Archbishop Sarah Mullally (Hodder & Stoughton, London 2026. 200pp: £22 hardback) by Andrew Atherstone, Professor of Modern Anglicanism at Oxford, is a fascinating book as it tells the story of the new Archbishop of Canterbury. Sarah Mullally came to faith in a large Evangelical Anglican Church in Woking. She was educated at a comprehensive school, a polytechnic, and later as a part-time student at an evening course when training for ministry. Her first career was in nursing, where she became the youngest ever Chief Nursing Officer for England. In her 40s she became a curate and rector. On 25 March 2026, one day before her 64th birthday, she became the first woman to be installed as Archbishop of Canterbury. Unlike any previous Archbishop of Canterbury, she brings more experience in secular leadership outside the Church of England than any former occupant of this role, and as a result she will have a maximum of six years before mandatory retirement.
Uncluttered faith: own less, love more and make an impact in your world (Ebury Vine/Penguin Random House, London 2026. 238pp: £17.99) by Joshua Becker, who has served as an ordained minister in the Christian and Missionary Alliance at churches in Wisconsin, Vermont and Arizona, is a challenging book about ‘minimalism’, which he defines as “the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything from it”. He called this book Uncluttered Faith “not about believing less” but rather “about intentionally uncluttering the physical possession in our lives so that our faith can be uncluttered and unfettered, and we can reach our full potential through Christ”.
Belonging without barriers: building accessible Christian community (BRF, Abingdon 2026. 247pp: £14.99) by Triene Bradbury, Lois Bunyan and Claire Wood, all three of whom have experience of working with people with disabilities, casts a vision of inclusion and full belonging within our churches and other Christian communities for those with ‘additional needs’. This is a great resource for ministers and lay leaders.
The People’s Offering: renewing Eucharistic perspectives (Sacristy Press, Durham 2026. 164pp: £16.99) by Ron Browning, an Australian Anglican minister, argues that at the celebration of the Eucharist, worshippers can offer prayer and themselves. There at the Table (or as many Anglicans call it, the altar) Christians offer back to God their love and service. The 13 chapters are divided into four main sections: ‘Eucharist of offering’; ‘Enriching the Sense of Offering’’ ‘Parts of the Eucharist’; and ‘Spirituality of eucharistic Offering’. This thoughtful book is well worth reading.
God is Stranger: the surpassing power of hospitality (first published by Hodder & Stoughton, London 2017; now republished 2026. 329pp: £16.99) by Krish Kandiah, the founder and director of Sanctuary Foundation which seeks to welcome and support refugees to the UK, is a very readable and challenging book.
Twelve Lessons on Stickability in Ministry (Sacristy Press, Durham 2026. 214pp: £16.99) BY Sally Nash, a theological educator and spiritual accompanist, who has been an Anglican minister for over 40 years. Sally Nash explores the practises, relationships, and theological insights that sustain a lifetime of service. She lists 12 lessons in 12 chapters: ‘Understanding who I am and what I am called to’; ‘Rooting myself in spiritual practices’; ‘Thinking theologically’; ‘Making wise choices’; ‘Developing a regenerative rhythm of life’; ‘Seeking out companions on the journey’; ‘Establishing and managing boundaries’; ‘Engaging with vulnerability’; ‘Learning to live with lament and loss’; ‘Holding fast through challenging times’; ‘Keeping on learning’; and ‘Starting and finishing well’. This book would be helping to people new to ministry.
The Pattern of God: David Jenkins’ Theology in Church and Public space (Sacristy Press, Durham 2026. 128pp: £16.99) by Richard Truss, a retired Anglican minister who was taught by David Jenkins, is an interesting book. I had thought that David Jenkins was fairly liberal in this theology, whereas as I discovered in many ways he was a traditional Christian, who was keen to hold onto the foundational beliefs of the Christian faith. For Jenkins this meant the Christology of the Chalcedonian definition (451 AD) and its central assertion that Jesus is both all that is required to be God and that is required to be human. Although Jenkins had questions about the precise historicity of the Gospel accounts, for him what really mattered was summed up in the statement “Christ is risen!”
