Featured Book: Reorganized Religion: The Reshaping of the American Church and Why it Matters

Reorganized Religion

In the midst of a continuing essay in “Library Learnings” that wonders, Wither the Church?, how could this just-published book not be featured?

In the dust jacket, Worthy Publishing mentions, “[M]illions of Americans are abandoning organized religion altogether in favour of disorganized disbelief.” Author Bob Smietana’s solution? Do not “continue on the same way things have always been,” but, instead, become more diverse; merge; help “provide a social safety net in our communities”. These are some of “the author’s specific takeaways from his years of research and reporting,” Religion Unplugged reckons. “It’s fascinating stuff. Really.”

“[T]hings are not all hopeless,” Smietana avows, “if churches are willing to change and address their challenges head-on.” Trouble is, “few religious leaders are prepared for the kinds of changes that they will face in the future.”

Publishers Weekly describes Reorganized Religion as “a superb examination of the future of Christian institutions. […] This is a must-read for anyone interested in the fate of the American church.” Bookanon.com points up “the power of the case studies and clear, direct investigations” found in its pages. And who’d be better to write it than Smietana, national reporter for Religion News Service, who’s spent decades reporting on the “Godbeat”.

Reorganized Religion: The Reshaping of the American Church and Why It Matters
By Bob Smietana
Worthy Publishing, 2022