This House We Build: Lessons for Healthy Synagogues and the People Who Dwell There

by Terry Bookman and William Kahn, Terry Bookman, William Kahn

Taking up synagogues as its primary example, this book gives vital lessons for congregations of any faith on how to be a healthy community of believers. The House We Build enables readers to learn more deeply about creating and sustaining communities of faith in the course of inevitable transitions and everyday challenges.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1566993334
• ISBN13: 9781566993333
• Release Date: December 2006
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Length: 380 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Being (and becoming) part of a healthier congregation.

"This House We Build: Lessons for Healthy Synagogues and the People Who Dwell There" contains a wealth of wisdom applicable to people who wish to dwell more healthily in churches as well. With major sections devoted to "Healthy Houses," Healthy Congregants," Healthy Clergy," and "Healthy Relationships," authors Bookman and Kahn note that "Healthy congregations are filled with ambivalent Jews, of course. The difference is that these are Jews who have decided to commit to the institution, make good faith efforts (indeed, to make efforts to find good faith), and see what they can contribute and gain from the relationship. They commit not to perfection, but to their synagogues and the people who inhabit them (pp. 137-8)." Those seeking healthier church life will find much wisdom here.

Great Book

Prof. Kahn has written a very incisive and accurate portrayal of the tensions and relationships that exist and must be recognized in a modern synagogue or any religious organization. A great benefit to anyone trying to understand the interpersonal dynamics that can hinder the success of any religious organization.