William H. Willimon

Hope and help for pastors and congregations who are asking, What now? And What's next? Some pastors and congregations have managed remarkable innovation, creation of new ministries, courageous pruning of old programs, and rediscovery of core Wesleyan convictions in recent years. Others have experienced a long, slow-motion, downward cycle of loss. We might be tempted to 'sit down' wherever we are, looking back at all that's happened, shaking our heads in disbelief. But it's time to stand up, to move forward. Will Willimon shows what that could look like. He spent a year committed to asking questions and careful listening in conversations with clergy, organizational leaders, and parishioners across the U.S. What's next for Methodist church folk? As you read, join in the process of asking and listening. The honesty, wisdom, and inspiration you find here may point you in new directions. What do you think God is up to in the present moment? What should we stop doing and begin doing, responding to God's call now? What are the biblical texts, stories from our past, and core Wesleyan convictions that might guide us from this point? And are we at Good Friday or at Easter? As Willimon writes in his Introduction, "Let's have a decent burial for yesterday's good intentions and then partner with the Holy Spirit in creating tomorrow's church." This is a book to read and reflect on with colleagues, congregants, and Methodist friends. Praise for Don't Look Back "Don't Look Back brings good news for weary, sad, and cynical Methodists: You are loved and chosen. There is a place and future for you in the relentless renewing work of God in our world. Drawing deeply from wells of ministry and faith, Will Willimon shares the wisdom we need for this season. His insights are tough and encouraging, practical, clear eyed, honest, relational, humble in service, Christ-centered, and so hopeful This book invites us to dig deeper into our faith and ultimate mission beyond denominational mechanics and brokenness--bearing witness to what God is doing. This is a word not only for Methodists but for anyone who shares a radical Christian commitment and calling." --Joni Sancken, professor of homiletics, United Theological Seminary, Dayton, OH "In Don't Look Back Will Willimon is an 'equal opportunity' truth teller. No one and nothing is off limits, including himself and especially not the institutional church. He encourages healthy grieving for what is no more but eschews syrupy nostalgia. He preaches, teaches, meddles, prods and probes all in the hope that we will fasten our attention on the resurrected Jesus and join him where he is at work." --Gregory V. Palmer, resident bishop, Ohio West area, The United Methodist Church "In equal parts funny, frank, and provocative, Willimon's impassioned plea for 'togetherness' is worth serious reflection for all tempted to separate from The United Methodist Church. Staring soberly at American Methodism's losses, Don't Look Back is filled with unyielding hope for a church willing to let go of the past, redefine its purpose and get on mission with the resurrected, living Christ." --Roger Ross, former director of congregational excellence, Missouri Conference; coach with Spiritual Leadership, Inc; author of Meet the Goodpeople: Wesley's 7 Ways to Share Faith "Being the body of Christ is a messy, unsettling endeavor. For those seeking to leave for The Global Methodist Church, Willimon offers important clarifying questions, warnings, and invitations. For those seeking to continue in or join The United Methodist Church, Willimon offers new challenges, growing edges, and an incessant stream of his quintessential demand that the church continue to be the church. A timely read for any Methodists seeking to have the conversations needed to shape our churches for generations to come." --Patrick Longest, Duke Divinity Student Council co-president Class of 2022 "Please take this book's invitation from Will Willimon to get into the conversation about the future. The world is not going to snap back to any pre-pandemic, pre-populist political form in the near future. So, to talk about a real future Will gives us the good things to remember from the past, a dose of reality about the present, and good questions about the future. This book is a gift to get us talking about a future church that reflects Christ's purpose, not our preferences. --Gil Rendle, consultant; former senior vice president, The Texas Methodist Foundation; widely recognized as one of Methodism's wisest guides "Several hurrahs for Will Willimon. For his great use of