Cities: Missions’ New Frontier
Overview
Urban areas around the world continue to grow in population and influence, and demands on Christian ministries in cities are increasing. Effective urban ministry requires that pastors, missionaries, and church leaders understand modern, socially complex centers of population, culture, and political power. This second edition of Cities provides the insights needed to be an effective urban servant. Four new chapters have been added and the text has been updated throughout. Peppered with practical, experiential illustrations, Cities draws its biblical inspiration from the model of the Antiochan church in the Book of Acts. It provides foundations for the practice of urban mission and impresses upon hearts the vital importance of this field of ministry. End-of-chapter discussion questions are included.
In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.
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- Provides the insights needed to be an effective urban servant
- Includes four new chapters and updated text
- Draws its biblical inspiration from the model of the Antiochan church
- The Urbanization of Our World
- A Biblical Framework for Urban Missions
- The Urban-Mission Movement in the New Testament
- Antioch: A Biblical Model of Urban Church Development
- Evangelism, Relief, and Development
- The Ends of the Earth Have Come to Town
- Barriers to Reaching Urban Ethnics
- Goals of Urban Ethnic Evangelism
- A Model of Church-Centered Ethnic Outreach
- The Intersecting Veins of the City
- Research: Matching Goals and Methods to Advance the Gospel
- The Stages of Church Development
- The Pros and Cons of Church Buildings
- The Urban Poor in “Christian” America
- Ministering to Street People
- Children at Risk in Cities
- Ministry in the Red-Light District
- Ministry in Shantytowns
- Raising a Family in the City by Choice
- Pastoring in the City
- Violence, Injustice, and Church-State Relationships
Top Highlights
“Missionary responsibility does not end when a church is initially planted. It moves on to equip the developing church through instruction, leadership training, and establishment of outreach programs so that the gospel may continue to spread to entire cities and nations.” (Page 74)
“Missions during the twenty-first century must face the fact that the majority of the world’s population increasingly will be living in cities. Cities are to be the target of mission penetration not only because most ethnic groups once living in rural areas now have representatives in cities; they are to be the target also because cities contain many social groups that have not yet been reached with the gospel. Furthermore, cities are centers of dominance and therefore are the pacesetters for a society. If numerous groups in the giant cities of the world receive the gospel, the good news of God’s salvation may then spread from city to hinterland just as it did in New Testament times.” (Page 20)
“It is God’s mission, properly speaking, and not Jonah’s. God wants Nineveh saved, and by his grace he forces the prophet into action and the city into repentance.” (Page 33)
“But Jonah’s distaste for ministry in Nineveh prevailed. The overall failure in terms of mission sprang from Jonah’s and Israel’s stubborn refusal to understand both God’s concern for all nations and the responsibility of the citizens of Jerusalem to be lights to the Ninevehs of the world. It was in order to expose Israel’s misconstrued theology that the Holy Spirit inspired the writing of this short book and included it in the Bible.” (Page 34)
Greenway and Monsma have provided the church with what I consider to be the best introductory volume to urban ministry. It is solidly biblical and comprehensive.
—Dr. Manuel Ortiz, professor of ministry and urban missions, Westminster Theological Seminary
Greenway and Monsma write more than a textbook on taking the Gospel to the urban centers of the world. Cities: Missions’ New Frontier encourages people to labor that the masses are reached with the glorious Gospel of Christ and his Kingdom built for his glory! This is a challenging, insightful, strategic, how-to, biblical book!
—Doug Nichols, International Director, Action International Ministries
- Title: Cities: Missions’ New Frontier
- Authors: Roger S. Greenway, Timothy M. Monsma
- Publisher: Baker
- Print Publication Date: 2000
- Logos Release Date: 2013
- Pages: 280
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: City churches; Evangelistic work; Missions
- ISBNs: 9781441249708, 9780801022302, 1441249702, 0801022304
- Resource ID: LLS:9781441206305
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-29T05:31:28Z
Timothy C. Tennent is professor of world missiology at Calvin Theological Seminary and the author or editor of 12 books on missions.
Timothy M. Monsma is director of Cities for Christ Worldwide.