In November, my book [scg_html_fc] will be published by Civitas Press. It contains the stories of 36 people and how they have followed Jesus in seeking to live and function within His church. The stories fall into three categories: Leaving Church, Switching Church, and Reforming Church.

Leading up to publication, I am writing several posts which give credit to the authors who made this book possible. Each post will include a short description of three authors and provide a preview summary of their chapters. Below are the descriptions and summaries of three authors in the “Reforming Church” category.

Finding Church Chapter 28 – Being the Change I Want to See

Dan King is the author of The Unlikely Missionary: From Pew-Warmer to Poverty-Fighter, the story about how a trip to Africa turned one man’s world upside down and changed everything he knew about Christianity. The book has received recognition and high commendations from his mom, his wife, and his children (He is still hoping for an endorsement from Tim Tebow). Dan lives in Sarasota, FL with his wife and two kids.

After Dan became a Christian, he set out to study Scripture and learn everything he could about this Jesus he had committed to follow. Along the way he learned the importance of seeing the changes that need to be made in church, but recognizing that before they could change, he needed to work on that change in his own life first.

Finding Church Chapter 29 – Part of the Continual Work of Reforming the Church

Alan Knox is the publisher of The Assembling of the Church. He lives with his wife and two children just north of Raleigh, North Carolina. He enjoys spending time with his family and friends, web development, and running.

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In November, my book [scg_html_fc] will be published by Civitas Press. It contains the stories of 36 people and how they have followed Jesus in seeking to live and function within His church. The stories fall into three categories: Leaving Church, Switching Church, and Reforming Church.

Leading up to publication, I am writing several posts which give credit to the authors who made this book possible. Each post will include a short description of three authors and provide a preview summary of their chapters. Below are the descriptions and summaries of three authors in the “Reforming Church” category.

Finding Church Chapter 25 – Love Lost and Found

Kris Camealy is a homeschooling mother of four. She serves as an advocate for Compassion International, a MOPS coordinator, and encourager to many, while maintaining her personal blog, AlwaysAlleluia.com. Her writing has been featured at Incourage.me and she serves as a contributor to Five Minutes for Faith. In her spare time she reads, runs and plays with her camera. She is a contributing author to the upcoming project, Soul Bare: Reflections on Becoming Human due out in March 2013.

After she grew frustrated at the lack of volunteers and involvement in her church, Kris began to fantasize about attending a newer and more active church. But then she remembered Paul’s instruction that love is the key to functioning as the church, and she decided to start showing love to her church by serving and praying for the people in it. Before long, she found that she didn’t need a new church; she needed a new heart for her church home.

Finding Church Chapter 26 – The Church is Messy, But You Can’t Live Without Her

Daniel Darling is the Senior Pastor of Gages Lake Bible Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and is the author of several books, including his latest, Real: Owning Your Christian Faith. His work has been featured by a variety of evangelical publications such as “Relevant Magazine,” “Focus on the Family,” and “Christianity Today.” He regularly blogs at DanielDarling.com. He is a sought after-speaker and is often interviewed on television and radio. He and his wife, Angela, have four children.

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In November, my book [scg_html_fc] will be published by Civitas Press. It contains the stories of 36 people and how they have followed Jesus in seeking to live and function within His church. The stories fall into three categories: Leaving Church, Switching Church, and Reforming Church.

Leading up to publication, I am writing several posts which give credit to the authors who made this book possible. Each post will include a short description of three authors and provide a preview summary of their chapters. Below are the descriptions and summaries of two authors in the “Switching Church” category, and one in the “Reforming Church” category.

Finding Church Chapter 22 – Looking for the Kingdom

Sam Riviera has written the series “Getting to Know Your Neighbors” and “Being the Church” on the GraceGround blog. Sam and his wife are retired and live in San Diego, California.

With beautiful and heart-touching storytelling, Sam Riviera shows us what the church really looks like, and how we can live and serve in the Kingdom of God through daily actions of love and care toward those around us and toward those who may not get love from anybody else. If you want to know how to live in the Kingdom of God, this chapter will inspire and challenge.

Finding Church Chapter 23 – A Collective Yes

Cara Sexton is a wife, mother, foster parent, blogger, decorator, writer, and wannabe artist who finds her peace in a variety of creative undertakings and strives to encourage others on their faith journeys. She aims to live out loud with grace and gusto and invites you to do the same over at her blog, WhimsySmitten.com. Watch for her upcoming book, Soul Bare: Reflections on Becoming Human, due out from Civitas Press in the spring of 2013.

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In November, my book [scg_html_fc] will be published by Civitas Press. It contains the stories of 36 people and how they have followed Jesus in seeking to live and function within His church. The stories fall into three categories: Leaving Church, Switching Church, and Reforming Church.

Leading up to publication, I am writing several posts which give credit to the authors who made this book possible. Each post will include a short description of three authors and provide a preview summary of their chapters. Below are the descriptions and summaries of three authors in the “Switching Church” category.

Finding Church Chapter 19 – One of the Biggest Problems with Church is Often the Pastor

Wayne Hobson is the author of the e-book, Suffer the Little Children: Understanding and Overcoming Spiritual Abuse and has been in ministry for over 25 years. He studied theology at Wilberforce and Lincoln Universities. He holds a B.A. in Business from La Salle University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he also minored in psychology (including counseling techniques). Wayne is a husband and a father of three children—one son and two daughters. Wayne and his wife Dorothy currently reside in North Carolina and he has been a writer for Examiner.com since 2009.

Many people have experienced the fear and frustration of attending a church where the pastor is hungry for power and control. Wayne has experienced this, and shares why he and his wife left such a church. However, this did not keep them away from church altogether. They eventually found a church where the pastors were warm, loving, and trusting.

Finding Church Chapter 20 – Loyalty

Kimberly Parker is author of Radical Love…Forever Changed, a book that identifies the misconceptions about God’s love and guides the reader to experiencing more of it (RadicalLoveBook.com). You can connect with her through her website, SimplyCreativeWriting.com, where she provides writing and speaking services for businesses, ministries and individuals across the globe.

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In November, my book [scg_html_fc] will be published by Civitas Press. It contains the stories of 36 people and how they have followed Jesus in seeking to live and function within His church. The stories fall into three categories: Leaving Church, Switching Church, and Reforming Church.

Leading up to publication, I am writing several posts which give credit to the authors who made this book possible. Each post will include a short description of three authors and provide a preview summary of their chapters. Below are the descriptions and summaries of three authors in the “Switching Church” category.

Finding Church Chapter 16 –What is “Church” Anyway?

Lauren LaRue attended Douglas Anderson School of Performing Arts during several years of high school, and is currently working on her Bachelors of Science and Psychology. She is a mother and a wife, and an advocate to the broken hearted. Laura enjoys reading, writing, and meditating in her spare time.

Lauren has experienced all the ups and downs of church life. She has led successful ministries in a thriving church, been condemned and outcast by a judgmental church, has sought to help new churches get established, and help dying churches make the necessary changes to survive. Her story is full of pain and frustration, but contains hope for the future. If you have faced troubles in church, you will resonate with Lauren’s story.

Finding Church Chapter 17 – My Search for a Family

Kellen Freeman is a writer living with his wife in Ohio. He is a graduate from the Methodist Theological School in Ohio with a Master of Theological Studies. He blogs regularly about the intersection of life and faith at KellenFreeman.net. You can also find him on Twitter @kellenfreeman. Kellen is currently writing his first book.

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