If your church were to disappear from your city or town, would anyone notice? Would anyone be impacted by it? The Journey church in St. Louis and the Austin Stone church in Austin are two of the most successful churches in America, led by two men whose hearts seem to beat for the hopes and dreams of God for the world and the cities they live in--Darrin Patrick and Matt Carter. And after reading their book FOR THE CITY, I'm convinced their cities would not only notice if their churches closed down, but the cities themselves would suffer from something vital and life-giving being taken away.
FOR THE CITY is a book about the expansive and restorative nature of the gospel to impact not only individuals but the very cultures that individuals are a part of. Patrick and Carter reveal the inspiring stories of how their churches came about and how their hearts were slowly worked on by God to position their churches to be for their cities. Through transparent and humbling confessions, as well as solid biblical insight, they illustrate the vital nature of a truly missional church to be on the front lines of meeting the needs of their communities, and therefore being gospel-centered agents of hope and restoration for their cities.
Whether you live in a city or not, this book is packed with profound insights about how to impact a church's community. The chapter on contextualization alone is enough to get a church moving in a great direction. Every church leader should read this book with a pen and highlighter in hand because you will walk away with a compelling vision for what the church could be.
I received this book for free for review from Zondervan
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