Reflections & Research:
Urban settings
September 1, 2020
A church-run business incubator grows its community’s own solutions to poverty
The Rev. Barry Randolph stands outside of Church of the Messiah in Detroit, Michigan. Photo by Rebecca Cook Under the Rev. Barry Randolph, a thriving Detroit church has brought a young community together to improve their lives with their own ideas. By now, no concept or idea is too off-the-wall for the Rev. Barry Randolph […]
read moreabout A church-run business incubator grows its community’s own solutions to povertySeptember 17, 2019
It’s best to have someone walk with you
His longtime friend Manuel “Manny” Ortiz showed the director of City Seminary of New York the importance of not just leadership but friendship for the future of the urban church. My friend Manuel “Manny” Ortiz died two years ago. But I’m reminded of him every time I walk down the street in our Harlem neighborhood […]
read moreabout It’s best to have someone walk with youJuly 23, 2019
Disruption is often the key to renewal
When churches struggle to change their habits, stopping everything can open a way forward, says a church planter and pastor. Report after report reveals this difficult truth: church attendance is going down. Many leaders are considering what to do with congregations that are in the midst of dramatic decline. While church planting offers hope, […]
read moreabout Disruption is often the key to renewalFebruary 5, 2019
Orthodox-affiliated nonprofit helps a neighborhood heal from a legacy of trauma
In a neighborhood long marked by the trauma of racism and poverty, Reconciliation Services is building community with an entrepreneurial but distinctly Orthodox Christian approach to mission.
read moreabout Orthodox-affiliated nonprofit helps a neighborhood heal from a legacy of trauma