Divine Renovation: Bringing Your Parish from Maintenance to Mission

This is a fantastic book. I recognise so many of the challenges we face as a church in the UK in this book. Fr James not only superbly articulates these with apposite scriptural and theological insight but crucially he details tried and tested examples of how a parish can overcome them and flourish as a community of living stones! Imagine my surprise that a book that does all this is also incredibly readable, humorous and measured.My biggest take away was that our focus in the church needs to be firmly on substance, not style. This book has nothing to do with being 'Charismatic' or 'Traditional' etc, it's about how we respond to Christ's call to be a missionary church of disciples in today's culture.

From start to finish this book made me think deeply about how my parish could be improved. I can not recommend it enough. I am currently rereading it and have wealth of ideas that are both easy to implement and are longer term. It has also made me think more deeply about my own faith. It is a must read and fills me with hope.

One of the best books I've ever read. I loved 'Rebuilt' and feel that this complements that nicely. Fr. Mallon's parish is not quite as far along the journey as the parish in Rebuilt, so the latter gives you more descriptive ideas. Divine Renovation, however, grounds things far more in theology and in the general culture of the Church.

This is a must read book for any clergy who run parishes and who want to renew the life of the parish in order to keep it alive and growing. It is also an essential tool for parish staff to draw inspiration from and a guide to leadership in the parish.

This book is about the Catholic Church and parishioners just going through the motions of being a Christian. It’s about getting involved being passionate about belonging to the church

Once I started this book, I found I couldn't put it down. Fr. James's enthusiasm is inspiring and uplifting. I don't know how this book will change my thinking about church but change will happen because of it. Every priest and lay person who wants to see the church grow should read this book.

Informative and a realistic summary of the issues facing the Catholic Church in the West. Clear, purposeful strategy proposed as a faith-filled response by clergy and laity. Well worth reading.

Good read