"My hope for Dog-Eared Disciples is that we become a community of readers who are not simply turning pages but allowing those pages to turn something within us. Reading can become a spiritual practice, inviting us to notice God, listen more deeply, and discover grace in unexpected places.

In 'An Altar in the World,' Barbara Brown Taylor reminds us that God meets us in the ordinary, embodied experiences of everyday life. One question I hope we will carry with us is Taylor’s invitation: ‘What is saving your life right now?’ It is a beautiful and sometimes challenging question that invites us to recognize the presence of grace, especially in places we might otherwise overlook.

Our upcoming readings continue that journey. 'Native' invites us to consider our relationship with creation, the land, Indigenous wisdom, and the stories that shape our understanding of belonging. My hope is that it will deepen our humility, expand our listening, and challenge us to consider what it means to be faithful neighbors to one another and to the earth.

'Wintering' offers another kind of invitation: to honor the seasons of our lives when growth is less visible, when rest is necessary, and when the work of renewal happens beneath the surface. I especially want to encourage readers not to wait until December to begin this text. The opening section of 'Wintering' begins in October, making this the perfect time to enter the book alongside the changing seasons.

Ultimately, I hope Dog-Eared Disciples helps us cultivate a holy curiosity about God, ourselves, our neighbors, and the planet. I hope we become people who read attentively, reflect honestly, converse generously, and live differently because of what we discover together."  ~Bishop Lanette

Bishop Lanette’s book club, “Dog-Eared Disciples,” has recently begun, taking participants through a series of books that invite, challenge, and inspire us.

This book study is part of our Get in The Way discipleship journey that Bishop Lanette introduced in her 2026 Episcopal Address. This journey encourages all of us to engage in faith formation, connection, and growth through prayer and reflection.

In this way, Dog-Eared Disciples is an embodiment of all of these things, as it flexibly brings people together, invites everyone in, and encourages our faith through a variety of texts that give us insight into many areas of life.

Many ways to engage

For Pastor Teresa Pekarek, pastor at Cornerstone UMC in Lake Crystal and First UMC in New Ulm, Minnesota, the open and flexible nature of the book study encouraged her to share it on social media and in person. She had recently been involved in her first book club and felt the power of being in connection with others.

“The good part about technology is being able to invite people, so they still feel connected; there are people who are in nursing homes that still love to read, busy families, etc. No one should be excluded, and by using audiobooks and other means, everyone from inside and outside the church can find connection here,” said Pekarek.

Her two churches have formed book clubs of about ten people each. “A study like this helps to build community, invite everyone, and keep people connected,” noted Pekarek. Even congregants who travel south for the winter can stay involved.

For Pastor Kelly Figueroa-Ray of Hope UMC in Blue Earth, Minnesota, and Lay Leader Gail Keck, the power of connection has also been central to the book club. Keck said, “As Pastor Kelly has been here less than two months, in addition to the study being interesting, it has been nice being together, and we can kick around some ideas, and it is always interesting to see the different people that are in it and see their input.”

“I am going because it is great to have that face time with Bishop Lanette. I like having more connection with the conference and having time with her each month,” said Figueroa-Ray.

Rev. Lauren Hauger at Hubbard UMC in Park Rapids, Minnesota, has also appreciated the nature of community. “Even though I didn’t have a lot to add to our first conversation, just being present with others who had also chosen to be present—hearing what spoke to them, what stood out to them—was meaningful in ways that honestly, I guess I had not really experienced before…Perhaps because it was casual and intimate, perhaps because I created a sacred space for myself and allowed myself to be fully present, I was truly blessed.”

The first book— “An Altar in the World”

The club's first reading, “An Altar in the World”, which was the subject of the book study on October 3, encourages people to seek God beyond the walls of the church, and to find the sacred in everyday moments.

Church leaders are finding different ways to engage with Bishop Lanette's Book Club.

Hauger began thinking about how to use the work as the basis for a sermon series but was soon moved by the individual spiritual gifts that the book imparted to her. “By the end of the book, it became more about how it was feeding my soul, and not how I might feed someone else’s soul,” noted Hauger. She chose to spend an extra day at the St. John’s Abbey guesthouse in order to be fully present with the text and the moment.

Part of being present in this book club has been Bishop Lanette’s invitation to pair the readings with the ancient Christian practice of lectio divina—a slow, contemplative reading of the texts that encourages reflection and connection with God.

Pekarek has been excited to introduce the power of this practice to her congregants. “As we get started, I am thinking of how to introduce lectio divina to my groups, to help people grow in a discipleship that they may not be aware of and being able to introduce something new!”

One of the ideas that Gail Keck centered on in the text was the concept of taking care of your physical body. “Traditionally, that idea has been ignored by Christianity; you are not supposed to think of your physical body,” said Keck. “Saying ‘no’ to things, giving space and rest for your physical body, allows us to have the day of rest as God envisions it.”

Building community wherever you are!

For people who are thinking about joining this journey, Pekarek says this: “It’s an invitation—keep building that relationship with the person you want to come, for all are welcome! Come if you read all or none...for this study is an invitation to belong.”

One way to do this is sharing the study with other faith communities. “The local Presbyterian Church’s pastor just retired, and we are making the study available to these neighbors as well,” noted Pekarek.

“I try to remind others continually that faith is not a solo sport—it is meant to be lived out in community,” said Hauger. “Dog-Eared Disciples is something that is easy to step into at any time… you can just pick up the book and read whichever chapter stands out, and find what speaks to you!”

As the series moves forward within the framework of our Get in The Way discipleship journey, there are certainly going to be more surprises, connections, and moving of the Spirit among the people of the Dakotas-Minnesota Area.

Dog-Eared Disciples is an invitation to read our way more deeply into the life of faith. Drawing on the ancient Christian practice of lectio divina, we will approach books not simply for information, but for formation: reading slowly and attentively, listening for what stirs, challenges, unsettles, or invites us, and allowing what we encounter on the page to deepen our relationship with God, one another, and the world.

Participants will read six books over six months and gather virtually on the first Saturdays of the month to reflect and discuss our readings. You are welcome to attend all or some, as interest, time, and the Spirit lead. Please note which studies you plan to attend (and rest assured, you can shift things as schedules change) so that we can gauge group size. The books are as follows:
Oct. 3: "An Altar in the World" by Barbara Brown Taylor
Nov. 7: "Native: Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering God" by Kaitlin B. Curtice
Dec. 5: "Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times" by Katherine May
(We will take January off- Happy New Year!)
Feb. 6: "Jesus and the Disinherited" by Howard Thurman
Mar. 6: "Staying Awake: The Gospel for Changemakers" by Tyler Sit
Apr. 3: "The Last Human Job: Seeing Each Other in an Age of Automation" by Allison Pugh

Get a link to join the next session. Register here.