Church matters: Essays and addresses on ecclesial belonging

This selection of essays and addresses, most of them previously published either in books, journals or online between 1996 and 2021, reflects the theological journey of a distinguished Anglican priest and theologian. Written primarily within the Anglican tradition where Scott Cowdell has worked as pastor and teacher, the reflections raise significant issues of concern for churches everywhere.Informed by sources as varied as Banjo Paterson and Ignatius of Loyola, the essays throughout raise primary questions of how the church matters in contemporary Australian society, where Christianity and church are increasingly at the margins of people’s concerns and where various ways of being church compete for the attention of congregations and their leaders.This ‘gift of secularisation’, he suggests, is an opportunity for the church to reconsider what is important in its traditions and structures; and asks what may be needed to bring the churches to a fresh understanding of the reasons for their very existence.Informed, challenging, accessible and encouraging, Church Matters is an important book in these difficult times for the churches in Australia and beyond.