Throughout the Bible, prophets are called to draw a community's attention to its own corporate sin and to reassure the people that God has not abandoned them in times of distress. Faith communities navigating significant change need their leaders to claim both prophetic roles. Church members facing stresses such as declining membership or difficult decisions about the future need to hear that God has not abandoned them. They also need to be reoriented to see their purpose as part of God's mission, and not just to keep the lights on.
Sarah Kathryn Dymund calls upon her deeply pastoral heart and the wisdom of experience to guide ministry leaders into claiming their roles as prophets in communities navigating significant change. Dymund accompanies readers through the many roles of a prophetic leader, from becoming a sacred storyteller to earning a community's trust to handle all the complexity of their collective story., Along the way, she leavens the narrative with insightful biblical reflections and stories from her own life in ministry. A minister living into prophetic leadership as a sacred storyteller can help churches discern hard decisions--even holy closure--from a posture of mission, purpose, and shared participation in God's greater story. Prophet in Residence is a gift to ministry leaders in all corners of the contemporary church.
