The Wisdom of the Seasons: How the Church Year Helps Us Understand Our Congregational Stories

The church year is often seen as a framework for church programs, but well-known Alban author Charles Olsen shows readers how it can be a prism through which congregations more deeply understand their own stories. By weaving together our narratives and those of Christian tradition, a congregation can clarify its identity, grow in wisdom, and discover a new vision for ministry.

Olsen draws parallels between the church seasons and practices of spiritual formation—letting go, naming and celebrating God’s presence, and taking hold. He shows us how these movements are expressed in the three major cycles of the church year—Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. Focusing on communal narratives, he presents a process for telling a story and forming a corporate memory of the story, and then deepening and reflecting on it by exploring the season of the church year that captures its character.

Readers will appreciate the real stories from congregational life and ministry—each rooted in and illuminated by a season of the church year. Through these stories, readers learn how to claim the treasure of the seasons for communal spiritual formation, church leadership, and governance.