#78. Decoding Cities and Stewarding the Gospel among Urban Dwellers - Part 2

Tiffany Owens Reed unpacks how suburbs, towns and cities can impact their inhabitants. She talks about how understanding the way a city works can impact ministry, allowing churches to better serve their congregants and steward their neighborhoods. She also reveals how churches can better reflect the incarnational gospel where life happens in the daily interactions among residents.

Check out her free resource City Discoveries Toolkit.

Part 2 of 2

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

• The historical backdrop of redlining in American cities
• The importance of knowing the local story and what can be changed now
• How pastors are uniquely positioned to advocate in poor communities

FEATURED BONUS: 

• Five Steps Toward Meaningful Action
• More Free Resources for Understanding Your City

ABOUT THE GUEST: 

A graduate of The King's College and former journalist, Tiffany Owens Reed is a New Yorker at heart, currently living in Texas. She curates content for Cities Decoded, an educational platform designed to help ordinary people understand cities.

Follow her on Instagram @citiesdecoded.

SCRIPTURE RELATED TO EPISODE:

• 2 Corinthians 5: 11-21; Ministry of Reconciliation
• Proverbs 31: 8-9; Advocating for People

RELATED LINKS:

• CitiesDecoded@gmail.com
• Cities Decoded
• Tiffany Owens Reed on Instagram

TIMESTAMPED SHOWNOTES:

01:33 - Intro, Design Decisions Impacting Human Interaction, Values and Gospel

06:25 - American Cities Shaped by Redlining

07:51 - Consumerism, Cultivating Suburbia and the Backdrop for Redlining in America

10:59 - Different Cities, Same Story for Cities in Global History

13:29 - The Literal History of Redlining in America

15:12 - Urban Renewal, Urban Destruction and Curated Suburbs

19:22 - Frameworks to Help Churches Serving Urban Communities

20:13 - Localism

22:21 - Working Strategically

23:38 - Understanding the Local Story

25:50 - Mind the Gap

27:12 - Advocating and Knowing What You Can Change Now

28:16 - How Pastors Can Make a Difference in Communities

30:02 - Churches Advocating for Urban Communities in the Local Public Sector

31:12 - Patterns of Living in Brooklyn, NY and Waco, TX

35:01 - The Power of Proximity in Forming Relationships

39:07 - The Absence of Public Space

42:12 - Contacting Tiffany Owens Reed

43:15 - Joke: Melon and Marriage

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