Refugia Church: Seeking Deeper Purpose, Courageous Action, and the Healing of the Earth invites Christian communities and congregations to respond with creativity and courage to this moment of polycrisis and climate disruption. By transforming our distinctive gifts--story, community, worship, formation, spiritual practices, community partnerships, buildings, assets, talents, and more--Christian communities can help catalyze transition to a more just and sustainable way of living together. Debra Rienstra provides empathy, motivation, and numerous models, leaving readers with the liberating sense that you are not alone and there are ways you can do this.
Following her first book, Refugia Faith, this book draws on the concept of refugia, a biological term for places that survive severe disturbance in nature, adapt, and become the seedbeds of renewed ecosystems. Rienstra considers how this biological concept could serve as a helpful metaphor for Christians today: How can we act as people of refugia in the name of Christ, creating and nurturing life-giving places in a time of global crisis and unprecedented change?
The refugia model gives Christian groups encouragement and guidance by offering a different way to think about their role in the larger culture, their witness, and the vitality of the faith--its power to meet this difficult historical moment with the grace of God and the resources of our revitalized hope and renewed practices.
