Gratitude to Alban

I was at a clergy meeting this week and someone said, “Alban was right about family-sized churches...” and everyone in the room shook their heads. We didn’t need any explanation. We all knew that the pastor was referring to Roy Oswald and Alice Mann's work.

For a good generation, Alban has been creating books and resources that slip into our common clergy vernacular. When we think of applying of family systems theories, navigating size transitions, being a blessed church, re-imagining faith, creating open-source communities, or (if I may dare to add my work to the Alban classics) reframing hope, we often refer to Alban. Alban had a three-pronged mission: publishing, consulting, and education. I've had a finger in each pie, at different times.

It began when I started as a small-church pastor. Serving out in the middle of the Cajun swamps of Louisiana, I didn’t have many professional educational opportunities. So I picked up on those code words in our clergy gatherings, and began to read Alban books. The Once and Future Church and The Practicing Congregation became go-to books in my ministry.