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Encounter God in the City: Onramps to Personal and Community Transformation
God is at work in the city. And he invites his people to join him. But the city is not merely a mission field for Christians to target. The city is also the environment where Christians are discipled and lives are forged into the image of Jesus. Urban ministry veteran Randy White shows how God transforms you when you answer God's call to the city. Urban life peels away your sin and self-deception and challenges your unexamined assumptions about privilege, race, class and power. Experiential discipleship moves you from abstract theory to hands-on learning and on-the-ground action, revolutionizing your perspective and making a difference in local neighborhoods and beyond. Passionate and practical, White's vivid narratives of experiencing God in the city show you how your spiritual health is intertwined with the health of the metropolis. Seek the welfare of the city, and both you and the city will be transformed.
- GenresChristian
192 pages, Paperback
First published August 11, 2006
11 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
Randy White
3 booksRandy White, D.Min. is an Associate Professor of Community Transformation & Executive Director of the Center for Community Transformation at Fresno Pacific University in California.
Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian’s note: There is more than minister in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian’s note: There is more than minister in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 13, 2023
Seven or eight out of ten.
There are some really compelling stories in this book (White himself is a veteran of urban ministry) as well as a surprising amount of research. It would be worth reading this again, more slowly, with a discussion group. I couldn’t help wondering how this book would have sounded if the author had been a Mennonite.
I recommend this book for anyone involved in missions in an urban setting.
There are some really compelling stories in this book (White himself is a veteran of urban ministry) as well as a surprising amount of research. It would be worth reading this again, more slowly, with a discussion group. I couldn’t help wondering how this book would have sounded if the author had been a Mennonite.
I recommend this book for anyone involved in missions in an urban setting.
November 30, 2011
Encounter God in the City by Randy White is a must read for anyone living in an urban center who yearns to see God's kingdom break in. It provides both encouraging and hopeful stories while giving practical advice on how to bring about tangible improvements to impoverished areas.
In Part One the author shares personal stories of transformation. He tells of successes and mistakes he has made when he moved to a blighted urban neighborhood with his family to minister. He likens his journey, and that of anyone who places themselves in an intentionally challenging setting, to that of being dipped in a corrosive substance which slowly removes layers of corrosion - those forces which shape a person.
In Part Two the author delves into explaining the forces at work in the city. Alluding to Paul's principalities and powers, he describes both passive forces (homelessness, mental illness, decay) and active forces (civic government policies which favor the rich over the poor, &c.) These forces all work to pull those living in the city away from God and must be opposed or transformed using a variety of means, which he goes on to describe in Part Three.
More than emphasizing specific actions to take, the author gives larger guidelines for how and when to act in Part Three. He strongly warns against rushing into a situation which you may not understand and accidentally causing more harm than good with good intentions. There is no quick fix to the city's problems. Instead, Christians are to strive to bring about an all-encompassing shalom in their city with their small, every day actions in addition to larger efforts at transformation. The city may never be perfect, but when all the Christians in the city work together in a communal effort toward individual and communal transformation, the city will move closer toward a shalom.
The book did not pander to the theologically conservative or liberal. In a progressive attitude becoming more common among the evangelical movement, the author stressed the importance of both meeting "spiritual" needs such as evangelism and discipleship as well as "physical" needs such as relief aid and structural reform.
Finally, I give personal kudos to the author for calling out mental illness as one of the strong forces which change the cityscape. He does not gloss over the problem or provide any easy answers; rather he simply mentions the powerful existence of mental illness and encourages Christians to struggle together with those who suffer in any fashion. As a worker in the mental health field, I find that not many Christians are ready to deal with the issue of mental illness, as it IS difficult and there are no easy answers. For that matter, Christians everywhere need to be encouraged to become more involved in the city's urban areas and work for the establishment of shalom and the transformation of powers such as mental illness into life-giving forces.
Because I believe most people would benefit by reading this book, it receives a 5/5 rating.
This review originally appeared on my blog: http://mrsundquist.blogspot.com/2011/...
In Part One the author shares personal stories of transformation. He tells of successes and mistakes he has made when he moved to a blighted urban neighborhood with his family to minister. He likens his journey, and that of anyone who places themselves in an intentionally challenging setting, to that of being dipped in a corrosive substance which slowly removes layers of corrosion - those forces which shape a person.
In Part Two the author delves into explaining the forces at work in the city. Alluding to Paul's principalities and powers, he describes both passive forces (homelessness, mental illness, decay) and active forces (civic government policies which favor the rich over the poor, &c.) These forces all work to pull those living in the city away from God and must be opposed or transformed using a variety of means, which he goes on to describe in Part Three.
More than emphasizing specific actions to take, the author gives larger guidelines for how and when to act in Part Three. He strongly warns against rushing into a situation which you may not understand and accidentally causing more harm than good with good intentions. There is no quick fix to the city's problems. Instead, Christians are to strive to bring about an all-encompassing shalom in their city with their small, every day actions in addition to larger efforts at transformation. The city may never be perfect, but when all the Christians in the city work together in a communal effort toward individual and communal transformation, the city will move closer toward a shalom.
The book did not pander to the theologically conservative or liberal. In a progressive attitude becoming more common among the evangelical movement, the author stressed the importance of both meeting "spiritual" needs such as evangelism and discipleship as well as "physical" needs such as relief aid and structural reform.
Finally, I give personal kudos to the author for calling out mental illness as one of the strong forces which change the cityscape. He does not gloss over the problem or provide any easy answers; rather he simply mentions the powerful existence of mental illness and encourages Christians to struggle together with those who suffer in any fashion. As a worker in the mental health field, I find that not many Christians are ready to deal with the issue of mental illness, as it IS difficult and there are no easy answers. For that matter, Christians everywhere need to be encouraged to become more involved in the city's urban areas and work for the establishment of shalom and the transformation of powers such as mental illness into life-giving forces.
Because I believe most people would benefit by reading this book, it receives a 5/5 rating.
This review originally appeared on my blog: http://mrsundquist.blogspot.com/2011/...
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January 13, 2020This is a short, easy to read introduction to a life of Incarnational ministry. As someone who is already familiar with this world, including the InterVarsity urban projects, I didn't find much new here. The last chapter, which was filled with practical tips, was filled with plenty of good advice though. It made reading the book worthwhile.
June 5, 2023
Good insights on large-scale community development within impoverished communities within US cities.
November 3, 2010
It has an amazing "Cultural Adjustment Map" that I found especially insightful, among other helpful things.
September 14, 2011
One of the better books I've read about doing ministry in the city. Personal, practical, wise, and insightful.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews