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
Finding Christmas Joy
It was another incredible year at Walk Thru Bethlehem. THANK YOU SO MUCH to everybody who worked hard to make it happen! We always hear incredible feedback on this event and how impactful it was for so many people! We are now only two weeks away from Christmas. I have...
Finding Peace at Christmas
We are very excited about Walk Thru Bethlehem coming up this Sunday, Dec. 8. This is an incredible Woodmont tradition that is a highlight of the Advent season for so many people. Thousands will come and walk through our church on Sunday. Please spread the word. Invite...
Gratitude & Happiness are Always a Choice
As we enter Thanksgiving week and the Advent season, we must recognize that both gratitude and happiness are intentional choices that we make. We cannot wait for others to bring it to us, or we will be severely disappointed. In our world, most people are always...
Here Comes “Walk Thru Bethlehem”
We are now getting close to Thanksgiving and the Advent Season, truly the most wonderful time of the year! For over 40 years now, Woodmont has been putting on Walk Thru Bethlehem for the Nashville community, and many who travel in from out of town. What first started...
Can Christians Help Heal Our Democracy?
We are coming off a very exhausting, heated, and divisive election season that we will long remember: Emotions have run high. For Christians, the results of any election simply do not change our primary mission. We are called to follow Jesus Christ and spread his love...
Try Living by These Core Principles
It’s been said before that life is twenty percent the hand you are dealt and eighty percent how you play that hand. What we all recognize is that wise living requires making good decisions and responding to unforeseen circumstances as you go. Most of the world’s...
New Series – The Life of Moses
This Sunday, October 27, we will begin a brand new sermon series focused on “The Life of Moses.” Moses is a pivotal figure in the Old Testament, called by God to lead the Israelite people out of slavery in Egypt, through the wilderness, and to the Promised Land. He...
Being “Christian” in an Election Year
This Wednesday night, October 9, we will conclude our “Faith, Values, and the Public Square” series with a panel of ministers talking about “Being Christian in an Election Year.” This is a difficult yet very important topic. The civil and political landscape in...
Balancing the Ego & Soul
I recently preached a sermon on the importance of humility because I believe it is a Christian virtue. If you read the gospels carefully, it appears that Jesus lived a humble life. But why is humility often lacking among so many Christians in today’s world? Yes, we...