Harvie M. Conn

No. 3 in the Academy of Parish Clergy Top Ten Books of the Year The city presents serious challenges that cry out for answers: poverty, racism, human exploitation and government corruption. How can the church move ahead in the midst of these demands with the gospel of hope? Here, in one comprehensive volume, Harvie Conn and Manuel Ortiz, two noted scholars and proven practitioners of urban ministry, address the vital work of the church in the city. Their dual goal: to understand the city and God's work in it. Through four great waves of development, Conn and Ortiz trace the history of the city around the world. Then they tackle the critical issue of a biblical basis for urban mission. How does the Bible view the city? Are we closer to God in the country than the city? Does the Bible have an anti-urban bias? These questions are given a thorough analysis that unveils God's urban mandate as reflected in both Old and New Testaments. From this foundation the authors unpack the multifaceted nature of the city as place, as process, as center, as power, and as a place of change and stability. They move us beyond fragmented stereotypes to a new way of seeing that is holistic enough for a fully biblical ministry to develop. In addition, Conn and Ortiz lay out what the social sciences have to offer urban mission, including ethnographic and demographic studies and they focus on the particular issues and needs of urban leadership, including a plan for developing and mentoring leaders while equipping the laity for ministry in the city. This is the essential text for bringing God's kingdom to the city through the people of God. Now in paperback!

Evangelism involves the ministry of listening and serving, as well as speaking. That combination communicates God's message of life in Christ in a way that meets people where they are.Harvie M. Conn alerts us to barriers that hinder such communication—barriers that can be overcome in a Spirit-enlightened ministry of love and mercy. He discusses "righteous deeds" as a neglected but essential aspect of effective evangelism.Conn says in his preface, "My prayer is that this book will not emerge as one more exercise in blackboard evangelism, one more excuse to learn a little bit more and do a little bit less, to keep off the streets and out of the kitchen. May it direct us to the streets and not, pray God, to the study."

In this book, addressed to the "Western, white evangelical community," Professor Conn drives home the need for a radical reevaluation of our Western models for theology and missions. The rise of non-Western and nonwhite theologies and the changes in our understanding of language, culture, and religions force upon us the realization of the inadequacy of our ethnocentric, abstracting approach to theology and missions.

If the church is to thrive in the twenty-first century, it will have to take on a new form as it ministers to the 120 million unchurched people in the United States. Planting and Growing Urban Churches is still virtually the only available text on church planting in North America and beyond.In this third edition, readers will find material on the importance of healthy, biblical change in our churches, updated appendices, insight on our postmodern ministry context, and strategies for reaching new population demographics such as Generation X and Y.Pastors, ministry leaders, and church planters will find the information and advice found in this book invaluable as they carry out their ministries.

Book by Conn, Harvie M.

Contemporary World Theology

Book by Conn, Harvie M.

Book by Conn, Harvie M.

teologia contemporanea en el mundo