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
Community, Staying Connected, and Filling Our Spiritual Voids
One of the reasons we financially support the church is because we believe in the importance of community. Christianity is a faith that is practiced in community, in relationship with others. These faith-based relationships are some of the most meaningful connections...
Five Key Lessons from the Life of Billy Graham
Billy Graham passed away peacefully on February 21, 2012, at his family home in Montreat, NC at the age of 99. Many have referred to him as the most influential preacher since the Apostle Paul. That would be difficult to argue. An advisor to twelve different US...
Accepting the Challenge of Personal Growth
It has been a difficult week for the city of Nashville. The resignation of a mayor is fairly unprecedented. Our city certainly needs prayers and healing. Whenever a scandal dominates the news, it becomes convenient and easy to focus on the problems of others. But Lent...
Parkland Shooting Points to Larger Spiritual Problems
Last Wednesday, a grieving father stood before President Trump at the White House and with anger and rage in his voice asked, “How many children have to be shot in this country before we do something? I’m here today because my daughter has no voice. She was murdered...
Being a Dad
Of the many hats that I am blessed to wear, I believe the most important one by far is being a husband and a father. Megan and I have three children: Montgomery (7), Clayton (6), and Wade (19 months). They are each unique in their own way. Somebody once said that when...
Rules for Life
Jordan Peterson, a clinical psychologist and a professor at the University of Toronto, has just published a new book titled 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos. I am only a few chapters in and it’s pretty fascinating. Peterson is an interesting guy. He taught...
Moving Beyond Fear-Based Faith
Popular Patheos blogger Benjamin Corley recently published a book titled “Unafraid: Moving Beyond Fear-Based Faith.” Corley grew up in an ultra-conservative, hell fire and brimstone tradition where sin, judgment, and the wrath of God were pivotal parts of the...
Reflecting on 2017
We have now turned the page on 2017 and what a year it has been! The New Year is an ideal time to reflect and to look ahead. What will we remember from last year? Trump’s Inauguration? The women’s march on Washington? Travel bans debated in the courts? Debates over...
Two Ways of Living
As we begin the transition from Thanksgiving to the Christmas Season and all of the hustle and bustle that the holidays bring, it occurs to me that there are two basic ways to approach life (and shades of each). The first is the way of fear and it could be called an...