Anglicans who don’t like liturgy: how the worship song took centre stage (SCM Press, London 2026. 191pp: £30) by John Leach, who has been an Anglican minister for 40 years, is a book that every minister, whether Anglican or not, should read. It deals with the growing practice among Anglican churches, usually from the charismatic and evangelical wings, of abandoning the traditional Anglican liturgy in favour of a diet of ‘worship songs’, where different elements in the service are punctuated by stand-alone hymns. The author believes that “the abandonment of liturgy is detrimental to the work of evangelism and the spiritual formation of disciples and communities who are growing into the likeness of Christ”. John Leach is not against modern ‘worship songs’, but argues that renewed worship can work within a liturgical context rather than instead of one.
The Best Possible Life (Hodder Faith, London2026.197pp: £16.99) by Jim Murphy, an American performance coach to athletes around the world, is not just an autobiography of the author, but also helps readers to experience meaningful relationships, where love is unconditional and fully reliable, and where we can rest secure, with the deepest contentment, no matter the circumstances around us.
Everyday spiritual habits: small simple ways to transform your faith, starting now (Ebury Vine/Penguin Random House UK, London 2026. 232pp: £16.99) by Hanna Seymour, an American author with a MA in biblical studies, is a simple guide to growing in Christ. The nine chapters are entitled, ‘The practice of spiritual habits’; ‘So long, “Go big or go home”’; ‘Devour the Bible’; ‘Devoted to prayer’; ‘Seeking solitude’; ‘Toasting to joy!’; ‘Cultivating friendship’; ‘Abiding in Him’; and ‘Scattering seeds’.
After Amen: 50 days of poetry and prayer (Hodder & Stoughton, London 2026. 231pp: £16.99 hardback) by Tyler Staton, the lead pastor of Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon, tells the story of how he coped with his shocking advanced-stage cancer diagnosis. He found strength not just through prayer, solitude and Scripture, but also by writing carefully crafted poetry as a practice of prayer. Through focusing on Jesus’s seven signs in John’s Gospel, he shows how all of life is an invitation to be formed into the image of Christ.
Resounding Hope: nurturing hope in our communities through music (Sacristy Press, Durham 2026. 116pp: £12.99) by Andy Thomas, a choir director with over 30 years of reinvigorating music in churches from different Christian churches, explores Christian hope and how music can nurture it in its fullest sense. The author’s aim is threefold:
… to encourage music leaders in contexts with limited resources to persevere; to encourage potential music leaders to step forward; and to prompt music leaders and those who work with or oversee them in all contexts to think beyond purely musical to the wider purpose of what we are doing, lest we miss opportunities to discover and nurture the roots of hope in our church communities and beyond.
False Messiah: Darwinism as the God that Failed (Discovery Institute Press, Seattle 2025. 211 pp; £13.99) by Neil Thomas, professor at Durham University, has published a sequel to Taking leave of Darwin, in which he showed that in later years Darwin developed doubts about his formula for “creation without a creator”. As accumulating evidence has made plain, Darwin’s theory “cannot bear the weight of its role as Gospel for a brave new age of atheistical enlightenment”. In his latest book he developed his argument and goes to view Darwinism against the backdrop of European cultural assumptions, with special reference to religious and theological thinking, particularly among the Darwinists. False Messiah is an important contribution to Christian apologetic.
Bless the work of our hands: Prayers and reflections for creatives (BRF, Abingdon 2026. 284pp: £12.99) by Jane Walters, chair of the Association of Christian writers, offers prayers, reflections, and biblical character studies to encourage Christian creatives to commit themselves and their projects to God. The book is illustrated by the author. It will encourage and inspire readers.
Come for Refuge: the book of Ruth and hope for migrants (BRF, Abingdon 2026. 140pp: £9.99) by Pete Wilcox, Bishop of Sheffield, interweaves an exposition of the Ruth with testimonies from contemporary migrants. This book offers a hopeful vision of what migration can contribute to the world. It is also a study guide for groups.
Grove Booklets rightly claim that their booklets are ‘Not the last word.. but often the first word’. Their booklets are all 28 pages long and cost £3.95.
- Home-grown youth work: keeping young people safer in private dwellings (Youth, children & family 81, 2026) edited by David Howell, a Baptist minister, questions whether it is appropriate for meetings with young people, where there is a danger of abuse; in this booklet makes a case for home use, while offering wise counsel on how to do so in the safest possible manner.
- Affirming Faith in worship (Worship 266. 2026) by Charles Read, a director of liturgy for the Western Region Anglican Ministry Course, explores the use of the creeds in church services.
