Agents of Flourishing: Pursuing Shalom in Every Corner of Society by Amy L. Sherman. IVP. 338 pages. 2022
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I read the author’s book Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good for my “Calling, Vocation and Work” class at Covenant Seminary – one of my favorite faith and work books – and looked forward to reading this book. In this book, which focuses on local outreach, Sherman aims to encourage and equip congregations to seek the flourishing of their communities—based on a conviction that this is a central mission of the church in our time.
The author begins by defining biblical flourishing and contrasts it with prevailing secular understandings. She then reviews the church’s identity and mission as royal priests called to advance flourishing in our communities. She introduces the Thriving Cities Group’s “Human Ecology Framework,” which serves as the organizing schema for the remainder of the book. The framework describes six arenas of civilizational life, or endowments. The following chapters take up each of these six endowments. The author writes how contemporary U.S. congregations are contributing positively to the health and strength of the endowment. The stories included illustrate some specific strategies that churches could take to advance flourishing in that realm of community life. The hope of the author is that these stories will inspire congregational leaders to imitate the strategies or try additional ones. The author concludes the book with the next steps you can take in your congregations to live into the calling of being agents of flourishing in your communities.
This is not a book that needs to be read quickly, as the author points out. It would be a good book to read and discuss with your church leadership team how you can apply these strategies or develop new ones.

Below are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

• The problem isn’t that we want to flourish. God wants that for us too. The problem is our definitions of human flourishing fall short of God’s.
• True biblical flourishing involves the good of others as well as our own good. Flourishing is meant to be a shared experience.
• We were made for a purpose. Humans were created to image God in the world, offering up our worship to him alone, and to reflect his character in the world. We were made, in short, for worship and mission.
• God’s vision for the world is shalom—universal flourishing. He has called us to join in his mission.
• We are made for God; thus, we are made for beauty. And we were designed to delight in, dwell upon, and meditate on that beauty.
• God’s will is that his people deal with one another and with others in justice.
• Work is an avenue for our enjoyment and a means by which we bring flourishing to others.
• God desires his creation and his children to flourish.
• People are charged with ruling creation, but this dominion is to be servant-hearted.
• Each believer has opportunities within their spheres of influence to apply the healing, restorative work of priests and the culture-making work of kings.
• We are agents of flourishing. We’re to practice reigning—deploying our gifts in loving, sacrificial ways that bring flourishing to others.
• Prayer is vital to every missional journey. It is how we express our reliance on the Holy Spirit’s equipping grace.