Author: Karen Vannoy/John Flowers
Submitted: March 17, 2014
Tell us a little about yourself. We have served churches in Tx and Az for more than 35 years, ranging in worship size from 70 to 525, and mentored and coached more than 40 churches ranging in worship size from 10 to 650+ souls. We are evangelical, progressive, and inclusive.
What was your motivation behind this project? Our motivation was to encourage pastors and churches to be their best selves, and to understand how the choices we make influence our ability to reach others.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? We hope that every church will develop their potential to meet the challenges of a changing culture and environment. We hope both pastors and lay leaders will gain tools to work as partners, fully utilizing the gifts God has given them.
How were you personally impacted by working on this project? We came to understand how and why some behaviors help churches move forward and others hold us back. We saw the implications of the church as both organism and organization. Our writing rekindled in us a passion for the one true purpose of the church and our relevance in a rapidly changing world.
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? Authors: Edwin Friedman, Gil Rendle, Len Sweet, Brian McLaren, Ted Loder, Kenda Creasy Dean
Influences: the many lay people and pastors who struggled with us in the trenches.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: Spiritual hunger is not just an individual exploration, but must be a communal collaboration. The hunger is as alive as it has been at any time, and Christians have the DNA to give birth to a renaissance in the gifts and challenges of community.
