In Case of Katrina: Reinventing the Church in Post-Katrina New Orleans

In this review of In Case of Katrina, Ellen Jeffery Blue offers a thoughtful examination of how the United Methodist Church navigated devastation, upheaval, and opportunity after Hurricane Katrina. The book is for pastors, denominational leaders, church historians, and civic-minded readers who want a clear, theologically grounded look at decisions to merge, decommission, or reinvent congregations. Blue's account goes beyond disaster response to focus on leadership strategy and the tensions between offering sanctuary and pursuing justice in a city remade by flood and displacement.

Key Features

• Firsthand teaching background: The author has taught the material since six months after landfall, giving readers access to a perspective shaped by ongoing engagement with the subject.
• Decision-focused analysis: The book examines how leaders decided which churches to merge or decommission when seventy churches were destroyed and ninety pastors displaced.
• Theological framing: Blue traces the convictions that underlay leadership choices, helping readers understand not just what was done but why.
• Contextual study of return and displacement: The narrative addresses uncertainty about how many members would return and the pastoral need for sanctuary and reassurance in chaotic conditions.
• Practical implications: The book treats Katrina as an opportunity for the church to remake itself instead of rebuilding structures in declining neighborhoods.

Who It's For

This book is best for denominational decision makers, clergy, seminary students, and local historians who want a case study of institutional response to urban disaster. It is particularly useful for those interested in United Methodism's connectional governance and the real-world dilemmas of closing or consolidating congregations.

Readers seeking a general disaster manual or a play-by-play of emergency relief will want a different title; Blue intentionally sidesteps operational disaster response to focus on leadership strategy and theology in a post-disaster rebuilding context.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Grounded perspective: the author's six-month post-Katrina engagement lends credibility and immediacy to the analysis.
• Focused on decisions: the book clarifies how choices about mergers and decommissioning were made in a connectional denomination.
• Theologically informed: it links practical leadership strategy to underlying convictions, useful for clergy and scholars.

Cons

• Limited scope: it does not serve as a how-to for disaster relief or operational emergency management.

Specifications

Title	In Case of Katrina: Reinventing the Church in Post-Katrina New Orleans
Author	Ellen Jeffery Blue
Focus	Church leadership strategy and theological convictions after Katrina
Context	Post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans; connectional United Methodism
Key issues addressed	Merging, decommissioning churches; displaced pastors and uncertain member return
Perspective detail	Taught as a course since six months after landfall

Our Verdict

In Case of Katrina is a compact, thoughtful study for church leaders and historians who need a principled account of institutional choices after catastrophe. It is good value for readers who want to understand the interplay of pastoral care, institutional strategy, and justice-focused opportunities without wading into operational disaster-response manuals.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the book cover disaster relief operations?
No. The author purposely sidesteps operational disaster response to concentrate on leadership decisions and theological rationale.

Who authored this study?
Ellen Jeffery Blue, who began teaching the material six months after Katrina and writes from that engaged perspective.

What denomination context does it examine?
The book examines the connectional structures and decisions of United Methodism in post-Katrina New Orleans.