Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Graduate Student's Reflection, April 24, 2003
Amazon Book Review: Restoring As-Risk Communities
Edited by John M. Perkins
Legendary urban minister and founder of the Christian Community Development Association, Dr. John Perkins, has edited a wonderfully helpful "how-to" manual for urban ministry practitioners who are interested in serious Christian community development. As a graduate student of religion, I had the opportunity to study urban ministry this semester and found Perkins' collection of essays to be most instructive. In his own words, Perkins assembles this collection of essays as "a handbook that describes not only the theology, principles, and strategy that guide what we are doing, but also offers more practical how to's-lessons learned from years of struggle and triumph in some of America's toughest neighborhoods," (Perkins: 13). As a serious scholar of Christian community development, that is, grassroots efforts through the Christian church to provide "creative long-term solutions to the problems of the poor," Perkins shares invaluable principles that will undoubtedly benefit persons whom God calls to lives of ministry in the city. With a central emphasis on the three R's-redistribution, reconciliation, and relocation, Perkins and his colleagues provide a blueprint for holistic Christian community development.
In three sections, Perkins and his colleagues outline the following: Foundations of Christian Community Development, Strategy of Christian Community Development, and Ministry in the Community. The essay topics range from Understanding Poverty in part one to Indigenous Leadership Development in part three.
Why read this book? Anyone who wishes to minister in the inner city should read this book simply because one can draw valuable insights from individuals who have already committed their lives to urban ministry and missions and are doing it well. Who should read this book? Anyone who is considering ministry in the inner city, regardless of her background, should read this book. It is an especially helpful beginner's guide. It will long be considered a part of the canon of urban ministry literature. The reader will find it to be very practical, well written, and useful. It engages the student in a serious and stimulating conversation about how God is already working in the city.
On a scale of one to ten, I give this book a seven. As I have already mentioned, its quality is good, and it will be extremely helpful to a person considering urban ministry. Moreover, it has contributed to the scholarship of this field in ways that are immeasurable.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Missiological Must, April 24, 2003
Many authors and editors have constructed texts on the who, what, how, and why of inner city/urban ministry, but Perkins' compilation is a must-read for anyone aspiring to reach underprivileged communities. The information offered to the reader is quite general, and allows for flexibility when considering mission planning and strategy. At the same time, it dares those who consider themselves "called to urban work." Perkins lays out a convicting methodology in his tri-fold approach to urban ministry. His exposition of the need for relocation, reconciliation, and redistribution nearly drives the reader to the conclusion that effective service in the at-risk context can not happen outside of these elements of strategy. His argument is incredibly convincing and is obviously backed by several experientially-tested co-authors.
The book is written from a vast spectrum of perspectives. The content spans from theological reasoning and standpoint, to the simple, yet profound reminder for ministers to serve their husbands/wives and children. As supporters of the Christian Community Development Association, these writers hold no qualms about articulating the need to edify and create similar programs in the nation's communities. Whereas several other urban missiologists write from an international vantage, Perkins primarily keeps his message within American walls. Nevertheless, the information provided is pertinent to any urban context across the globe. The commonalities of poverty, leadership development, and the local church are addressed - making this text one of value for most ministers of the city.
While projecting a foundational theology that seeks to meet spiritual needs, Perkins proposes a strategy for missionaries and teams that include the book's major themes of relocation, reconciliation, and redistribution. In the midst of defining and promoting Christian community, the necessity of indigenous leadership and partnering with the local church, Perkins maintains a tone of `3R' tactic. Due to a lack of Christian disciples in the city, the book heavily pushes for avoidance of urban flight, while advocating relocation to the heart of town. In addition, the editor believes that a failure to redistribute resources, time, and the Gospel back into the lives of the ghettos and slums will yield a continued hopelessness in the hearts of the city's residents. And at the crux of the matter, the reader is encouraged to ruminate upon the significance of reconciliation (God-to-person and person-to-person) for reaching the goal of meeting needs and building the Lord's church in the city.
Perkins' concern is the establishment of Christian presence in the hurting communities of America. He and his co-writers are well aware of the social gospel, but their motivation is for the spreading of the Good News to transform the spirit of the urban world - above and beyond providing for temporal needs. For the novice, the book serves to expose and inform. For the expert, it works to challenge and sharpen.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Doing it Together & Doing it Right, December 16, 2004
Restoring At-Risk Communities, the official handbook of the "Christian Community Development Association", is a very insightful and practical "tool" and "testimonial" that informs it's readers of how to "appropriately" and "successful" meet the different challenges usually encountered in ministering to urban at risk communities. Edited by the well-informed founder and chairman of the Christian Community Development himself, John Perkins, he as well as many others professionals, do a great job sharing and expressing many of their different realities (i.e. racism, poverty, the lack of indigenous leadership) serving underdeveloped communities and the strategies they think are beneficial to aiding them. One of those strategies or concepts in which the book is centered around is "The Three R's"-Relocation, Reconciliation, and Redistribution. Relocation deals with the need for the people of God to live and work in the communities among the people that they are attempting to serve and bring to the gospel to; Reconciliation deals with having individuals (servants and the served) loving God and loving their "neighbors" as themselves; and Redistribution, deals with the people of God putting their lives, skills, education, and resources to work, in order to empower the people in the community of need. All of which should help promote "wholistic ministry"(Evangelism and Social action), as well as address the "Three Universal Needs" usually unmet in undeveloped communities, "the need to belong", "the need to be significant and important", and "the need for a reasonable amount of security".
In the manner of eleven chapters and two hundred and sixty-six pages, this enlightening guidebook and manual also explains what Christian Community Development is (a model and concept created by the grassroot workers of different church based efforts, who have seen themselves as the agents of Christ, providing long-term solutions to the problems facing undeveloped communities, through the application of practical biblical principals), its transformational effectiveness, its necessary principles for its introduction into "underserved' communities (The Three R's- Relocation, Reconciliation, and Redistribution), its relationship to the church, its development of indigenous leaders (those already native leaders within the inner-city communities that are in need of development), and how to have families become part of the work of those participating within its ministry.
If you are considering ministry within the city, or if your are already doing ministry within an urban community, Restoring At-Risk Communities is an excellent and affordable buy, that will be a blessing to you, your ministry, those that you serve with, and those that you serve in the urban community.
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