Holy Disruption: A Manifesto for the Future of Faith Communities
by Amy Butler and Dawn Darwin Weaks
Pre-order now for delivery this summer
Feeling the weight of empty sanctuaries and the fading echoes of the past? Are you a pastor or church leader wrestling with the question: What is the church becoming? You’re not alone. The traditional model of church in America is undeniably changing, leaving many wondering if there’s a future beyond the familiar.
This isn't a book offering easy answers or a five-step plan to revive what was. Instead, Holy Disruption: A Manifesto for the Future of Faith Communities steps alongside you in this uncharted territory. Authors Amy Butler (Beautiful and Terrible Things) & Dawn Darwin Weaks (Breakthrough), two "die-hard clergywomen," refuse to believe that decline is the final word. They understand the grief and the humbling reality of what's dying – "large sanctuaries with crowds of people listening to grand organs, boisterous choirs, and manuscript preachers; the privileged influence of being 'the place to be' at 11 am on Sunday mornings; plentiful volunteers" – but they also share a stubborn faithfulness in searching for what comes next.
Imagine a world where the gospel is wildly effective in new and surprising ways. This manifesto dares to ask: What if the definition of "church" expanded beyond four walls and Sunday mornings to encompass any community doing gospel work?
Through compelling stories of courageous innovators from England to L.A.’s Skid Row encountered through Butler's Invested Faith ministry, in Holy Disruption you’ll witness seeds of faith being planted in unexpected places, embodying a "resurrection-level imagination":
- A brewery fostering community among retired workers facing isolation after the loss of their traditional work and community.
- A church building transformed into a hub for community nonprofits, offering wrap-around care and daily volunteer opportunities, becoming "church around the clock."
- Church kitchens serving food truck entrepreneurs, building unexpected faith connections and serving as a form of chaplaincy.
- Sanctuaries hosting interfaith theater projects bridging community divides and addressing deep-rooted issues in holy spaces.
- An old medical office building reborn as a vibrant ministry center with space for nonprofits, demonstrating the courage to repurpose and relocate.
- A mobile grocery store bringing fresh food and nutrition education to food deserts, seeing the work as akin to "Jesus feeding the 5000 with his disciples."
- An abandoned shopping mall revitalized as a center for education, job training, small business incubation, and community resources, even becoming the permanent home for a previously nomadic church.
These aren't blueprints to copy – they are sparks to ignite your own imagination. This manifesto invites you to be dissatisfied with the way things are and to listen deeply to the needs of your community. It encourages you to audit your resources – your "facilities, your finances, your strengths, your people, your caché with the community" – and consider how they might be radically reimagined for new life.
Stop focusing on how your church will survive, and start imagining how it might "die" so that others may live. Holy Disruption isn't about shortcuts to a familiar churchy existence; it's about embracing the holy adventure, experimentation, and innovation that the Spirit is stirring in the church. As Pastor Amy reflects, the work of God often shows up in places we'd least expect, and we need to be open to joining that work.
Are you ready to embrace the holy disruption?