Celebrating Community traces the history of Lee Abbey, a community founded in Devon in 1946. Now a nationwide movement, the community’s mission and calling is to share Christ through relationships, through practising community living, reaching out to others, playing a distinctive part in renewing and serving the church, and developing a deeper relationship with God. What do we mean when we speak of ‘community’? For Christians, community is not an optional extra but God’s intention for his people. It isn’t just a new buzzword, or a good strategy for church growth or a new way of doing church, although it may be all those things. Community begins in the heart and very nature of God, in the three persons of the Trinity relating to each other, and calling us into relationship. It lies at the centre of what we are seeking to do when we come together as ‘church’. But community living is not necessarily easy; it can be a costly adventure. Here, past and present members of the Lee Abbey network share their experiences of the realities of community life – its joys and challenges. Their stories show us in practical and real ways how community living, with all its risks, can truly be God’s gift to today’s world.

Many in church leadership roles know the truth of Bonhoeffer’s words, but there seem to be obstacles and barriers that get in the way of that sort of quality of listening. We seem to live with the illusion that speaking and doing are more important than listening. In the face of all the many challenges for the church the temptation is for more strategies for success, more pressure to turn things around. Listening – in whatever form – easily gets marginalized. Here, Chris Edmonson outlines why listening is so essential to good leadership. He looks at the barriers to good communication, at the importance of silence and stillness, and the challenges of listening to those from whom we differ. He emphasizes the essential elements of discernment and prophecy, looking closely at what those terms really mean, and offers some practical ways forward for leaders wishing to create a more listening culture in their church communities.

Fit to Lead offers both a reflective and practical guide to ordained ministry. The health and well-being of its clergy is crucial to the church's effectiveness and at a time when church and society are changing rapidly with inevitable consequences for the priotities and roles of all church leaders. Chris Edmondson considers how clergy might look after themselves by following Jesus's own patterns and priorites, what support clergy can expect from church structures and claims clergy families need support too. Looking to the future, this book explores what might be possible for the effective care and education of clergy of all denominations and traditions.