best selling author
What the World Needs Now
Redefine leadership and character.
Discover a path to a more connected and meaningful life with What the World Needs Now. Written by Clay Stauffer, a seasoned pastor, professor, husband, and father, this book explores moral leadership, character, and values that transcend generational and cultural divides.
With 30 concise chapters covering topics such as love, hope, diversity, and joy, Stauffer invites you to reflect on how we can improve our relationships, reshape culture, and build a sustainable future for generations to come. Blending Christian wisdom with universally accessible principles, the book illuminates the importance of virtues, emotional intelligence, and spiritual growth.
What the World Needs Now inspires readers from all walks of life to embody values of decency, civility, and mutual respect.
best selling author
What the World Needs Now
Redefine leadership and character.
Discover a path to a more connected and meaningful life with What the World Needs Now. Written by Clay Stauffer, a seasoned pastor, professor, husband, and father, this book explores moral leadership, character, and values that transcend generational and cultural divides.
With 30 concise chapters covering topics such as love, hope, diversity, and joy, Stauffer invites you to reflect on how we can improve our relationships, reshape culture, and build a sustainable future for generations to come. Blending Christian wisdom with universally accessible principles, the book illuminates the importance of virtues, emotional intelligence, and spiritual growth.
What the World Needs Now inspires readers from all walks of life to embody values of decency, civility, and mutual respect.
Clay Stauffer
Author
About
Clay Stauffer is the Senior Minister of Woodmont Christian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, and teaches moral leadership at Vanderbilt University. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University (2002), a Master of Divinity from Princeton Seminary (2005), and a Doctor of Ministry from the University of the South at Sewanee (2015). His doctoral work explored the intersection of faith and politics and the growing polarization within American culture. Known for his preaching and leadership ability, Clay is a community leader in Nashville and serves on many nonprofit boards. He is a regular columnist for The Tennessean Newspaper, writing articles about faith, values, spirituality, and culture. Clay is married to Megan, and together they have three children.
My Books
This book addresses the deeper issues that matter most in life: faith, wisdom, values, spirituality, relationships, connection, and self-reflection. As our world becomes more and more secular, people remain restless and hungry to discuss these important topics. What does it mean to grow spiritually? What does it mean to do meaningful soul work? What are the values and priorities that should matter most? What type of culture will our children and grandchildren inherit? Here are a few insights that I believe to be true.
-All human beings long for meaning and deeper purpose in their lives.
-Jesus Christ continues to speak to and challenge our culture.
-Issues of character and integrity are very important.
-Growth in the spiritual life has become much more challenging in this busy age of technology, multi- tasking, and over-commitment.
Religion, politics, and money. Three things you’re never supposed to discuss in polite company. But what if you’re a pastor? Forget red state/blue state divisions, what happens when your church members disagree about politics? In this age of prosperity preaching, how do you preach, “You cannot serve God and money?” Clay Stauffer addresses the challenges that preachers face when serving a politically diverse congregation in Preaching Politics. Money, materialism, and their effects on modern-day faith and spirituality are viewed through the teachings of Jesus, as well as the work of Methodist minister Adam Hamilton and Duke University ethicist Stanley Hauerwas.
Posts from Clay
Troubling Trends or A Challenge for Christians?
George Barna has been researching and identifying religious trends in America for many decades. Having authored over fifty books, he is the founder of the Barna Group and leads the American Culture and Faith Institute in northern California. In a book published just...
Self-reflection at year’s end
The end of a year is a reminder that time moves forward and presses on whether we are ready or not. Change is the only constant. Christmas has come and gone. Trees and decorations are coming down. Everything is on sale. Somebody once told the story of a department...
Letting Christmas Come Alive
A number of years ago, there was an old tenured professor at Harvard Divinity School who was being subjected to considerable ridicule because of his belief in the virgin birth of Jesus. One day, one of his younger colleagues challenged the old professor for holding...
Remembering President George H. W. Bush
This past weekend, President George H. W. Bush passed away at the age of 94. Bush was elected President of the United States when I was only eight years old. When I was in fourth grade at Presbyterian Day School in Memphis, I had the chance to go hear him speak live....
Healthy Spirituality and Emotional Stability Are Inseparable
Is it possible to be spiritually mature and emotionally immature? New York pastor Peter Scazzero has emphatically said no for years. In his book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, he talks about how he had to first learn this lesson the hard way. There were three...
Our Ongoing Pursuit of Happiness and Joy
Every human being longs to be happy, but we all recognize that happiness is fleeting. It comes and goes. One day we are up, the next day we’re down. One day we are on top of the world, the next day, the world has run us over. Our founding fathers said that...
Catching The Vision!
The leadership of Woodmont has rolled out a vision for the future. It is a bold vision and one that looks down the road to future generations. I am reminded of a minister I once heard who said, “I would rather try to do something great for God and fail than to try...
Christians, Hypocrisy, and the Kingdom of God
In conversations that I have had over the years with those who are not Christian or who might call themselves disengaged or disillusioned Christians, the subject of hypocrisy often arises. How can Christians say they believe what Jesus taught if they fail to live it? ...
Predicting the Future of Christianity
There is constant speculation and anxiety in our culture about the future of American Christianity and the role of the church in the coming years. What will the faith look like ten, twenty, or fifty years from now? Why will some churches be forced to close their doors...