Carter, For the City

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Matt Carter, Darrin Patrick, and Joel Lindsey, For the City: Proclaiming and Living Out the Gospel (Exponential Series). Zondervan, 2011.

Referenced in: Social Ministry Among the Urban Poor, Urban Ministry

LifeandLeadership.com Summary

This is produced by Leadership Network’s Exponential Series. It is part of a growing batch of literature focused not so much on the urban poor, but for all, even the wealthy and influential, who are increasingly gravitating toward the urban centers. It comes out of the authors’ experiences in wanting to plant churches, Matt in Austin, Texas and Darrin in St. Louis, Missouri. While they respected the pragmatic growth strategies in which they were trained, they did not want to begin with pragmatics, but with theology and a desire for spiritual revival.

After struggling for a while, Matt was inspired by the work of Charles Haddon Spurgeon at Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, 1852. This church witnessed a city in crisis. They cared for the desperately poor, elderly, orphans, single mothers, and provided training and resources for poor pastors in rural areas. Inspired by this and his own theological investigations, this results in the Austin Stone Church that is organized around missional communities and cooperative efforts with other non-profit organizations.

Darrin’s motivation was the lament over the fact that there were no churches in St. Louis who were effectively reaching athletes and artists. Amid gunshots and other dangerous living conditions, they started and grew to include a community development ministry, an outreach to the artistic community, and a Christian counseling ministry.

This is a very engaging and inspiring story of how two young men activated their dreams to make a kingdom impact in major urban centers.

From the Publisher

Within ten years, nine out of ten people will claim ‘no religious affiliation. Many of these people will live in urban areas. Church leaders must learn how to effectively engage in ministry with this urban core, a group that includes both the poor and marginalized as well as the wealthy and influential. This book will guide you in developing a philosophy of ministry that can lead to restoration and renewal in your city. Matt Carter and Darrin Patrick explain the biblical, theological, and historical foundations of ministry within the urban core, and how to plant churches where the gospel is not only faithfully preached and shared but also brings substantial benefits to those living in the community.

For The City relates the wisdom gleaned from years of serving their cities for the sake of God’s kingdom. Carter and Patrick practically equip church leaders and Christians to look at their city as a mission field where individuals and churches can faithfully proclaim the gospel and live out the reality of a community changed and transformed by its message.

About the Authors

Matt Carter is the senior pastor of Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, Texas, one of the fastest growing churches in America. Matt currently lives in Austin with his wife, Jennifer, and his three children, John Daniel, Annie, and Samuel.

Darrin Patrick is lead pastor of Journey Church in St. Louis, Missouri, which he planted in 2002 and currently has over three thousand people and five campuses. He is also the vice president of Acts 29, a missional church-planting network. He has been married to his wife, Amie, since 1993 and has four children, Glory, Gracie, Drew, and Delainey.

Joel A. Lindsey is the pastor of theology and care and a teaching elder at the Journey Church in St. Louis, Missouri. He lives in Webster Groves, Missouri, where he and his wife Melissa are raising their three sons, Eli, Beckett, and Schaeffer.

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