Pilgrimage into Letting Go, A: Helping Parents and Pastors Embrace the Uncontrollable - Softcover

Andrew Root; Kara K. Root

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1587436620 ISBN 13: 9781587436628

Publisher: Baker Publishing Group, 2025

Synopsis

Andy and Kara were anxious—anxious about their teenaged children approaching adulthood in a tumultuous world. Anxious, too, about their ministries; after all, as America’s pews empty, the church depends on its leaders to save it. If only they could control the circumstances faced by those who depended on them, they could ensure their success. But maybe the solution isn’t paving the way for our kids or our congregations. Maybe it’s hiking the long road alongside them. Andy and Kara took this literally. Following the way of Cuthbert, a seventh-century saint, they embarked with their kids on a 63-mile walking pilgrimage in England and Scotland. Over the course of their journey, Andy and Kara learned that when we release control, we can regain connection—with our families, with fellow pilgrims along the road, with nature, and with God. Thought-provoking and relatable, A Pilgrimage into Letting Go will help parents, pastors, and ministry leaders let go of their anxiety and open themselves up to God’s transformative grace.

About this title

About the Author

Andrew Root (PhD, Princeton Seminary) is the Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary. He has written more than 25 books, including the Ministry in a Secular Age series. Kara K. Root is senior pastor of Lake Nokomis Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis and is a spiritual director and certified educator in the PCUSA. Her books include The Deepest Belonging and Receiving This Life. Andrew and Kara live in St. Paul, Minnesota, with their two kids.

From the Back Cover

Releasing Control, Reclaiming Connection

Andy and Kara Root were anxious--anxious about their teenaged children approaching adulthood in a tumultuous world and anxious about their ministries. If only they could control the circumstances faced by those who depended on them, they could ensure their success.

But maybe the solution isn't paving the way for our kids or our congregations. Maybe it's hiking the long road alongside them.

Andy and Kara took this literally. Following the way of St. Cuthbert, they embarked with their kids on a sixty-three-mile walking pilgrimage in England and Scotland. Over the course of their journey, Andy and Kara learned that when we release control, we can regain connection--with our families, with fellow pilgrims along the road, with nature, and with God--and open ourselves up to God's transformative grace.

"Andy and Kara show us how to live as pastors, parents, and Christians with grace, conviction, and assurance that God is yet with us. A wonderfully inspiring, immediately helpful book."
--Will Willimon, author of Accidental Preacher: A Memoir; Duke Divinity School; United Methodist bishop, retired

"A gentle, unflinching companion for anxious parents and worn-out church leaders. This isn't another book of parenting hacks or pastoral tricks--it's a soulful invitation to walk with trust, to make peace with uncertainty, and to recognize and name the presence of God in the midst of it all."
--Amanda Hontz Drury, Indiana Wesleyan University

"This book is a gift to all who seek to walk with God in the uncontrollable terrain of real life."
--John Swinton, University of Aberdeen; author of Finding Jesus in the Storm: The Spiritual Lives of Christians with Mental Health Challenges

"A delicately woven, wonderfully written, and truly eye-opening book."
--Hartmut Rosa, Friedrich Schiller University

Edition details

• Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1587436620
• ISBN 13: 9781587436628
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240