Case Studies

From Plantation to Shalom Economics: How a Cooperative of Faith Communities Reweaves Communion in Urban and Ecological Systems

What would it mean for the church to intercept the becoming of cities and turn them toward the joy of communion? How might this alternative trajectory in the spiritual-material life of cities interact with ecological systems to cultivate shared wellbeing for all members of creation? Could the urban minister–as community organizer, community developer, prophetic dreamer […]

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A Cultural Exegesis of a South Philadelphia Neighborhood

I live in Philadelphia, a city where grit is not just a metaphor for our working-class ethic but also a description of the landscape. When our hockey team recently got a new mascot, they named it Gritty. So “gritty” is a visual cue, a posture, and an ethos for Philadelphia. Defining neighborhood boundaries in Philadelphia

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Bright Promise Fund: Faith, Education and Chicago

Bright Promise Fund exists to strengthen and support a network of fifteen unique, Christ-centered schools in neighborhoods across metropolitan Chicago. These schools are rooted in the conviction that the Earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, equity in access is essential, educational options are inherent to dignity, and diversity is a gift that strengthens

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Transforming Community Through Christian Education: A Case Study On Hunting Park Christian Academy

Christian schools in the U.S. have been known as educational sanctuaries to protect and provide quality Christian education to children from Christian families. They also have been known too often as havens to protect white children from having to go to school with black and brown children who did not meet their standards. Praise God,

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Voices in the Violence: How Black Churches in Brooklyn Can Help Us Find Our Voice As We Minister in Violent Contexts

Introduction: An Epidemic of Violence It was a warm summer day in Brooklyn when my wife and I took our kids out after dinner so they could ride their scooters on Eastern Parkway, only two blocks from our apartment. A short time later, we came home to discover that our block had been transformed. An

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Praxis Education for Ministry in Urban Contexts: A Pedagogical & Programmatic Review of Wesley Theological Seminary’s Urban Fellows Program

Traditional seminary education has often been plagued with critiques concerning its impractical and irrelevant nature in the context of complex ministry in urban setting. Can we re-imagine urban ministry training? Wesley Theological Seminary’s experiment in theological education for urban ministry–the Urban Fellows program–facilitates community based asset research with urban ministry projects done in partnership with local congregations to strengthen learning and ministry between seminary, churches, and communities to address shared concerns. This article explores how pedagogical perspectives of experiential and praxis education are incarnated in the practice of the Urban Fellows program.

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Seeking Synergy: 8 Steps to Forming a Ministry Cluster

Many individuals and groups are asking how to get a ministry cluster going. This case study will offer a step-by-step approach, with this proviso: This is a basic template, not a blueprint. There is no need to copy this in total. Each cluster will have its own unique character, or DNA. Yet, what you will read here is a common methodology that appears to be working.

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Urban Exegesis in Seattle’s Rainier Valley

Urban exegesis, a theological reading of the city, can be an insightful and effective lens for observing and interpreting any urban community. After considering some foundational elements of the Rainier Valley’s physical context, an examination of significant urban “cultural texts” in the community will explore cultural and theological meaning in the built environment of the neighborhood. This approach to observing and interpreting an urban community is essential not only for prospective church planters, but also for anyone who is seeking to embody an incarnational presence in the city.

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