Making Neighborhoods Whole: A Handbook for Christian Community Development

The only reason I wouldn't give it 5 stars is the brevity and the tagline "handbook." It doesn't go too deep, but there are several powerful and pithy, entertaining stories that initiate a novice like me to the core values of the Christian Community Development Association and present a method and plan to work out a "missional" calling to a major urban center or any underserved community. I wonder if I had read this book before trying to get a church off the ground in Philly if we would have seen a different outcome.

This resource is a quick and accessible read on the 8 components of Christian Community Development. The first three chapters describe the founding of the Christian Community Development Association. Within the chapters on the 8 components there is a brief introduction and then one or two case studies so that the theme can be seen in action.

Amazing and impactful. A must read for any Christian on mission.

This is a very short book considering that it provides a solid introduction to both the story of CCDA and the principles of asset-based community development. It's an easy, accessible read, and one I highly recommend for anyone who is interested in community development ...or tired of the pitfalls associated with a "relief work" mindset in systemic contexts.

If you are against the "Social Gospel", if you agree with C. S. Lewis that Jesus' parable of the sheep and the goats is "frightening", and if you want to know what obeying Jesus means in terms of the "loving your neighbor" especially "the least of these" then you will read this book.

This is a must read for all involved in community work! It gives a very practical path to wholistic incarnational neighborhood transformation.

Excellent read on urban community involvement.

I bought it for a friend wanting to explore community development in Egypt, based on name recognition of the authors.

IF you live in an inner city neighborhood - and only that neighborhood - this book will marginally help you develop some strategies and ideas for kingdom change.Otherwise, don't waste your money. It is too site specific to be useable for anyone else in ministry.I suggest looking elsewhere.