“There are signs that this spiritual winter may be passing”, said the Rt Rev Dr John Sentamu in his first Christmas message as Archbishop of York. One aspect
of ‘spiritual winter’ is the number of churches which shut their doors for the last time, more each year than are opened.

However, not every church which reaches the end of the road actually closes. Some hang on by their fingernails, surviving, but only just. Others come back from the brink and begin to thrive again – their spiritual winter turns into a new spring.

This book tells stories of churches which were staring closure in the face, but God has done something new in each of them. It is written as an encouragement to those whose churches are heading toward the brink, providing inspiration and ideas of how such a church might be turned around.