Nile Harper, Urban Churches Vital Signs: Beyond Charity Toward Justice. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2005.
Referenced in: Social Ministry Among the Urban Poor, Urban Ministry
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
This represents the work of Nile Harper and associates as they visited twenty-eight urban churches in fifteen major cities across the nation during the 1990s. Its purpose is “to tell the stories of churches that are engaged in transformation…expanding God’s justice, peace, and love in the world. It is written from the perspective that God is doing new and wondrous things in the world every day, and calling people through the churches to participate in the divine/human drama.” (xiv) Although the research into these churches involved extensive site visits and interviews, it is not a complication of analytical case studies, but hopeful descriptions of churches that have made a difference.
Throughout the stories, a number of vital signs were evident. They list fifteen of these vital signs in the opening chapter. The stories in the 13 chapters that follow show how these signs are manifested in various ways. It would be hard to imagine anyone interested in urban ministry who would not find encouragement and inspiration from these stories.
From the Publisher
“Urban Churches, Vital Signs is an important and positive contribution to the urgent discussion about the mission of the churches in American cities. These significant stories describe creative initiatives by congregations in response to issues of economic development, affordable housing, health care, and education in fifteen cities across the nation. Readers will see woven throughout the narratives the crucial role of theology, worship, pastoral leadership, partnerships, racial identity, family life, new patterns of funding, and transformative imagination. This is a book that will inspire hope and stimulate the struggle for justice.” – V Bruce Rigdon, president, Ecumenical Theological Seminary
About the Author
Nile Harper is director of Urban Church Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and an adjunct faculty member at Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit. Among his previous books is Will the Church Lose the City?
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- Theological and Philosophical Foundations of Social Ministry
- Spirituality for Ministry of Social Compassion and Justice
- Strategies For Christian Social Ministry
- Perspectives and Strategies For Social Ministry Among the Urban Poor, Urban Ministry
- Christian Perspectives on Political Theory and Church-State Relations
- Christian Perspectives on Economics and Public Policy
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