The Church at the Centre of the City - Softcover

"The Church at the Centre of the City" is the first to reflect on the city as a Central Business District in terms of its symbolic, geographical, theological and missiological significance. Written by leading theological voices involved in urban theology and by experienced practitioners, this book aims to address a hitherto undervalued aspect of the Church's mission and practice and to be practical in the sense of helping practitioners and other relevant people to understand better what is an ever changing reality and to reflect on what this means in terms of Christian understanding and practice.They are, therefore, grouped into three sections. Part 1 - 'The City Centre Today' looks at what is happening socially, economically and politically in the world of the city and what this means for the city centre as such. Part 2 - 'Theology for the City Centre' reflects on what this context demands in terms of Christian theological, missiological and spiritual understanding. Part 3 - 'Reflective Practice' takes up a series of key issues and asks what these mean it terms of pastoral and mission strategy. They will be informed by current good practice as well as suggesting possible patterns of response. It is essential reading for all ministering in the city centre including clergy, chaplains, missioners and theological students, and also of interest to local planners, politicians and policy makers concerned with the social fabric of the city, especially the part increasingly to be played by faith communities.

The editor,The Revd Professor Paul Ballard,is Emeritus Professor in The School of Religious and Theological Studies, Cardiff University, where he taught Practical Theology.Contributors include-Noel Davies, Chris Baker, Andrew Davey, Huw Thomas, John Inge, Geoff Cornell, Peter Macdonald, Ben Edson, Barbara Glasson, John Bradbury, Cate Adams, Peter Willis, Len Simmonds, Mary Cotes, Jonathan Meyrick, Leslie Griffiths.