scripture; for effectively pushing readers on specific points and into seeing the larger issues at hand; for clear framing of hard questions and forcing attention to them; for pointed dismissal of easy answers to what he shows are deeply rooted, institution-wide specters haunting leadership at all levels; but especially and as usual in Willimon's books, readability. Delving into this book, Methodists will confront the denomination's systemic and global challenges head on." --Russell E. Richey, dean emeritus, Candler School of Theology, and William R. Cannon Distinguished Professor of Church History Emeritus "Based on his lifetime as a Methodist, Will Willimon takes us on a personal journey through the formation of the Wesleyan movement, a painful critique of the forces that are now tearing apart The United Methodist Church, and ultimately, biblical hope for the future. This book blends history, theology, personal narrative, and biblical scholarship to offer pastors and congregations concrete ways to move forward to a reformed church of which John Wesley would be proud." --Andy Langford, senior pastor, Central United Methodist Church, Concord, NC; scholar and expert on worship, evangelism, and preaching; editor of The United Methodist Book of Worship "Willimon does not disappoint. He writes what so many are reluctant to say about schism over one issue promoted with language from secular culture wars but missing the words of Jesus and John Wesley. He also incisively captures the sadness of the loss that may occur for no good reason." --Lovett H. Weems, Jr., Distinguished Professor of Church Leadership Emeritus, Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, DC "Willimon shows us how to honor and grieve the past while also growing into a new and vital way of being Jesus' church. He teaches us how to look for what God is up to in our specific setting and to have the courage to be a part of God's mission. Even if he is writing for his own Methodist friends, he is speaking powerfully to this Episcopal Bishop." --Jake Owensby, Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Western Louisiana; author of Looking for God in Messy Places Don't Look Back is replete with infectious optimism and hope that God will ensure the accomplishment of the missio Dei. Through a wealth of pragmatic wisdom, developed from his many years as a pastor, scholar, and bishop, Willimon offers guidance to local churches seeking to reinvent their missional focus, embracing moral imagination and prophetic vision in reaching the unchurched in postmodern society." --Donald E. Williams, pastor, Remington UMC, Fauquier County, VA The people called Methodists find themselves in complicated and uncertain times, but God is still calling people to God's mission. In Don't Look Back, Bishop William Willimon invites churches to hear that call to the mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ. By following the steps and exercises in this book, any leader can help propel their church into God's preferred future and join God in the challenging but exciting ventures to come. --Gryff Carosiello, pastor, Sharon United Methodist Church in Greer, SC "Don't Look Back reminds us of the power and centrality of the local church and its leaders with pages full of classic stories and frank observations. The future of the church doesn't belong to the winners of denominational debates, but to the Spirit-filled leaders practicing their faith, seeking daily to live like Jesus. God always begins locally in order to save universally--and Bishop Willimon helps us to remember this." --Scott M. Chrostek, Executive Director of Ministries and Programs, The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection "Don't Look Back is a must read for study, reflection, conversation, and hope. We have a God who brings life out of dead places and a Spirit who is active even in the storms. This is a book that reminds me of my vows as both a pastor and a follower of Jesus Christ--one of the most inspiring books I have read with truth and hope for tomorrow." --Susan M. Sharpe, pastor, Wesleyan Hills UMC, Memphis, TN "Don't Look Back will help congregations wrestle with the unrest and anxiety of the unknown. Reading it has indeed given me hope Will Willimon encourages reflection and focus on our calling as Christians rather than simply following an allegiance to a particular caucus. This book is an important tool for reflection and discernment as churches and United Methodists move forward in their calling to be the church." --Wade Powell, senior pastor, First United Methodist Church, Victoria, TX

