Uncommon Church - by Alvin Sanders (Paperback)

About the Book

In urban ministry, Christians too often treat the poor as goodwill projects instead of people. How can the people of God develop healthy, local, urban churches that will seek the common good of their communities? In this essential resource, Alvin Sanders engages hard truths about urban neighborhoods and provides a model for how to do ministry in difficult conditions.

Book Synopsis

How can the people of God develop churches in ways that help and don't hurt poor neighborhoods? In urban ministry, Christians too often treat the poor as goodwill projects instead of people. Because of this mindset, many remain unchurched. Healthy, local, urban churches are needed because they combine personal empowerment and community transformation.

Every poor neighborhood needs uncommon churches that will seek the common good of their communities. Alvin Sanders engages hard truths about these neighborhoods and provides a model for how to do ministry in difficult conditions. The local, urban church is the key to community transformation, as it plays three crucial roles of empowering, partnering, and reaching.

Pastors and church planters interested in Christian community development will find here practical insights into the power of the local church, which is often underrated. Churches can serve their communities and improve the quality of life of every facet of the neighborhood.

Review Quotes

"Uncommon Church is a must-read for anyone who senses God's call to do ministry in an underresourced community. I'm convinced that healthy churches working for the common good of their communities for the glory of God are an indispensable ingredient to seeing underresourced communities thrive."

--Philip Abode, lead pastor of Crossover Bible Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma

"Alvin Sanders has a heart for the urban poor and a passion for the church. He has planted and pastored a church in the heart of a community of urban poverty, trained and mentored urban ministry leaders, and now leads a ministry that is empowering urban leaders and partnering with local churches to reach their communities with the gospel. In his book Uncommon Church, he draws on the truth of the Scriptures and his personal experience to challenge local churches to be the foundation from which God's people can pursue the common good in communities. His focus on personal holiness and justice along with declaring and demonstrating the gospel is both refreshing and powerful. If you love the local church and want to make an eternal difference in your community, his message is one you need to hear and put into practice."

--Kevin Kompelien, president of the Evangelical Free Church of America

"Alvin Sanders is a leader who knows of what he writes because it comes out of the very story of his life and ministry. His leadership and focus on the gospel at work in urban communities and communities experiencing the effects of poverty and injustice have translated into a book that will be inspirational and challenging to those who are willing to muster the courage to respond to what they read. Perhaps most importantly, Sanders connects the presence of the local church--enacting the gospel on the sidewalks and intersections of neighborhood life--to the possibility of experiencing something of a common good in our time. I appreciate the narrative focus; stories that weave throughout the wisdom Alvin has left for us to learn from as we read. It reinforces the credibility those of us who know Alvin can observe, even from afar, and provides a context to the insights he shares. Uncommon Church resists the temptation to cave to an overly spiritualized vision of the kingdom that sees no compulsion to deal with the injustice of the world while still maintaining a vibrant and nourishing spiritual center that comes from his many years of pastoral experience. We all would do well to read it, share it widely, and then get to work living out the wisdom we find."

--Adam Gustine, author of Becoming a Just Church: Cultivating Communities of God's Shalom, and assistant director, Center for Social Concerns, University of Notre Dame

"Alvin Sanders's book shines a spotlight on the power of the local church to transform whole communities when the gospel is lived out in our neighborhoods. At a time when many are predicting the demise of the church in America, Uncommon Church charts a path forward that leads to deep and lasting transformation for individuals and whole communities. This book is deeply theological, refreshingly practical, and needs to be read by every church leader."

--Jeannette Cochran, executive pastor of Seneca Creek Community Church, Gaithersburg, Maryland

"In Uncommon Church, Dr. Alvin Sanders combines his three decades of experience planting, pastoring, and empowering urban churches with his academic expertise to argue for a new approach to starting and maintaining local congregations. Sanders calls for churches to stop seeing 'certain people' as projects but instead recognize their full humanity and role as fellow believers in the body of Christ. In the midst of societal crossroads when many are questioning the role of the local congregation, Sanders offers a key perspective on how the church can live out its mission by supporting its neighbors and fighting for justice for all."

--Junia Howell, assistant professor of sociology, University of Pittsburgh

"The message of Uncommon Church is clear and simple: the fundamental way that God means to heal and transform impoverished communities is through the presence and loving witness of healthy churches. That argument, however, hinges on an understanding of what it means to be the church that lies beyond many of our assumptions and dominant paradigms. Grounded in keen biblical insights, supported by practical strategies born out of experiential wisdom, and replete with stories that are as instructive as they are inspiring, this is a must-have book for anyone desiring to join God's church-based agenda for healing the brokenness and combating the evil and injustices of our world, especially as they are manifest in the hood."

--JR Rozko, national director, Missio Alliance

"The voices are many these days--some loud, some soft, some angry, some confused, and some silent and afraid to speak. Uncommon Church is written for these times. It is full of grace and guidance to all the voices, synthesizing the answers within the power of the local church. Every pastor and aspiring pastor should read this book! It will bring inspiration, information, and opportunity for the Spirit to move, unlocking the potential in the local church. The results will be exponential in healing and empowering communities for the common good."

--Jo Anne Lyon, general superintendent emerita, the Wesleyan Church

About the Author

Alvin Sanders (PhD, Miami) is the president and CEO of World Impact. He previously served as a pastor, church planter, and denominational leader for the Evangelical Free Church of America, leading its All People Initiative. He is the author of Bridging the Diversity Gap. He and his family live in Cincinnati.