Living Our Story explores how good narrative workthe retrieval, construction, and performance of valued storiestakes place in ministry. Authors Larry A. Golemon, Lee Ramsey, N. Graham Standish, Tim Shapiro, Carol Johnson, Mike Mather, Niles Elliot Goldstein, and Diana Butler Bass examine this question from a variety of perspectives, including the role of the pastor or rabbi as narrative leader, the sacred and mundane stories that shape congregational life and identity, storytelling as a means of community building, and story sharing as a practice of hospitality. Through the stories they themselves tell, these authors show how stories witness to God's presence in the unfolding of human life, and how the best leaders craft stories that reveal how God is at work among the people and inspire them to become a part of this larger story.

Rev. Dr. Larry A. Golemon, an ordained Presbyterian minister, is a research associate for the Alban Institute. He is a regular consultant in seminary education and recently directed the Ecumenical Project at Virginia Theological Seminary. Prior to joining the Alban staff, Larry served on the research team of the Carnegie Foundation's Clergy Education study, published as Educating Clergy: Teaching Practices and Pastoral Imagination.

Preface
Larry A. Golemon

Chapter 1:The Practice of Narrative Leadership in Ministry
Larry A. Golemon

Chapter 2:The Continuous Thread of Revelation: Pastoral Memoirs and the Narrative Imagination
G. Lee Ramsey Jr.

Chapter 3:Pastor as Narrative Leader
N. Graham Standish

Chapter 4:The Sacred Value of Congregational Stories
Tim Shapiro

Chapter 5:Story Sharing and the Practice of Hospitality as Ingredients in Effective Leadership
Carol Johnston

Chapter 6:Have Conversations and Have Faith: Trading Us and Them for All of Us
Mike Mather

Chapter 7:Downtown Judaismin Our Own Image
Niles Elliot Goldstein

Chapter 8:Living the Story
Diana Butler Bass

Contributors