Community Development

We may be living longer, but people are more socially isolated than ever before. As a result, we are hindered both mentally and physically, and many of us are looking for something concrete we can do to address problems like poverty, racism, and climate change. What if solutions could be found on your very doorstep or just two door knocks away? Cormac Russell and John McKnight offer a wealth of illustrative examples from around the world that will inspire you to explore your own community and discover its hidden treasures.

Community shapes our identity, quenches our thirst for belonging, and bolsters our physical, mental, emotional, and economic health. But in the chaos of modern life, community ties have become unraveled, leaving many feeling afraid or alone in the crowd, grasping at shallow substitutes for true community. In this thoughtful and moving book, Paul Born describes the four pillars of deep community: sharing our stories, taking the time to enjoy one another, taking care of one another, and working together for a better world.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Everybody tells you to live for a cause larger than yourself, but how exactly do you do it? The author of The Road to Character explores what it takes to lead a meaningful life in a self-centered world. “Deeply moving, frequently eloquent and extraordinarily...

As a response to the increasing violence in our culture, the widening ideological divides, and the growing gap in economic well-being, there is greater awareness that a deeper sense of community is desperately needed. But even as we acknowledge the need to build community, the dominant on-the-ground practices about how to engage people, civically and organizationally, remain essentially unchanged. We still believe community is built with better messaging, more persuasion, and social events for people to get to know each other better. All of which is naïve.

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER FEATURED AT NBC’S TODAY SHOW, NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, AND MANY MORE “This is not just a book about having better arguments, it's a manual for building stronger relationships.”—Adam Grant “A paradigm-shifting examination of...

299 Days: The Community, the third book in the 299 Days series, reunites Grant Matson with his family after his wife, children, and in-laws accept that the only way to survive the Collapse is to flee the comfort of their suburban lives and join him at his isolated cabin in the woods. With riots becoming more violent, power outages more widespread, and the military crumbling, Grant and others throughout Washington State realize they must organize if they want to endure.

Almost any parent you asked would tell you that they want their children to be happy, successful adults. But many of us forget (or never knew to begin with) that lasting personal joy is not necessarily found the way the world says it is - through reaching a certain socioeconomic status, having a certain job, buying a certain house, or having a certain amount in one's bank account. In fact, says Kristen Welch, author of Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World, personal satisfaction comes not from grabbing onto things but from holding them with an open hand and, very often, giving them away.

Leadership can be a blessing or a curse. It can help people rise up to a better life, or it can cause people to fall into despair. Become part of the solution by becoming a high-road leader. The world’s most influential leadership expert, John C. Maxwell, tackles the problem of our divided...

Ten years ago, Bell Hooks astonished readers/listeners with Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom. Now comes Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope - a powerful, visionary work that will enrich our teaching and our lives. Combining critical thinking about education with autobiographical narratives, hooks invites listeners to extend the discourse of race, gender, class and nationality beyond the classroom into everyday situations of learning. Bell Hooks writes candidly about her own experiences.

Eco-distress is real. How to Live in a Chaotic Climate is here to help you rediscover meaning, joy, and connection as the tumult around us increases. Based on the Good Grief Network’s acclaimed 10 Steps to Resilience and Empowerment in a Chaotic Climate program, this book unpacks the social, political, and spiritual nuances of the climate emergency, step by step.

This book is a guide for leaders seeking to build a community, to strengthen the community they already have, or who may not think of themselves as community leaders but who are envisioning a group they hope to create. These communities can be formal, with official memberships and administrations, or informal, tied by shared values and commitments.

USA Today Bestseller Read by the author. Many of us long for closeness and intimacy in relationships while simultaneously fearing rejection, abandonment, or being overwhelmed. Blending attachment theory with spiritual formation, Dr. Alison Cook helps us restore our soul to a place that can...

Learn to identify—and combat—Systemic Shame, the feeling of self-hatred and disempowerment that comes from living in a society that blames individuals for systemic problems, with this invaluable resource from the social psychologist and author of Unmasking Autism. Systemic Shame is the...

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! In this moving narrative of resilience and pure love, three mothers share their experiences and learnings about life alongside autism -- From the creators of Finding Cooper's Voice, What Color is Monday?, and Tales of an Educated Debutante Kate Swenson...

From “one of America’s smartest and most charming writers” (NPR), an archaeological romp through the entire history of humankind—and through all five senses—from tropical Polynesian islands to forbidding arctic ice floes, and everywhere in between. Whether it’s the mighty pyramids of...

Tackling some of the world’s most profound questions through the intimate lens of fatherhood, Bayo Akomolafe embarks on a journey of discovery as he maps the contours of the spaces between himself and his three-year-old daughter, Alethea. In a narrative that manages to be both intricate and...

From the chief medical correspondent of ABC News, an eloquent, heartbreaking, yet hopeful memoir of surviving the suicide of a loved one, examining this dangerous epidemic and offering first-hand knowledge and advice to help family and friends find peace. Jennifer Ashton, M.D., has witnessed...

From the author of Bad Therapy and Irreversible Damage: how a top-down effort to erode male status is leaving a generation lonely, single, and sad. The roots of our modern dating crisis run far deeper than iPhones, hookups, and dating apps. Young women have been encouraged to see themselves as...

Are you feeling isolated, unseen, or unsure how to reconnect in a disconnected world? You're not alone—and there's hope. In Overcoming Loneliness: Strategies for Finding Joy and Building Community, therapist and pastoral counselor Leslie Parker Taylor draws from decades of experience and a deep well of compassion to guide readers through the complex emotional terrain of loneliness. Whether you're dealing with grief, major life transitions, social anxiety, or simply feeling out of step with others, this book offers clear insight and practical tools to help you move forward.

What story is shaping your life? For too long, we’ve lived as though spiritual growth simply means trying harder or being better for God. But what if the deepest transformation doesn’t come from doing more for Jesus, but from letting Him tell us who we are? In Becoming Good News, you’ll...