City Signals

City Signals: Principles and Practices for Ministering in Today's Global Communities
by Brad Smith with Ray Bakke

"God has commissioned us to reach the nations. No longer are they a continent away; the nations now reside in our own cities. Whether you work with the urban poor or the urban powerful; volunteer in a ghetto; work as a CEO of a business; live in "the hood"; or focus your ministry on a few people, a neighborhood, or a city to transform the social structure of society -- this study will give you a renewed approach and fresh ideas to pursue your calling.

City Signals enbles readers to recognize what's in their own hearts, to embrace diversity, and to see how God is working in urban areas. It challenges us to undertand the importance of people, not programs, for empowering decision makers, and to apply discipleship in urban settings. City Signals is more than a study, it's your green light to growth in urban ministry," ...from the back cover.

Did you know that in 1900, 90 percent of US residents lived in rural regions, but that today, 90 percent live in urban regions? The book, City Signals, and the accompanying DVD set, review the geographical shifting of culture groups and how the church and individual Christians can and should respond in order to impact the world with the Gospel.

To give a small glimpse of the material covered, let's look at the explanation of the urban mindset. It is defined as learning to deal with:

• pluralism, meaning encountering multicultural complexity and diverse worldviews;
• pain, as in the harshness of urban life in the fallen world;
• presence, explaining the importance authenticity in relationships demonstrated in a physical, emotional, spiritual and vulnerable connection to people with a dissimilar culture; and
• power, both the lack of it for many in urban settings and the healthy stewardship of it.

City Signals calls for all people to see urban ministry as a kind of transformational discipleship, reaching out through compassion to bring people into relationship with God.

Interested in reading more? Go to: http://www.newhopepublishers.com/productDetails.asp?prod=N074130

To submit community evangelism prayer requests, or to request more information about consultation, training or materials, contact Heather at 800-552-0004 or hruiz@bcnysbc.org.