Discipleship and witness are not self-sustainable. Preaching equips God's people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ (Eph. 4:11). The story of Moses and the talking bush is a story of anybody who dares to listen, and in listening, hears, and after hearing steps forth (albeit kicking and screaming in Moses's case), serving God on the basis of what has been heard. Daring divine speaking and intrepid human listening are at the heart of the faith of Israel and the church. "Reveal yourself " we cry to God down through the ages. God spoke Jesus, The Word tenting among us (John 1:1). And what's Jesus's main occupation? Jesus came preaching (Mark 1:14). The gospel is news that passes from the lips of one who has heard to the ears of one who has not yet heard, then (God willing) burrows in the soul, energizing the hands in daring response to a word received. Preaching is instigated by an astounding claim: Good news; God has spoken to us. The Christian life is what you get when ordinary folk respond: I have heard. The book is for anyone who listens to sermons--which includes preachers, since there's no way to preach without gaining skills as a listener. Listening is a human skill, but as God's word is proclaimed the hearer experiences a vocal mix of preacher, listener, and God. Listeners Dare shares a love of preaching and also lets listeners into some of the secrets of why preaching is inherently connected to the Christian faith as one way God has chosen to relate to us and to disclose God's will for each of us. Settings for use include college, course of study, and seminary preaching classes, a pastor's Bible study, an inquirer's class led by a pastor, and inquisitive individuals who yearn to get something out of the sermon. Preachers profit from the book by becoming more astute listeners to preaching, and listeners would be able to increase their ability to get something out of sermons or examine their distractions that block this vital means of grace through worship together. Bits and pieces of biblical sermon events as well as contemporary sermons are used for illustrative purposes. Praise for Listeners Dare: "Books about preaching--how to research, write, and deliver sermons--are legion. But books about how sermons are heard, internalized, and acted upon by ordinary Christians in the pews are rare. Drawing on decades of experience as a parish minister, university chaplain, divinity school faculty member, and United Methodist bishop of distinction, Willimon addresses this elusive yet critically important task with his usual wit, acumen, and pastor's heart. A few hours pondering this thought-filled work will pay handsome dividends come Sunday." --Grant Wacker, Gilbert T. Rowe Distinguished Professor of Christian History, Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC "Listening to a sermon is a spiritual discipline--that is the simple, profound insight that underpins this rich offering from Will Willimon. It's an insight that could--indeed, should--reshape the homiletical experience of both preachers and congregants (or, to use the more old-fashioned but also more apt term, auditors). I know that it has already begun reshaping mine." --Lauren F. Winner, Associate Professor, Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC "Though he's written numerous books on the art of preaching, no one can preach like the inestimable Will Willimon. But everyone can learn to do the holy work of listening to any sermon more deeply, actively, and responsively with the help of Will's insightful and enjoyable guidance in this book. As Jesus said, 'Whoever has ears to listen should pay attention ' Now perhaps we can." --Peter M. Wallace, author, Episcopal priest, and host of "Day1" weekly sermon podcast "There is no shortage of resources out there for how to prepare and preach a sermon, and yet faith comes from hearing. In turning our attention to the homiletical process of listening, Willimon has given clergy and laity alike a true gift. Together, we get to listen for God's daring Word--a word that in our hearing brings about holy obedience, persistent hope, and daring discipleship." --Karoline M. Lewis, Marbury E. Anderson Chair of Biblical Preaching, Professor of Biblical Preaching, Luther Seminary; Program Director, Festival of Homiletics "Interweaving a half century of experiences and a library of knowledge of the biblical text, theology, and preaching, Will Willimon challenges preachers and audiences alike to listen to God's powerful Word. Written in his inimitable style and from deep faith, this is a book that will make you laugh, think, and remember. It deserves reading by all who participate in the common but strange world of a sermon." --Gregory E. Sterling, The Reverend Henry L. Slack Dean, Lillian Claus Professor of New Testament, Yale Divinity School, New Haven, CT

