Urban congregations are in a unique position to respond to community needs, partner with other institutions, and work to create a more just society. Explore the ways urban congregations are transforming downtown life and discover models that may work for your congregation.

CONGREGATIONAL VITALITY : Urban Congregations 

Downtown Church: The Heart of the City (Book)
Howard Edington, Author.  Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1996.
Downtown Church suggests ways for an urban congregation to partner with its surrounding city, build a highly qualified staff, and attract and retain newcomers.

Public Offerings: Stories from the Front Lines of Community Ministry (Book)
Linda-Marie Delloff, Author.  Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2002.
Rather than a ‘how-to’ guide, this book offers the stories of great community ministries—and most importantly, the people, process, and transforming power behind them.

Public Religion and Urban Transformation: Faith in the City (Book)
Lowell Livezey, Author.  New York, NY: New York University Press, 2000.
Taking a "bottom-up" Chicago School sociological approach, the book is based largely on in-depth ethnographic studies of more than 75 diverse, mostly urban congregations in eight neighborhoods.

Seminary Consortium for Christian Urban Pastoral Education (Organization)
In partnership with other organizations and institutions, the Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education provides consultation and pastoral experience and training in urban issues and systems.

Spirit in the Cities: Searching for Soul in the Urban Landscape (Book)
Kathryn Tanner, Editor.  Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Press, 2004.
This thin book presents thick theological and sociological analysis on such topics as economic dislocation, immigration, new architecture, and other concerns that have transformed the physical, social, and religious landscape of large cities.

A Theology as Big as the City (Book)
Ray Bakke, Author.  Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997.
Bakke provides an important antidote to the predominant causes of attrition among urban workers: burnout and compassion fatigue.

Urban Churches, Vital Signs: Beyond Charity Toward Justice (Book)
Nile Harper, Editor.  Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2005.
Each of the 28 urban churches whose stories appear in this book has been rejuvenated into a community ministry center by launching social service and economic development projects and by taking political action to achieve justice for marginalized groups.