The world is moving to the city, and gentrification is the new norm. Where are the poor going and what is the implication for the church? What does the new paradigm for a neighboring ministry look like?
Bob Lupton will be speaking at Verge 2012 Conference in Austin, Texas - Feb. 28 - Mar. 2. Be sure and register your group before the group registration deadline on Nov. 30, 2011!
New Paradigms ... More...
A Theology of Gentrification
The people of the Kingdom have a unique mandate to care for the needs of the vulnerable and the voiceless. Our scriptures are quite clear about this. It has been fr... More...
Including the Poor in the Reclamation Process

But must gentrification always spell displacement for the poor? To some degree, yes. Yet displacement is not entirely bad. There are drug dealers and othe... More...
The Devastating Impact of Gentrification. And the Absolute Need

I have now seen first hand (yes, inadvertently participated in) the devastating impact that gentrification can have on the poor of an ur... More...
The Road to Relocation
Building a new home in a run-down neighborhood in Atlanta was a decision that neither of our parents supported. It was a bad financial move, they counseled us, not to mention the dange... More...
"We are the richest people on the face of the earth."
"Good intentions are not enough."
So what do we do as we desire to serve and help the poor, but in a way that doesn't create dependency and damage? ... More...
Dr. Eric Mason walks through Titus, chapter 3, helping us to see the gospel as the means by which cities and communities are changed. Leadership, discipleship, and mission are crucial elements to a healthy church seeking to redeem their city.
"God is not going to sit around and wait on church people to get it, to prosecute His mission." In this short clip from Exponential 2011: On the Verge, Reggie McNeal challenges everyone to begin the shift from church-centric thinking to Kingdom-centric thinking. Check out this clip from the conference and stay tuned for more clips and full sessions from this year's conference!
Jeff Vanderstelt, pastor and leader of SOMA Communities in Tacoma, WA, begins his talk with this phrase, "If you don't know the context in which you are doing ministry, then you are going to be pretty ineffective for ministry." He goes on to unpack the essence of leadership as knowledge, belief, and skill, and explains the biblical principle of making our leadership transferrable.
In this session, Dr. Tim Keller begins with two important biblical concepts: a) justification by faith alone and b) justice. He draws our attention to the overwhelming and destructive tendency of many to focus on one concept at the expense of the other.
In this session, Dr. Tim Keller talks about the importance of cities throughout history and the biblical call to reach our cities. Unlike any other place, the urban core is a broad collection of culture, innovation, and need.
Here, Keller, gives a biblical theology of the city, how fast they change, and how urban churches should look. This talk encourages us with a redeemed perspective of the "why", "what", and "how" to reach our cities.
"The most unreached peoples in the world are more reachable in cities." Tim Keller takes a look at sociological changes around the world and the implications they have for spreading the Gospel.
In this breakout session from Verge 2010, Charles Lee asks and attempts to answer the question, "Can Jesus really, in a tangible way, touch and impact this world?"