Leading through the Water (Vital Worship, Healthy Congregations)

In Leading through the Water, Paul Galbreath demonstrates one way of linking baptismal practice to daily life as congregations provide an alternative witness to the cultural voices around us. At the same time, it expands the vision of baptism from a single occasion to a distinctive way of life within a community of faith and a primary metaphor for Christian discipleship. In concert with Leading from the Table, Galbreath continues to explore how the sacraments of baptism and communion connect with the world around us. He is concerned that we too often separate church life from daily life, marginalizing the gospel and the good news that God is with us at all times and places in our lives. Here Galbreath explores Christian discipleship through baptism imagery in Scripture, history, and experience, and identifies patterns of baptismal formation that guide the choices we make each day. He follows the individual's journey through baptism, beginning with inquiry, through the preparation for baptism, the event of baptism itself, and a time of discernment following baptism. This book will prompt conversations in congregations and classrooms about the ways that our distinct communities of faith can embody the gospel in the world and point to God's faithful presence.