Rowing Together through the Rapids: Hopeful Conversations for Today’s and Tomorrow’s Church – by Richard P. Olson

In Rowing Together through the Rapids, Richard Olson draws on decades of experience in ministry to provide helpful counsel and guidance to church leaders today. Based on personal interviews with dozens of Generation X and Millennial pastors and church leaders, Dr. Olson enters into a dialogue that will enrich the lives and ministries of those serving in churches. His book is filled with tender anecdotes, useful suggestions, and thoughtful reflections on scripture. Part memoir, part social analysis, and part guidebook, Rowing Together through the Rapids is honest, sensitive, and ultimately encouraging. Aware of the current challenges that face churches today, Dr. Olson draws on lessons from the past and the insightful wisdom of scholars and practitioners.

The book is timely and needed. Topics include creation care, women in church leadership, ministry with those who are often labeled “disabled,” dealing with political conflicts, caring for people as they face issues related to gender and sexual identity, overcoming racial and ethnic barriers – and many more. Dr. Olson does not offer simple or trite answers. Instead, he honestly and tenderly tells his story, reports on the experiences of young church leaders today, and pleads with those of us who love the church to do our best to persevere and do whatever we can do to make the church all that it can be.

Dr. Olson’s love for people and his love for the church shine through on every page. He has devoted decades to the service of others, and now he has a word that we would be wise to hear. As his subtitle suggests, Dr. Olson’s desire is hopeful conversations. That is precisely what we find in this book.