The challenge of the Christian life is learning to talk Christian. There may be religions that arise from within, or accompany your birth, faiths that occur to you after secluded mediation, or as fruit of long walks in the woods, human experience, good and bad, or what you've learned from your wounds. Christianity isn't one of them. Somebody has got to tell us, give us the words that open the door to the faith called Christian. Each of us is due the delight of discovery that in submitting to God's talk to us-in allowing ourselves to be addressed by the God we're unable to love without first being loved, welcomed, and found-we have been apprehended. While we were trying so hard to think about God, God was already thinking about us. God Turned Toward Us: The ABCs of Christian Faith is organized by the words the church teaches us to use to talk about ordinary life apprehended by a God who is Jesus Christ-short, meditative reflections upon key concepts that guide Christians, new or longstanding. These reflections, which are accessible to all Christians, are also particularly inspiring for pastors, church leaders, and seminarians who want to communicate the faith in entertaining ways to others and who want to find fresh meaning in traditional Christian concepts. A Notes section will refer the reader to the sources that influenced each meditation.

Will Willimon is known and read throughout the world for his riveting, edgy, witty, and provocative stories or parables. His most beloved, memorable, and impactful stories are presented in this collection. The Stories of Will Willimon will expose readers to joy, agony, thankfulness, greed, trust, fear, healing, suffering, laughter, weeping, yearning, irony, hatred, and love. Readers may see themselves or their friends at times in these stories. Fellow storytellers are likely to retell these stories to friends, family, colleagues, and churches. Preachers will find illustrative materials to support their sermons and all readers will be inspired by the insights into the Christian faith provided.

Will Willimon is known and read throughout the world for his riveting, edgy, witty, and provocative stories or parables. His most beloved, memorable, and impactful stories are presented in this collection. The Stories of Will Willimon will expose readers to joy, agony, thankfulness, greed, trust, fear, healing, suffering, laughter, weeping, yearning, irony, hatred, and love. Readers may see themselves or their friends at times in these stories. Fellow storytellers are likely to retell these stories to friends, family, colleagues, and churches. Preachers will find illustrative materials to support their sermons and all readers will be inspired by the insights into the Christian faith provided.

When Anne Robertson asked a bunch of people on the street what came to mind when they heard the word Bible, she was met with a flood of mixed responses-words like wisdom, lies, faith, rules, ancient history, bigotry, poison, and many more.What she realized was that we all read the Bible through filtered lenses, according to our varied expectations of what the Bible is or should be. But, says Robertson, the Bible as a whole is primarily God's story-a story of relationship, community, and love.Robertson's New Vision for an Old Story gives readers the right lenses to see beyond the printed page to the God who encounters us in dynamic relationship and transforms our lives. The very nature and message of Scripture are rooted in incarnation. When we need to navigate community, truth, fear, and suffering, the Bible- God's own story-can guide us through it all.

Will Willimon is widely acclaimed as one of the top ten preachers in the world. For each Sunday of the Christian year, Will provides just what you need to begin the journey toward a sermon. This guide will stoke, fund, and fuel your imagination while leaving plenty of room to insert your own illustrations, make connections within your congregational context, and speak the Word in your distinctive voice. Guidance from Will Willimon is like sitting down with a trusted clergy friend and asking, "What will you preach next Sunday?" Year C Part 2 is part of a six-volume set that includes years A, B, and C (2 volumes per year) in the Revised Common Lectionary. Each week of sermon resources includes: 1.Readings 2.Theme title 3.Introduction to the Readings 4.Encountering the Text 5.Proclaiming the Text 6.Relating the Text

Will Willimon is widely acclaimed as one of the top ten preachers in the world. For each Sunday of the Christian year, Will provides just what you need to begin the journey toward a sermon. This guide will stoke, fund, and fuel your imagination while leaving plenty of room to insert your own illustrations, make connections within your congregational context, and speak the Word in your distinctive voice. Guidance from Will Willimon is like sitting down with a trusted clergy friend and asking, "What will you preach next Sunday?" Year B, Part 2 is part of a six-volume set which includes years A, B, and C (2 volumes per year) in the Revised Common Lectionary. The sermon resources include: 1. Readings 2. Theme title 3. Introduction to the Readings 4. Encountering the Text 5. Proclaiming the Text 6. Relating the Text

