The Reconciling Community: The Missional Mending of Spiritual and Social Relationships Through Local Church Ministry is a case study of how one church crafted a missional ministry of reconciliation by building on the best of its past ministry experiences. This real-life example of the way one small congregation faced its future with honesty and integrity and embraced the challenge of re-imagining its ministry can model missional processes and engagement for congregations seeking to become communities of reconciliation in their own ministry contexts. Thoroughly researched, The Reconciling Community is written in an accessible style. Charles H. Warnock is a seasoned pastor and writer, and a frequent speaker at church ministry and leadership conferences. Warnock holds degrees from Mercer University, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a DMin from Fuller Theological Seminary with emphases in missional leadership and pastoral care. Reading The Reconciling Community can give hope and direction to aging congregations and new church plants alike. Extensive footnotes and an essential bibliography introduce the reader to a wide range of resources. Pastors and lay leaders will find new insights and a compelling vision for churches as communities of reconciliation. In a time when society seems more divided that ever, The Reconciling Community points the way for churches to step into their biblical role not only as spiritual reconcilers, but as reconcilers of social relationships as well.
Charles H. Warnock writes from his thirty-plus years in pastoral ministry. A graduate of Mercer University (BA), Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv), and Fuller Theological Seminary (DMin), Warnock's passion for healing the divisions in personal and community relationships is evident in his writing. His articles have appeared in numerous print and online publications. He has spoken at the National Outreach Convention, the Billy Graham School of Evangelism, and other ministry conferences. He and his wife, Debbie, live in Chatham, Virginia in an old Victorian home where neighbors drop by and their grandchildren come to visit often.