The Gospel According to Improv: A Radical Way of Creative and Spontaneous Living

Life and faith are improvisational theater, and finding meaning is a work in progress.

From first breath to the first day of school, from first dates to last rites, most of us struggle with the overwhelming desire to find meaning. How do we love well, stay authentic, build community, enjoy life, and live justly all at the same time? No one knows. God may have a plan, but God never gave us the script.

This book will teach strategies to escape the oppressive voice of self-doubt, foster compassionate creativity, transform Christian faith into a meaningful life practice, and organize communities of faith based on the the principles of improvisational theater. Each chapter will focus on a skill or practice of improv, made relevant through autobiographical stories of and grounded in the Christian tradition. The end of each chapter will include brain exercises the average reader can do to strengthen the creative neural pathways required to master the improv skill for living.


About the Author
Carpenter, Les: - THE REV. LES CARPENTER has a decade of experience as both a priest and improviser. He is a noted speaker on the connection between ministry, leadership, and pastoral care and how those intersect with the practice of improv. Les is the Rector of St. Aidan's Episcopal Church in a Northwest suburb of Houston. He lives in Houston, Texas.