A Heart for the Community: New Models
for Urban and Suburban Ministry, is a selection of writings addressing the issues of church
planting – issues that used to be urban in nature but have now migrated into
the suburbs. I selected this book to
read because I was involved in a church plant in the southwestern suburbs of
Fort Worth, Texas that did not appear to ‘succeed’ very well, and I was intrigued
as to how the methods compared to my current Kansan church’s efforts to connect
with less materially privileged areas of the city.
John Fuder
and Noel Castellanos, editors, collected writings for this textbook on
practical community development from the people down in the trenches who have
seen the problems, particularly with racial, cultural, and economic barriers
that inhibit effective ministry . Along
with the issues that are raised, strategies to attack these problems to break
down barriers offer hope in how to address the needs of our neighbors. The community is viewed in a holistic manner
in addressing needs.
The book is
divided into four parts. The first part
revolves around critical issues of church planting, such as the importance of
exegeting the community and the benefits of collaborating with other community
groups. The second part presents various
church-planting models to reach different ethnic groups and provides
hospitality methods. The third part
discusses ministering to suburban needs – diversity and unity, multi-ethnic
communities, and poverty and luxury side by side. The fourth part is titled ‘parachurch
ministries’ with outreach models for specific types of people. Each chapter concludes with reflective
questions and recommended reading.
How-to guidance and lessons learned are sprinkled throughout the book.
This
selection of writings is a valuable resource for church planters, missionaries,
and other people involved as leaders in reaching out to communities. While it is academic in nature, it is
practical and does not read like a textbook.
I highly recommend this book for those who want to prepare to minister
effectively in their communities.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book
from Moody Press in exchange for my honest review.
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