Greg Allen-Pickett’s first book: Purple Church, Red State: Finding Common Ground in an Age of Polarization was released in April of 2026 through Wipf and Stock Publishers
This book tells the story of one congregation in the heart of the Midwest and what it can teach us all about hope in a divided world.
In a time when politics and faith often drive people apart, and the electoral map is divided into red and blue states, this book offers a different vision: a purple church where conservatives and liberals sit in the same pews, sing the same hymns, and serve side by side. Through stories of sack lunches, shared tables, prayer vigils, cultural partnerships, and courageous conversations, this church shows how communities can resist the pull of polarization and discover the joy of building the beloved community together. Each chapter tells a heart-warming story of finding common ground and concludes with discussion questions and a brief biblical reflection, perfect for a book group or Bible study.
This is not a tale of easy victories. It is an honest, grace-filled exploration of what it means to trust, listen, and love across deep divides. Whether you come from a red state, a blue state, or somewhere in between, this book invites readers, church leaders, community organizers, educators, and neighbors, to imagine what a less divided and more hopeful future might look like.
Reviews:
US Senator Chris Coons from Delaware:
“In a time when our country feels increasingly torn apart, Greg Allen-Pickett offers a hopeful and practical vision of how we can come together. Purple Church, Red State tells the story of one congregation in Nebraska that has found ways to live faithfully across deep political differences. The lessons in these pages about listening, trust, and community are not just for churches, but for all of us who care about the health of our democracy. This book is a timely reminder that reconciliation is possible, and that reaching across the aisle begins in our neighborhoods, our pews, and our everyday relationships.”
Rev. Dr. Allen R. Hilton, Executive Director of the House United Movement and author of “House United: How the Church Can Save the World”
“In the decade since the fraught 2016 election season, articles, blogs, and books decrying the perils of toxic political polarization have multiplied. Their authors customarily describe our division theoretically, from outside the fray, stacking sociological data, hypothesizing about social and political causes, and otherwise repackaging the problem.
Greg Allen-Pickett’s book is refreshingly different. It is a gift because it is testimony, rather than mere theory. Like an embedded journalist in Iraq or Afghanistan, this working pastor reports from the front lines of the culture wars: a theologically- and politically-diverse local Christian church in the heart of Red-state Nebraska during this tribal American age. He blessedly guides his reader beyond observation from a distance, to practical participation in an actual, messy, lovely Red-Blue community of disciples who are trying to love one another across chasms of difference. Each chapter supplies a lived episode in this drama and offers the readers a way to reflect theologically and spiritually on their own experiences of faith amid polarization through well-formed discussion questions.
“Purple Church, Red State” will help Christians and congregations become better at becoming the ONE Church that Jesus prayed his followers would be (John 17.20-21); and any congregation that learns truly to love one another across ideological differences will become a bright beacon to its neighbors in this divided land.”
Rev. Greg Allen-Pickett, The Purple Pastor 