Weaving a community's roots: an interview with Gary Gunderson of the Carter Center

Churches advance health.

By Geraldine Schiering

Geraldine Schiering: Your book has a terrific title—Deeply Woven Roots: Improving the Quality of Life in Your Community (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1997). Give me a brief book report.

Gary Gunderson: The book was written primarily for secular agencies that don't know anything about religious congregations. It outlines eight basic strengths of congregations upon which you can build programs and collaborations. They are the strength to accompany, to convene, to connect, to tell stories, to give sanctuary, to bless, to pray, and to endure.

The name of the book comes from my sense that a congregation weaves the roots of its community. The roots of a healthy tree don't just go down deep; they weave together with the roots of other trees. A forest is able to stand against the ravages of time and weather because the trees are woven together, literally, underneath the ground. If you look at a road cut, you can see how the roots intertwine with each other. That's how I picture the role of religious organizations: they weave together their community's roots.