People today are less interested in thinking about God while being much more interested in knowing God, observes spiritual director and author John Ackerman, who served as a parish pastor for four decades. In this insightful book, Ackerman outlines ways congregations can promote members' spiritual growth toward a greater intimacy with God. This book is about the whole system--individuals and small groups, lay leaders and clergy, worship and education--everything we do in a congregation to form us more fully into the body of Christ and to become aware of Christ in us. Ackerman offers two basic four-step models and several additional tools that can be used to create a more encompassing process. And it all begins with learning to listen as a community, and to notice what God is doing in our life together.

Learning how to attend to what God is doing right now is the lifelong work of (and play) of the person of faith. Helping people to attend to God is the central work of the congregation. It all begins with learning to listen to God as a community and to notice what God is doing in our life together. John Ackerman offers two four-step models and several additional tools that help us attend to the mystery at the center of our lives and our congregations.