Urban Disciples: A Beginner’s Guide to Serving God in the City
by Jenell Williams Paris and Margot Owen Eyring (published by Judson Press, 2000)
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Summary:
This curriculum is designed to make cross-cultural ministry more meaningful to participants and the inner-city communities they serve. It is geared towards shaping the individual through group studies with questions that reach the deeper issues of ministry to the poor and marginalized members of America’s cities. Each lesson begins with a scripture passage that captures the content of the chapter and emphasizes the biblical foundation for cross-cultural ministry. Then, the “Starter” section provides activities or discussion questions that help the group connect—an important step to building group cohesiveness before serving as a team. The bulk of the lesson is in the “Study,” which is usually centered around a Bible story. The strength of this curriculum is in its “Application” and “Digging Deeper” sections—the time in each lesson when the group members reflect on the personal impact of what they have learned and begin to gain new perspectives.
The curriculum is designed for small groups to use over period of several meetings (usually weekly). Each lesson stands on its own but the suggested format is designed to help groups build a foundation for understanding why they are doing ministry and the importance of the city. The lessons then move in a direction of application and thinking biblically about themselves, the people they want to serve, and the city as a whole.
Why does FASTEN recommend this resource?
This resource is very user-friendly with a very manageable workload and an organized layout. The content is deep and helps the participants to get past stereotypes and assumptions and into the heart of the matter of urban ministry from a biblical perspective.
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