Can Our Church Live? ─ Redeveloping Congregations in Decline

Nothing on earth lives forever—not even congregations. Alban Institute senior consultant Alice Mann explains how the natural life cycle of a congregation, as well as other internal and external factors, can produce a congregation that is in real trouble. She then offers hope for congregations that want to change. Practical options for congregations, leadership challenges for laity and clergy, and ways to work with denominations are detailed and engaging discussion questions provide a basis for congregational planning

Alice Mann is an Episcopal priest who has pastored six congregations. She is currently a senior consultant with the Alban Institute and specializes in the areas of growth strategies, leadership skills, strategic planning, and spirituality. She is the author of several Alban titles, including Raising the Roof: The Pastoral-to-Program Size Transition and The In-Between Church: Navigating Size Transitions in Congregations. She is the co-author of Holy Conversations: Strategic Planning as a Spiritual Practice for Congregations and is the moderator for the Alban video What Size Should We Be: Visioning the In-Between Church.