Discovering Your City : Bringing Light to the Task of Community...

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 317 pages
• Published by: Light Intl March 1, 2000
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0967534208
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0967534206
• Book Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Weighs: 12.8 ounces

Product Review
Bob Waymire has given much of the last thirty years of his life to analyzing the effectiveness of the Church and the context in which it ministers. In so doing he has emerged as one of the most experienced and insightful researcher-analysts in the world.

In this work Bob and Carl Townsend have distilled decades of experience and present a what, why, and how book to take you through the processes of obtaining, analyzing, and applying strategic information to effective city-reaching and transformation. Each leader and worker seriously interested in discovering the realities within the city, including the Church, and seeing them translated into effective citywide transformation, should keep this cutting-edge book close by. -- Jack Dennison, founder and president of CitiReach International

You bring fresh insights, terminology, analogies and depth to the idea of discipling nations and cities. And of course taking us through the strategy all from the viewpoint of gathering and analyzing the data is a much needed and appreciated trip. -- Jim Montgomery, founder and president of DAWN Ministries

Product Description
City reachers, pastors, parachurch leaders, and key laymen will find Discovering Your City to be a powerful and valuable tool for aiding in understanding the distinctives and dynamics of the city, its societies, and the Church. Educational institutions will find it valuable and relevant.

The fundamental purpose of this book is to provide guidance and help in discovering your city to the extent you have the accurate, up-to-date picture necessary for effecting Biblical-based transformation of both the city and the Church in the city. It is also to help see every segment of society in the city penetrated with the love, care, joy, and power of Jesus Christ through the presence of culturally relevant gatherings of believers, and culturally relevant ministries.

It highlights the vital and strategic role of information in mobilizing the Body of Christ for reaching the whole city with the whole Gospel. It provides guidance and tools needed for identifying what types and kinds of data should be gathered and then takes you, step by step, through the gathering, analysis, and communication/application processes.

This book is not the cure-all or the once-for-all answer in the area of city research and information. Hopefully however, you will find this book will play a key role in moving from where you are now to a fully operational citywide strategy and community transformation initiative.

An extensive appendix (approx. 150 pages) of reference materials provides: expanded data descriptions, sample maps, tables and graphs, survey forms, detailed analysis process steps, growth rate calculations, spiritual mapping survey lists, and other valuable material.

Reader Reviews
This book had some good concepts, but overall I was pretty disappointed by it. It moves quickly from practical suggestions for identifying potential areas of ministry to over spiritualized strategic level warfare, which focuses more on the enemy than anything else. The appendix (which takes up more than half the book!) has some helpful tables in it, but for the most part it wasn't very helpful.