Transform Your City
The local church has a unique opportunity—and a sacred calling—to be a visible sign of hope and unity right where it is planted. When we pay attention to the life of our neighbourhoods, listening deeply to the stories and longings of the people around us, we are embodying the Gospel in ways that words alone cannot. Whether you serve in an urban or rural congregation, engaging your community is part of participating in the mission of God to reconcile and renew all things.
This post is meant to inspire and resource you to take a step toward engaging your city, and perhaps other churches in your community to be a part of what God is doing in and around your local area. We already highlighted an incredible organization - City Leaders Collective - in our other post, but here are several other resources that can help you take one next step to serving those in your immediate area.
Five Simple Steps to Begin Loving Your City Well
Walk Your Neighbourhood Regularly: Leave the office and walk the streets around your church. Notice who’s there, what feels vibrant, and what feels neglected. Pray as you go - here is a great resource you can use as you walk.
Listen Before You Speak: Talk with community leaders, business owners, and neighbours. Ask what they value and what challenges they face. Resist the urge to jump to solutions right away.
Find Common Ground: Look for shared hopes—a safer park, more support for youth, connection across cultures—and explore how your church (and others) might join in.
Start Small and Stay Consistent: Rather than launching a big initiative all at once, begin with small acts of presence and service. Consistency over time builds trust.
Celebrate and Share Stories: As you see glimpses of transformation—however small—tell those stories. Celebration fuels hope and invites others to join in.
New Kind of Big: How Churches of Any Size Can Partner to Transform Communities
Chip Sweney, 2011
There's a growing desire among believers to reach beyond the walls of their churches to impact communities for God. But when the average church size hovers around 150 members and the problems of even midsized cities seem insurmountable, how can we hope to make a difference? A New Kind of Big tells the inspiring story of how Perimeter Church in suburban Atlanta started a partnership called Unite! with other area churches in order to increase its reach in a community that desperately needed God's light and aid. This partnership has grown to a network of nearly 150 churches that are bringing kingdom transformation to Atlanta. For instance, on just one weekend in 2007, 6,000 volunteers from over 60 churches in metro Atlanta gathered to work on 250 service projects inside the tenmile radius around Perimeter Church. Thirty welcome baskets were delivered to refugees, a dozen homes were repaired, a thousand Bibles were given away, 750 "encourage a teacher" gift bags were distributed. And that's not all: volunteers orchestrated 20 block parties in low income apartment communities and 65 neighborhood food drives that collected 25,000 pounds of food. Chip Sweney shows Christian leaders how they too can discover the power of this "new kind of big" to pool their resources, energy, and time to minister to their communities, no matter how long or short their membership rolls.
Network Power: The Science of Making a Difference
David John Seel Jr, 2021
Most companies, nonprofits, foundations, and ministries have established informal networks. Only a few mobilize these networks to be effective agents of social change. This is wasted social capital. Social impact consultant David John Seel, Jr. argues that historically the main actor on the stage of significant cultural change is the dense network. Curating insights from sociology and network science, Seel shows institutional leaders how to mobilize their networks for expanding social impact. These principles are illustrated with historical examples. Leaders who want to make a difference will find this book a timely and useful guide.
The Art of Neighboring: Building Genuine Relationships Right Outside Your Door
Jay Pathak & Dave Runyon, 2012
A few years ago, twenty-one churches in Arvada, Colorado united to start a neighboring movement in our community. We kept things simple and challenged the people in our congregations to take the next small step with their literal neighbors. The movement has spread, and to date over 1,000 churches are using the Art of Neighboring resources. This book tells that story.
You can also find helpful resources on their website theartofneighboring.com
The Parish Collective
The Parish Collective is a network of churches, leaders, and everyday Christians who believe that God is at work in the very places we live, work, and play—and that the local neighborhood is where the Church can most beautifully embody the love of Christ. Whether you call it “parish,” “neighborhood,” or “community,” the heart of the Parish Collective is helping followers of Jesus re-root their faith in the places right outside their front door.
One of their most helpful tools is the 5 Signs of the Parish Movement, a simple framework that helps you reflect on how your church or small group is engaging your neighborhood. The 5 Signs are:
Centering on Christ – Grounding your shared life in spiritual practices that keep Jesus at the center.
Inhabiting Your Parish – Actively knowing, loving, and participating in the life of your neighborhood.
Gathering to Remember – Telling and celebrating the stories of God at work among you.
Collaborating for Renewal – Joining with others for the good of the community.
Linking Across – Connecting with other parishes and churches to share learning and encouragement.
If you’re curious about where you already shine and where you might grow in these practices, you can take the 5 Signs Quiz—a free downloadable PDF that guides you through each area with simple, practical steps.
The Externally Focused Church
Rick Rusaw & Eric Swanson, 2004
If Your Church Vanished, Would Your Community Weep? Would Anyone Notice? Would Anyone Care?"I will never forget the comment of one fourth-grade teacher as she stood there, amazed at the work being done on her classroom by complete strangers: 'If this is Christianity, then I'm interested,' she said."from Forward by Rick Rusaw and Eric SwansonLearn from churches that have made serving their communities a priority--with dramatic results. Your church can be a firm pillar in your community because of the unwavering truth and love of its members.Use case studies from churches that have mastered community service, and apply the action steps to: Attract new believers and reach hurt and skeptical people through service Use the resources your church already has to impact those in need Learn how churches have made community service a part of their DNA Help your members deepen their spiritual commitment through service Discover practical ways to change your community--starting nowFrom the minister to the mechanic and the teen to the tenured, your church will expand God's kingdom when it extends his love to the people in your community.
Neighborhood Church: Transforming Your Congregation into a Powerhouse for Mission
Krin Van Tatenhove & Rob Mueller, 2019
How can we embody the values of love, grace, and justice? As faith communities, how can our collective embodiment of these values shine even brighter? The answers to these questions must always unfold right here, right now, exactly where God has planted us. Neighborhood Churchacts as a resource to inspire churches to become a vibrant and engaging community partner with the families and neighborhoods living around them. The need for transformation is acute. Congregational decline continues across all mainline denominations. The abandonment of the church by the millennial generation is ubiquitous; no denomination is escaping it. This is, in part, a consequence of disconnection from our communities. Van Tatenhove and Mueller believe that, parish by parish, we can reverse this trend. They dare to have an audacious hope for local congregations not only as signs of Gods kingdom but as life-giving institutions that anchor their neighborhoods. Drawing on their combined sixty years of parish experience, wisdom from Asset-Based Community Development, and compelling case stories, Van Tatenhove and Mueller do more than just call us to incarnational ministry. They give practical, essential tools that lead to communal conversion, develop the DNA of listening, spur fruitful partnerships, promote integrated space, and sustain long-term visions. They believe these tools will spark true revival and unleash the power of incarnational ministry.