Greenhouses of Hope

The future of the church is at stake in developing the next generation of leaders. Greenhouses of Hope: Congregations Growing Young Leaders Who Will Change the World, discovers churches around the country that recognize what is at stake and provide spaces where gifted young people can explore their vocation and call.

These Christian congregations are identified as “Greenhouses of Hope.” They experiment with both newly imagined and time-honored ways of following the path of Jesus. Their members engage in practices that embrace the gifts of young people and, ultimately, these greenhouses nurture and grow young leaders who want to change the world.

Published by The Alban Institute, Greenhouses of Hope: Congregations Growing Young Leaders Who Will Change the World grows out of FTE’s Calling Congregations initiative. Calling Congregations developed VocationCARE practices for congregations that recognize the importance of developing the next generation of leaders, particularly gifted young pastors the church needs both today and tomorrow.

Discover how your congregation can become a "Greenhouse of Hope." Join us in growing young leaders who will change the world.

What people are saying about "Greenhouses of Hope: Congregations Growing Young Leaders Who Will Change the World"

This collection of essays by young church folk is a primer on how to recover the vitality and fidelity of the church. These writers are deeply grounded in gospel hope, passionate about gospel inclusiveness, and convinced of a people-to-people gospel ministry. The “bottom up” perspective of this book is one to which attention must be paid.

—Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary

This timely, vital and well-written book shatters two destructive myths: that the current generation of young adults lacks moorings, purpose and passion; and that mainline churches are doomed because of their failure to connect with the young. Read a few chapters, and you will feel a new sense of hope for the church and the world. Read the whole book and you will have a set of well-tested "greenhouse" approaches to growing young adults who can help all of us flourish in this struggling world.

—Parker J. Palmer, author of Let your Life Speak, A Hidden Wholeness, andThe Courage to Teach

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