This five-week DVD/video based small group study (DVD and Leader Guide) companion to the book, Fear of the Other: No Fear in Love invites readers to consider the Gospel command to love (and not merely tolerate) those considered to be "Other" or outside mainstream Christian culture. Rooted in the faith of Israel and the Christian story and vision, Willimon - in an onscreen conversation with Delia Catalina Ramirez, brings a non-technical, Wesleyan perspective to bear on what may be the hardest thing for people of faith to do: keeping and loving the Other as Other.Emphasizing the biblical mandate to receive Others in their particularity and difference as gifts and mysteries bearing the grace of God, this study also offers a strong critique of the privileged who all too often rush to language of reconciliation and evade the huge inequalities surrounding conversations and practices dealing with xenophobia and injustice.Rooted in the New Testament understanding of Gentile outsiders grafted into the covenant community, this study invites readers to an on-the ground faith that hearkens to a soliciting and revealing God - the God who comes to us again and again through so-called outsiders, strangers, immigrants, and those without status.The 5 video conversations between Will Willimon and Delia Ramirez focus on each of the five chapters of Fear of the Other: Session 1: Saved by the Other Session 2: The Other, My Enemy Session 3: Learning to Fear Like Christians Session 4: Loving the Other in Church Session 5: Jesus, the Other

Pastors and leaders long to speak an effective biblical word into the contemporary social crisis of racial violence and black pain. They need a no-nonsense strategy rooted in actual ecclesial life, illuminated in this fine book by a trustworthy guide, Will Willimon, who uses the true story of pastor Hawley Lynn's March of 1947 sermon, "Who Lynched Willie Earle?" as an opportunity to respond to the last lynching in Greenville, South Carolina and its implications for a more faithful proclamation of the Gospel today. By hearing black pain, naming white complicity, critiquing American exceptionalism/civil religion, inviting/challenging the church to respond, and attending to the voices of African American pastors and leaders, this book helps pastors of white, mainline Protestant churches preach effectively in situations of racial violence and dis-ease.

Ordained ministry, says Willimon, is a gift of God to the church--but that doesn't mean that it is easy. Always a difficult vocation, changes in society and the church in recent years have made the ordained life all the more complex and challenging. Is the pastor primarily a preacher, a professional caregiver, an administrator? Given the call of all Christians to be ministers to the world, what is the distinctive ministry of the ordained? When does one's ministry take on the character of prophet, and when does it become that of priest? What are the special ethical obligations and disciplines of the ordained? Pastor: Revised Edition explores these and other central questions about the vocation of ordained ministry. It begins with a discussion of who pastors are, asking about the theological underpinnings of ordained ministry, and then moves on to what pastors do, looking at the distinctive roles the pastor must fulfill. The book also draws on great teachers of the Christian tradition to demonstrate that, while much about Christian ministry has changed, its core concerns--preaching the word, the care of souls, the sacramental life of congregations--remains the same. Ordained ministry is a vocation to which we are called, not a profession that we choose. To answer that call is to open oneself to heartache and sometimes hardship; yet, given the one who calls, it is to make oneself available to deep and profound joy as well.

Only when the Church enacts its scandalous Jesus-centered tradition will it truly be the body of Christ and transform the world. Twenty-five years after its first appearance, Resident Aliens remains a prophetic vision of how the Church can regain its vitality, battle its malaise, reclaim its capacity to nourish souls, and stand firmly against the illusions, pretensions, and eroding values of today's world. Resident Aliens discusses the nature of the church and its relationship to surrounding culture. It argues that churches should focus on developing Christian life and community rather than attempting to reform secular culture. Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon reject the idea that America is a Christian nation; instead, Christians should see themselves as "resident aliens" in a foreign land. According to Hauerwas and Willimon, the role of Christians is not to transform government but to live lives that model the love of Christ. Rather than try to convince others to change their ethics, Christians should model a new set of ethics that are grounded in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.

Jesus defies simplistic, effortless, undemanding explications. To be sure, Jesus often communicated his truth in simple, homely, direct ways, but his truth was anything but apparent and undemanding in the living. Common people heard Jesus gladly, not all, but enough to keep the government nervous, only to find that the simple truth Jesus taught, the life he lived, and the death he died complicated their settled and secure ideas about reality. The gospels are full of folk who confidently knew what was what--until they met Jesus. Jesus provoked an intellectual crisis in just about everybody. Their response was not, "Wow, I've just seen the Son of God," but rather, "Who is this?" -from the Introduction The church uses the concept of "Incarnation," (from the Latin word for "in the flesh") to help us understand that Jesus Christ is both divine and human. The Incarnation is the grand crescendo of our reflection upon the mystery that Christ is the full revelation of God; not only one who talks about God but the one who speaks for and acts as God, one who is God. About the Series: Belief Matters is a series of easy-to-understand books designed to show that by thinking more clearly about faith, persons can love God more fully, live with confidence, and change the world. Conversational in tone, these books are reflections on major theological topics and are suitable for individual or group study.

