Randy White, Encounter God in the City: Onramps to Personal and Community Transformation. InterVarsity Press, 2006.
Referenced in: Missional Lifestyle, Discipleship, Spirituality – Spirituality and Social Ministry
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
Randy White writes out of intense experience in urban ministry (see bio below), being the founder of Fresno Institute for Urban Leadership. This book makes a special contribution to literature in the fields of urban ministry and spiritual formation, discussing the transformation that occurs in those who serve. It conveys White’s conviction:
“My experiences as a follower of Jesus living in a high crime, high poverty neighborhood and the experiences of others who have made similar choices have convinced me that the interplay of experience, reflection and whole-life application, when lived out in the context of the city, produces a degree of transformation unparalleled by any other context.” (16)
Out of his experience, White has developed a model of “experiential discipleship,” or growth through experience, or “doing theology” that capitalizes on “the exceptional value of experience in the city to act as an onramp leading onto the highway of transformation for both the disciple and the city.” (16)
In an interesting supplement to the book, “Driver’s Ed: Leaders Guide to Designing Urban Experiential Discipleship Events,” White draws upon educational and developmental theory to suggest that through guided experiences in the inner city, disciples of Christ often experience “hot leaps” where deep and shocking realizations about oneself and God occur in ways that spike the spirit, intellect, emotions, and will all at the same time. It begins with the “disorienting dilemma,” sort of like Paul’s Damascus Road experience. The experience reveals the true self, uncloaking what needs to be transformed. This leads to “self examination with feelings or guilt or shame” that leads one to deeply question previous assumptions and rely upon God’s grace in a way unlike before. The result is transformation and usually making a whole new set of choices about one’s life. Biblical examples such as Nehemiah come to mind. Operating on this philosophy, White lays out a plan for “choreographing” such discipleship experiences. This is followed by “Accumulated Wisdom from Urban Project Directors,” a lengthy distillation of insight from IVP’s urban project directors who work in twenty-six U.S. cities and train more than 1,200 students each year. Also included is a discussion of tools and formats for these learning experiences. Reading this supplement alone will be enough to make you want to read the entire book.
The book as a whole interweaves White’s experiences, biblical teaching, a plethora of real-life examples, and insights from learning/developmental theory to discuss how a person can be transformed into the image of Christ through actual ministry experiences. It does not denigrate the quiet, mystical experiences that are important for one’s growth. Indeed, Jesus’ disciples will need these encounters no less than Jesus did when he pulled away from the crowds, or when he arose early in the freshness of the morning, or went to be alone with God in the stillness of the night. On the other hand, most of the stories of transformation in scripture (e.g. Noah, Abraham, Nehemiah, David, Jonah, Peter, Paul) reveal a path of transformation through the experience of doing ministry that cannot be replicated outside of trying, even unsettling, experiences.
For practitioners interested in spiritual formation, regardless of their ministry contexts, this is a great read. It is the LifeandLeadership.com top suggestion for spiritual formation with regard to ministries of social action/social justice.
Publisher’s Product Description
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.
About the Author
Randy White directs Bakke Graduate University’s international Doctor of Ministry Degree focusing on transformational leadership for the global city. He is the founder of the Fresno Institute for Urban Leadership and was InterVarsity’s national coordinator for urban projects for more than a decade, overseeing projects in 30 American cities. Randy and his family live in Fresno, CA, the city with the highest level of concentrated poverty of any large city in the U.S. For the last 16 of those years, they have lived in Fresno’s highest crime, highest poverty neighborhood, once called the Devil’s Triangle, pursuing God’s shalom kingdom there through relational, urban ministry and community development activities.
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