Andrew Root

What if the solution for the decline of today's church isn't more money, people, programs, innovation, and busyness? What if the answer is to stop and wait on God? In When Church Stops Working, ministry leaders Andrew Root and Blair Bertrand show how actively watching and listening for God can bring life out of death for churches in crisis today. Using clear steps and practices, they invite church leaders to stop the endless cycle of doing more...

Even if you know you're called to youth ministry and are passionate about the students in your group, you've probably had a few of those moments when you've wondered why you're doing certain things in your ministry, or wondered why you're even doing youth ministry in the first place. If you've ever stopped to ask, "What's the point of youth ministry? " …In Taking Theology to Youth Ministry, Andrew Root invites you along on a journey with Nadia-a...

Think about sin and the cross-the way that salvation changes who we are and how God sees us. It's a central part of our faith, and yet it's one of the most confusing and difficult things to teach. Especially to a room full of teenagers. In Taking the Cross to Youth Ministry, Andrew Root invites you along on a journey with Nadia-a fictional youth worker who is wrestling with how to present the cross to her own students in a meaningful way. Using Nadia's...

Since the late 1970s practical theology has, had a significant voice and influence in the academy. While, many have seen great hope and potential in this work, not everyone has agreed. Some, for instance, have examined, the conversation and found, by focusing, on the concrete and lived experiences of humanity, by-and-large, practical theology has not had the theological vision to present frameworks for understanding concrete and lived experience with...

In Unlocking Mission and Eschatology in Youth Ministry Root argues that youth ministers should teach teens to recognize that as Jesus' disciples they are participating in the very action of God to bring forth the future of God. He argues that our service to him on this earth (mission) is a sign of the new reality that Jesus will bring when he returns (eschatology).

Congregations often seek to combat the crisis of decline by using innovation to produce new resources. But leading practical theologian Andrew Root shows that the church's crisis is not in the loss of resources; it's in the loss of life-and that life can only return when we remain open to God's encountering presence. This new book, related to Root's critically acclaimed Ministry in a Secular Age project, addresses the practical form the church must...

In Faith Formation in a Secular Age, the first book in his Ministry in a Secular Age trilogy, Andrew Root offered an alternative take on the issue of youth drifting away from the church and articulated how faith can be formed in our secular age. In The Pastor in a Secular Age, Root explores how this secular age has impacted the identity and practice of the pastor, obscuring his or her core vocation: to call and assist others into the experience of...

The loss or disaffiliation of young adults is a much-discussed topic in churches today. Many faith-formation programs focus on keeping the young, believing the youthful spirit will save the church. But do these programs have more to do with an obsession with youthfulness than with helping young people encounter the living God? Questioning the search for new or improved faith-formation programs, leading practical theologian Andrew Root offers an alternative...

This original monograph presents a comprehensive theory regarding the economy of the kingdom of God. The theory and associated model will help individuals make better choices. The research integrates fundamentals of the temporal real economy, and the permanent economy of the kingdom of God, to present a unified model of human agency. According to the model, effective agents are salt and light in the real economy, arresting corruption and revealing...