Thank God It's Thursday is the prequel to bestselling author Will Willimon's highly successful, Thank God It's Friday. Following the book of John, Will Willimon focuses on Jesus' teaching of his disciples prior to his own death but also before their own hour of decision. The climax of the Gospel is when Jesus pours out his life on the cross--surely an enactment and demonstration of the power of God's self-sacrificial love.So to sustain and fortify his followers for the difficulties ahead, Jesus prepares them by teaching and offering sacraments of self-giving, through which they (and we) experience the grace and presence of the risen Lord. This book can equip Christians to face their hardships as they humbly serve with the promise of God's abiding presence already made good by his outpouring of sacrificial love. Written with the clarity, depth, and insight that are Will Willimon's trademark, this book offers afresh the challenge and grace of the message of the Resurrected One.

"Every time people sit down to eat and drink together, there is the possibility that community will grow and people will be reconciled to one another. This is good news for a fractured and polarized world, and a strong sign of the importance of being a welcoming congregation that embraces all people with God's love and grace." from the introductionThis practical book by pastor and writer Henry G. Brinton studies the biblical basis for Christian hospitality and how it is practiced in congregations today. While recognizing the challenges for embracing all people in the life of the church, Brinton offers a helpful guide for creating a hospitable congregation and welcoming others through spiritual formation, reconciliation, and outreach. He includes discussion questions and an action plan in each chapter.

Leader guide for eight-week small group study to help you deepen your understanding of United Methodist core beliefs. This We Believe: The Core of Wesleyan Faith and Practice by William H. Willimon For John Wesley, the Bible is the joyfully consistent testimony of God s never-ending grace and ever-seeking love. Likewise, studying the Bible is more than merely knowing what Scripture says; it is also about living every day as a child of God. Beginning with the Core Terms found in The Wesley Study Bible, author Bishop William H. Willimonsystematically lays out key Wesleyan tenets of faith so that you will have a fresh way to hear God s voice, share in God s grace, and become more like Jesus Christ. Let this book be your trusted companion to The Wesley Study Bible as you grow to love God with a warmed heart and serve God with active hands. Order the separate book for each participant in a small group #9781426706899 "

Westminster John Knox Press is proud to present this special collection of fourteen of Karl Barth's World War I-era sermons--the only English language collection of Barth's sermons preached between 1917 and 1920 when he was a parish pastor in Safenwil, Switzerland. This volume offers a fascinating glimpse into Barth's interpretation of Scripture during a time of great historical significance.Renowned preacher William H. Willimon provides expert commentary on the theological and homiletical substance of each selection and points to the many ways in which Barth's early preaching can enrich the work of preachers today.

What does it mean to say that salvation is God s business, and God s alone? Who will be saved? is almost always a question about "them," and rarely about "us." Thinking itself wrapped securely in the everlasting arms, the church has spent much of its history speculating on whether God will allow anyone else to join the party. But if we truly believe that salvation is God s business, and God s alone, then perhaps we should stop asking, Who will be saved? and ask instead, How is God calling me to participate in the redemption of the world? Rejecting the idea that God chooses some and not others, drawing on his Wesleyan heritage, and deepening his longstanding theological conversation with Karl Barth, Willimon reflects as a pastor and a theologian on God's intention that all would someday return from the far country into the loving embrace of the One who created them. "

Two popular authors consider not only what the Ten Commandments say about the people who observe them, but what they say about God. They are not some set of universal rules-they simply offer ways for a certain people to know a certain God-our God. What truths about God can be known through the Ten Commandments? God cares how we treat other people. God cares how we behave in marriage. God cares about the importance of being truthful. God wants people to take a day off from work each week. Readers will encounter Willimon and Hauerwas at their best as they explore the overarching question-What does it mean for people and the way they behave when they know some of these truths about God?