teachings of Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount as a blueprint for living in community and society.
Discover the importance of communities of practice in reorienting our actions and promoting compassion in a world filled with challenges.

Psalms for Black Lives

Mon, 06 Jun 2022 13:44:27 GMT

In the summer of 2020, while composing a series of devotionals on the Psalms for their church, the Double Love Experience, authors Gabby Cudjoe Wilkes and Andrew Wilkes recognized that these ancient words spoke truth and inspiration not only to their immediate community, but also to the growing number of people doing the holy, demanding work of pursuing justice, undoing structural racism, and building a society that truly values Black lives.

The Psalms speak power today as they always have. They have spoken across generations. They have bridged cultural divides and social contexts with their emotional rawness, urge towards justice, and blunt candor about the coarse edges of walking with God.

Psalms for Black Lives includes thirty devotions, each containing a psalm, a reflection, and an invitation for the reader to develop a justice imagination through further engagement with the text. Psalms for Black Lives also includes daily discussion questions to support small-group study and a guide for congregational and community groups who want to embody the words of the Psalms together.

Psalms for Black Lives

Wed, 18 May 2022 20:38:31 GMT

Confronting Whiteness Participant's Guide

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 19:52:49 GMT

The difficulty the author, Rev. W. Benjamin Boswell, experienced trying to lead his congregation to work for racial justice in their community convinced him that there needs to be a new conversation about race and racism that helps members of White-dominant churches and institutions identify their own racial history and wrestle with what it means to be White. That conversation developed into Confronting Whiteness, an intentional spiritual journey of anti-racism to aid people racialized as White to identify and dismantle their Whiteness.

This program consists of nine sessions, each designed to last approximately 90 minutes. Preparation for the sessions requires completing assigned readings and viewings and writing a racial autobiography.

The participant's guide to Confronting Whiteness offers people of faith a new posture for addressing racial issues. Spiritual practices will help participants engage writings and films by Black authors and filmmakers and develop habits that confront and undermine the power of Whiteness. The guide was developed for groups of White people who will be led by a trained facilitator.

The facilitator's guide for Confronting Whiteness provides productive tools for conducting conversations with 5-10 participants. The facilitators need to have previous experience as a participant in Confronting Whiteness and a readiness to engage in the inner work necessary for transformation.

Additional support for participants and facilitators will be available through The Upper Room.

Confronting Whiteness Participant's Guide

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 19:52:52 GMT

Additional support for participants and facilitators will be available through The Upper Room.

Whom Shall I Fear?

Fri, 20 May 2022 15:28:17 GMT

Churches are not immune to violence, as we have seen from shootings at houses of worship across the nation. The challenge for faith communities is how to respond to potential violence.

Whom Shall I Fear? asks congregational leaders to examine whether their operational and security policies are consistent with gospel values. It raises common themes in approaches to church security and looks at them in the light of scripture.

Whom Shall I Fear? provides thought-provoking reflections on topics such as locked doors, living faithfully in an unfaithful world, the question of armed security in a church setting, and the duty of Christians to extend hospitality to their neighbor. It includes stories from survivors of gun violence and wisdom on how churches can work to transform an anxious and fear-driven world. Whom Shall I Fear? helps the church thoughtfully wrestle with what it means to be a church of grace, welcome, and love when confronted with acts of cruelty, division, and hate.

Whom Shall I Fear?

Thu, 05 May 2022 20:09:55 GMT

Churches are not immune to violence, as we have seen from shootings at houses of worship across the nation. The challenge for faith communities is how to respond to potential violence.

Brave Church

Thu, 05 May 2022 20:28:31 GMT

In today's deeply divided world where discussions can quickly become heated and uncivil, churches need to learn how to talk about sensitive issues. Our society needs brave churches where people can talk about the real struggles they are experiencing without fear of being dismissed, shamed, or judged.

Brave Church helps congregations talk about controversial topics with sensitivity to those who see the world and have experienced life differently from themselves. It guides readers to think through how they can foster conversations about such challenging topics as infertility/miscarriage, mental health, domestic violence, racism, and sexuality.

In this 6-week small-group study, pastor Elizabeth Hagan weaves personal and theological reflections with scripture, discussion questions, and real-world examples to move readers from exploration to action. Brave Church includes a Leader's Guide and suggests resources for further reading and action.

Brave Church

Fri, 20 May 2022 15:27:40 GMT

Rally

Sat, 14 May 2022 04:16:26 GMT

"This is a prayer book for revolution—a revolution of love and compassion and justice," Shane Claiborne writes in the foreword. The prayers in this collection are meant to be prayed in community.

Rally is a prayer book for faith communities searching for words to respond to the injustices around them. It's a prayer book for Christian activists who believe in putting feet to their prayers. The book supplies words for concerned Christians who yearn to lift their voices to God about such issues as racism; the abuse of power and privilege; mistreatment of migrants and refugees; lives tragically lost; our violent society; white supremacy; and people being marginalized because of their gender, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, or economic status. Rally contains prayers for perpetrators, for loving our bodies, for listening to one another, for those who have been wounded by the church. In this resource, readers will find prayers that evoke hope and connection, guidance for sifting through the news and social media headlines, laments about destruction of the earth, and pleas for loving alike though we don't think alike.