- Market town resource churches: developing strategies for mission and church revitalization (Mission & Evangelism 153, 2026) by Martyn Taylor, rector of St George’s Stamford, shows how market towns have a great potential to play as regional centres for smaller churches in their surrounding areas.
- Seasons of discipleship: the journey to Vision36 in the Anglican communion (Discipleship 20, 2026) edited by Stephen Spencer, who works at the Anglican Office in London and supports theological education across the world, presents encouraging stories about growth in discipleship – the term ‘Vision36’ refers to a 10-year season of discipleship which runs from 2026 to 2036.
- How to read Galatians (Biblical 118, 2026) by David A deSilva, a New Testament professor in Ashland Theological Seminary, Ohio, USA, helpfully traces what the apostle Paul had to say about faith, the Law, and the Holy Spirit’s transforming work.
- Ethical adoption of biomedical technologies: a braver new world for Christian theology (Ethics 220, 2026) by Stephen Goundrey-Smith, who teaches Christian ethics and doctrine at Cuddesdon, explores the issues that biomedical innovation raises and how the church should be prepared to respond.
- Setting the captives free: a deep dive into OCD (Pastoral 184, 2026) by Rebekah Keen, a Christian counsellor, offers a personal and personal reflection on ‘Obsessive Compulsive Disorder’ (OCD), with many insights to help sufferers (and those who seek to help them) find greater peace.
- Holy Week in Matthew’s Gospel: promise of a new world (Spirituality 176, 2026) by John Proctor, a retired URC minister, explores what Matthew’s account of the Passion of Jesus emphasizes, and how it speaks distinctively to Christian spirituality today.
- Crafting a community rule of life: the slow ferment (Discipleship 21, 2026) by James Barnett, vicar of St Matt’s, Leeds, helpfully writes about what happens when a group of people form a ‘rule of life’ together, encouraging each other and holding one another accountable for growth in discipleship.
- Universal basic income: should the church support it? (Ethics 221, 2026) by Timothy Jeffert, a benefit expert, explores the case for and against universal basic income, explaining what is envisioned, and a biblical case for the notion.
- Disability and the Christian story (Biblical 119, 2026) by David McLachlan, a Baptist minister, helpfully looks at how disability features in the Bible and addresses common misconceptions and pitfalls that prevent us from discovering what a creative blessing disabled persons are and can bring.
- Grief technology (Pastoral 185, 2026) by William Lister, an Anglican minister and Anne Richards, who works at Lambeth Palace, looks at how AI (artificial intelligence) can help not simply psychologically, ethically or culturally, but also more widely.
- Whole-church curriculum: a tool to bring families and generations together in church (Youth, children & family 82, 2026) by Karen Sanders, for many years the children and families ministry lead at Rayners Lane Baptist church, discusses the potential, the practice and the benefits of a whole-church curriculum in which all ages explore the same Bible passage or topic when they gather.
Archbishop Sarah Mullally and ten urgent challenges for the Church of England (DLT, London 2026. 207pp: £8.99) includes a brief biography of her by Tim Wyatt. In addition there are ten chapters by ten leading Anglican writers, with an Afterword by Rowan Williams. The ten wide-ranging chapters are as follows: ‘The separation of church and hate: spirituality and the Church of England by Mark Oakley; ‘Facing Truth with honest: nationalism, racism and the Church of England’ by Eileen Harrop; ‘A place for all bodies: welcoming and empowering disabled people in the Church of England’ by Emily Richardson; ‘Sitting outside, encountering Christ: the Church of England, LGBTQIA inclusion and same-sex marriage’ by Charlie Baczyk-Bell’ ‘When rights are rolled back, “Let justice roll like a river”: trans and non-binary people and the Church of England’ by Christina Beardsley; ‘Falling among thieves: understanding and responding to church-related abuse; abuse, safeguarding and the Church of England’ by Andrew Graystone; ‘Challenge: inequality, change practice, deepen spirituality: poverty and the Church of England’ by Jon Kurt; ‘Hopes and opportunities for the world: climate care and the Church of England’ by Ruth Valerio; ‘The thread that binds us: the challenge of Global Anglican unity’ by Amatu Christian-Iwuagwu; and ‘In the bleeding silence: mission and the Church of England’ by Chantal Noppen. Each chapter is full of ideas. My favourite two chapters are on spirituality and the Church of England – and on the challenge of global Anglican unity.