Book notes: To Transform a City

To Transform a City
by Eric Swanson and Sam Williams


Reggie McNeal foreword
The missional church sees itself as the people of God (a who) already deployed across all the domains of culture. These life-place assignments have been made by a God who desires to plant the Incarnational presence of his Son everywhere.

Release the people of God (a who) to impact the world.

There is no reference in the NT to church as smaller than a city.

The scorecard can no longer be about how well our individuals congregations are doing. The condition of our communities is the scorecard on how well the church is doing at being the people of God.

Book
Called together a group of Christian leaders to fast every Thursday, then meet at his house at 7pm for a couple of hours of prayer followed by dinner at Denny’s.

Magic Bus tour of human service agencies in the city

We can partner with any organization that is morally positive and spiritually neutral.

Invited city leaders to lunch
Tell us what you do
Tell us your vision for a healthy city
Tell us 3 impossible things you need to accomplish that no person can do for them (we will pray for these)

p. 19 “Kingdom Assignment”
1. preach on parable of talents, handed out $100 to 110 people, asked them to multiply and give money to something God cares about.
2. preach on loving possessions. Challenged people to sell a treasure between Sept and Thanksgiving and bring proceeds to church for distribution
3. give 90 minutes over the next ninety days to serve the least of these (community service fair)
4. no church on a Sunday, instead serve. Celebration service in high school they worked in.

Personal letters of appreciation to teachers and staff

Way easier to catch a wave than make a wave. Catch wave of God’s movement and action.

God intends every one of his children to be living on mission, partnering with him in his redemptive mission in the world.

What if… the church showed the world an alternative story of a truly transformed life, infused with kingdom values lived out through missional actions?

Christian leaders, unable to motivate their church members to follow God’s precepts, still vocally demand that secular society live by them. How can we expect (or in some cases demand) others to adopt the values and ethics of Christians when we as Christ followers so easily flout them?

Ben Ecklu, Campus Crusade West Africa says, “If Christians are sixty to seventy percent of the population of Ghana, then we must own sixty to seventy percent of our country’s problems. If just the Christians did things differently…the city would change drastically.”

We can serve the city, love the city, and bless the city- but only God has the power to transform the city.

The critical mass to transform a community begins with just one person who is yielded to the Spirit of God.

Transformation comes through proclamation and demonstration of the gospel, both a verbal message and a lifestyle of love and compassion, good news and good deeds.

A minister of God’s grace to the community.

If we want to be Jesus’ followers then it may be a good first step to meditate and reflect on the passage that captured his heart- Isaiah 61.

We don’t serve to convert, but we serve because we are converted.

The most fertile ground for evangelistic conversations is a servant-rich environment.

Ron Sider- “Our social concern dare not be a gimmick designed to bribe people to become Christians. Social action has its own independent validity. We do it because the Creator wants everyone to enjoy the good creation. At the same time, when our genuine compassion also has an evangelistic dimension, we rejoice. Again and again, that is exactly what happens when we truly care for the needy and stand with the oppressed who seek justice.”

Leadership teams play a catalytic role instead of sponsoring and owning ministries. A catalytic leadership role in the community.

Churches- what can we accomplish together that we could not do alone?

We must never lose sight of the fact that we are kingdom workers, not just community volunteers.

Amazing story (p.66-68) of El Salvador becoming significantly more Christian, but the nation becoming worse off. “We settled for conversion rather than transformation.”

Jim Herrington – “The hope of the world is the church, not necessarily the local congregation.”