The beauty of this book lies in the rich variety of voices and experiences of its writers—leaders who work at the intersection of Christianity and social justice and who want to resource those who gather to lament the needs and celebrate the possibilities of a better world. "Lord, stir us up to holy action," cries this powerful book. Rally spurs people to compassionately continue the important work of loving God and neighbor until all of God's people feel safe and seen.

Rally

Wed, 18 May 2022 14:31:55 GMT

"This is a prayer book for revolution—a revolution of love and compassion and justice," Shane Claiborne writes in the foreword. The prayers in this collection are meant to be prayed in community.

Five Loaves, Two Fish, Twelve Volunteers

Tue, 24 May 2022 18:19:20 GMT

Five Loaves, Two Fish, Twelve Volunteers

Sat, 14 May 2022 04:10:35 GMT

Sixty-two percent of food pantries and meal programs in the United States are faith-based. Most of these ministries are transactional; people needing food interact with church volunteers to earn access to direct service.

Elizabeth Magill advocates relational ministry as a better model for food ministry. People donating food or money eat with the people who need food and get to know them as they serve alongside them. Those needing food share all aspects of the ministry, including planning, setting up, leading, serving, and cleaning. As volunteers become better acquainted with those they serve, they can form deep, meaningful relationships, creating a new way to be the church.

Five Loaves, Two Fish, Twelve Volunteers tells the stories of eight churches that share food ministry with people who need their services. Full of practical advice, this book emphasizes that building relationships and offering radical welcome is more important work for churches than efficiency or order. It helps congregations evaluate their outreach and advises them on how to do it differently.

Five Loaves, Two Fish, Twelve Volunteers

Thu, 05 May 2022 20:07:36 GMT

Living Compassion

Thu, 05 May 2022 20:30:30 GMT

Named One of the Best Spiritual Books of 2017
by Spirituality and Practice (Frederic & Mary Ann Brussat)

In the face of hurtful public dialogue and worldwide conflict, many Christians want to practice and experience genuine compassion. After all, centuries of Christian teachings have insisted that compassion is at the heart of the Christian life.

"Love your enemies," Jesus said in Luke 6:35-36. "Do good to them. Be compassionate, just as God is compassionate."

How do we become more compassionate toward others, especially our enemies? And since Jesus told us to love our neighbors as ourselves, how do we practice being compassionate toward ourselves?

Join Andrew Dreitcer, codirector of the Center for Engaged Compassion, in exploring how certain Christian spiritual practices are compassion practices. Discover how ancient as well as contemporary practices can shape your life, helping you become more compassionate in today's world.

Dreitcer introduces you to the Compassion Practice, a compassion formation process that has been developed in the last decade. Each chapter includes a "Review and Practice" section to help you apply what you learned. Uncover and learn how to express your innate compassion within you, and find out how to turn your desire for compassion into a life centered in genuine, lasting compassion.

Living Compassion

Sat, 14 May 2022 01:34:22 GMT

Named One of the Best Spiritual Books of 2017
by Spirituality and Practice (Frederic & Mary Ann Brussat)

"Love your enemies," Jesus said in Luke 6:35-36. "Do good to them. Be compassionate, just as God is compassionate."

How do we become more compassionate toward others, especially our enemies? And since Jesus told us to love our neighbors as ourselves, how do we practice being compassionate toward ourselves?

Living Compassion

Sat, 14 May 2022 01:34:56 GMT

Named One of the Best Spiritual Books of 2017
by Spirituality and Practice (Frederic & Mary Ann Brussat)

"Love your enemies," Jesus said in Luke 6:35-36. "Do good to them. Be compassionate, just as God is compassionate."

How do we become more compassionate toward others, especially our enemies? And since Jesus told us to love our neighbors as ourselves, how do we practice being compassionate toward ourselves?

A Mile in My Shoes

Sat, 14 May 2022 02:15:04 GMT

We can be quick to pray for people around the world in times of trauma, but has prayer become a way to avoid taking real action? Are we reluctant to be fully aware of the suffering around us?

Trevor Hudson challenges us to see, hear, and respond to the needs of others, recognizing the living Christ in all things.

Hudson designed an 8-day program—a pilgrimage—to help all Christians cultivate the depth of compassion Jesus demonstrated. Through this program, pilgrims learn to be present wherever they are and with whomever they meet.

"We seldom become more compassionate without working at it," writes Hudson. "One practical way to cultivate compassion involves building the pilgrimage experience into our lives. …The risen Christ meets us in the lives of those who suffer."

Join Trevor Hudson in this exploration of how to love your neighbor as yourself and choose compassion as part of your daily life.

Compassion in Practice

Sat, 14 May 2022 01:14:24 GMT

Jesus was a spiritual teacher who demonstrated personal and social transformation. His earliest disciples were first known not as Christians but as followers of the Way. Jesus' Way was a spirituality of radical compassion. He taught how to love and be loved by an extravagantly compassionate God; how to cultivate love for ourselves; and how to love our neighbors by extending love to the outcasts, the offensive, and even our enemies.

Compassion in Practice is an introduction to Christian compassion. It explains not just what Christian compassion looks like but how to practice it in a world ravaged by violence, fear, and reactivity. This book teaches us how to love as Jesus loved.

Expanding on the foundation of Practicing Compassion, Frank Rogers defines the way Jesus prepared his disciples to transform hearts hardened from the assaults of life into compassionate hearts.