III. To Hear:
Rev. Dorzel King is a former pastor of a multicultural church in Kansas City, Kansas. In this presentation (in mp3 format) he uses Joshua 2 to show us the mutual needs of the “holy ones” who tend to reduce their relationship to a legalism and self-satisfaction, while at the same time, he illustrates how God can be working through the lives of people who are scandalous. He shows the merger of worlds and God’s grace that is far beyond human logic or expectation.
IV. To Read:
- Read chapters 7--8 of the Bakke/Sharpe text to get an overview of various methods of ministry in the City. This material is written by Jon Sharpe and discusses the use of “urban consultations” in framing and focusing on the issues of urban ministry. Sharpe then goes on to discuss his own ministry journey, with its changes of paradigms and directions over the years.
- Read Oliver Phillips’ list of the characteristics of “Amazing Grace” as the essence of what we offer to the City. What surprises you about his listing? What would you add to the message of Grace to the City?
- Read the Linthicum materials on Community Development in Nehemiah. What can be learned from this outline that can contribute to ministry in the Church, be it through the local church, a network of churches, or a parachurch ministry (a Christian ministry not organized as a church, such as Campus Crusade, Gideons, or a compassionate ministry center [CMC])?
- Read two articles (Tink) that look at South American urban churches where the Church of the Nazarene is growing more quickly than almost anywhere else. The examples are taken from churches in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Cali, Colombia. What can be learned from the experiences of these two megachurches that might inform and grow the urban witness in your community of interest?
Continue with Session 4