The ACP congratulates its vice-president, Celeste Kennel-Shank, on being one of 30 North American pastoral leaders awarded a 2021–2022 Pastoral Study Project grant by the Louisville Institute. She will research and write a book about the life and death of the Community of Christ, an innovative ecumenical congregation in Washington, D.C.
Intentionally planted in the city in 1965, a time when many churches were leaving, the Community of Christ attracted people disillusioned with traditional religious institutions. The Community “distinguished itself from the more-organized church without rejecting it,” one former member says. The book will also explore what dying well looks like for a congregation; the Community ceased worshiping together in 2016.
Celeste will research unusual models of congregational life in North America and welcomes suggestions of articles in ACP member publications from the past six decades on this topic. She also looks forward to sharing observations and insights with ACP members.