Customer Reviews

Street Signs: A New Direction in Urban Ministry

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book has challenged my assumptions and the way I look at urban centers. As one who great up in a rural setting and now find myself in a world-class city, Street Signs has provided traction for me to shift the way I view the city. Even now as I drive around the city I am learning to look at it differently with a new framework.

I enjoyed reading both authors' progression from small town life to city dwelling. I appreciate their love for the city and desire to see it impacted and changed. They presented a Gospel that was more holistic than found in many of our evangelical circles. This Gospel not only is for people's salvation (spiritual), but it empowers the church to social action that cares for people's physical, social, and emotional needs as well. I am recommending this book to all of the church planters I work with here.

For me, this book was a renewed call to minister in the city. I pastor an urban church that has talked about moving to the suburbs. That might be easier, but there are already plenty of churches there, and the mission field is in the urban area. So now I have to figure out how to minister in the complex urban context. This book is a great place to start. Read this book so you can find out how to get involved in your city, looking for signs of hope and opportunities to serve.

It is refreshing to see men who have focused on giving up their leadership rather than owning it! So many organizations drive themselves into the ground due to the founder "taking ownership" of the work that started out being one that was born of the Spirit of God. This is must reading for anyone who intends to claim to "doing the Masters business". In a nut shell, Serving the Master is total ownership by the Master.
Curtis Sharpe

This book is mostly told from a biographical angle. It was interesting and provided new ideas concerning urban ministry, but they were built into the two biographies of the authors. I was looking for something that laid out the strategy without all the personal stories which is what the title seems to indicate. However, their personal experiences are inspiring and I enjoyed reading them.