Foundations for Christian Mission, Mentor's Guide, MG04

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F O U N D A T I O N S F O R C H R I S T I A N M I S S I O N

If you are interested in pursuing some of the ideas of Christian Mission and the City , you might want to give these books a try: Bakke, Ray, and Jim Hart. The Urban Christian: Effective Ministry in Today’s Urban World . Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987. Conn, Harvie M., and Manuel Ortiz. Urban Ministry: The Kingdom, the City, and the People of God . Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001. Lupton, Robert D. Theirs Is the Kingdom: Celebrating the Gospel in Urban America . New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1989. Perkins, John. Restoring At-Risk Communities: Doing It Together and Doing It Right . Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1995. Seeking to relate these truths concerning the city and your role as an urban leader in your own ministry through your church represents the heart of this work. How God might want you to change or alter your ministry approach based on these truths is largely dependent on your ability to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to you about where you are, where your pastoral leadership is, where the members of your church are, and what specifically God is calling you to do right now, if anything, about these truths. Plan to spend good time this week meditating on the divine irony of God selecting the city as his image of refuge, reconciliation, and restoration, and consider how your own ministry might be impacted through God’s perspective on the significance and power of the city. As you consider your ministry project for this module, you can possibly use it to connect to these insights on mission and the city in a direct way to a group you minister to on a regular basis. Seek the face of God for insight, and come back next week ready to share your insights with the other learners in your class. Always take the time to pray about your lessons, even at those times when it appears that no specific burden or insight seems to grasp your mind and heart. The discipline of prayer is essential in learning the lessons which the Holy Spirit desires to give you from the intellectual work you have done to mine them from your study of this material. Calvin comments on this need for discipline in prayer, regardless of the feelings or leadings you may have:

Resources and Bibliographies

Ministry Connections

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Counseling and Prayer