Vitality
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A discussion group for people involved in the child welfare system in Boston has led to collaboration as members learn from each other and better understand the system which affects their lives and directs their work.
After almost 50 years of providing theological education to urban ministry practitioners, CUME’s vision and mission are still being turned into a beautiful reality each semester.
A simple question changed the trajectory of a young college student’s life in the late 1970s. “Would you be willing to go to the city?” Jeff Bass, EGC’s executive director, reflects on how the Holy Spirit used that question to prompt other questions that continue to shape God’s call on his life.
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A discussion group for people involved in the child welfare system in Boston has led to collaboration as members learn from each other and better understand the system which affects their lives and directs their work.
After almost 50 years of providing theological education to urban ministry practitioners, CUME’s vision and mission are still being turned into a beautiful reality each semester.
A simple question changed the trajectory of a young college student’s life in the late 1970s. “Would you be willing to go to the city?” Jeff Bass, EGC’s executive director, reflects on how the Holy Spirit used that question to prompt other questions that continue to shape God’s call on his life.
In times of political crisis and division, the poetry in some lesser known hymns has surprising power to bring courage and vision for justice. Enjoy this reflection from Prof. Dean Borgman.
We live in polarizing times—but we’re not the first. Prof. Dean Borgman recommends resources with time-tested kingdom principles about how to engage with others in political matters.
![[Video] The Power of Story: Defying the 'Godless New England' Narrative](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57ff1c7ae58c62d6f84ba841/1521656472413-O4GQ2EDB7BBZW7QYAYX3/Stacie+Caleb+GO.jpg)
[VIDEO] Why is it important to share your stories of God at work in your city?
As a busy Christian social activist or leader, do you know the practical, strategic, and relational benefits of waiting for God? Here are the perspectives of 10 Christian change-makers on why they wait for God in their work.
Are you ministering in a spiritual desert? In a recent study, Boston was ranked one of the most “Post-Christian” cities in the U.S. Kathryn Hamilton, an EGC communications intern from West Texas, weighs in about her experience with Boston’s spiritual climate and Christian vitality.
What is Living System Ministry? Doug Hall sets out the core ideas of this discipline of Christian practice where we learn to discern the living social systems around us and align our actions to what really creates lasting change.
The Emmanuel Research Review (2004-2014) was a digital journal from the Emmanuel Gospel Center’s Applied Research department that featured articles, papers, resources, and information designed to be a resource for urban pastors, leaders and community members in their efforts to serve their communities effectively. Ninety-five issues of The Review were published during its ten-year run from 2004 to 2014. On this page we offer a list of all issues published, and links to those that have been reposted to this new site.
Based on an interview with Rev. Eldin Villafañe, Ph.D., the founding director of the Center for Urban Ministerial Education (CUME), this article tells the story of Dr. Villafañe’s calling to launch CUME in 1976 and how the school rapidly took shape. Dr. Villafañe recalls the fruitful synergy at work among three primary players: CUME, the Emmanuel Gospel Center, and a network of new churches emerging from the Quiet Revival.
The Process of the Gospel is not a program, but a model for building relationships that nurture effective, incarnational ministry, helping people experience the presence and power of Jesus Christ for themselves. By internalizing this process, Christians can be involved in loving people in some of the same ways that Jesus modeled for us in the Gospels.
The challenge of dealing well with the different cultures in our modern cities is the most significant challenge facing theological schools today, according to Dr. Alvin Padilla, former Dean of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’s Boston campus. In this issue, he begins to unravel the problem by offering several perspectives to help us move from being bewildered to better understanding what God might be doing in our cities.
Sometimes a group may be grappling with an issue, and they need to be able to “see” their issue in a clearer way. A facilitated brainstorming technique called hexagoning can help achieve that.
Christians need to change. Sometimes that change is so radical, we could call it conversion. But how can those who have been converted be converted all over again? Here, Dr. Hall talks about three types of conversion, a spiritual, social, and systemic conversion. Using examples from his own life, he explains how each type of transformation was needed for him to do ministry effectively, and all three types of change were empowered by the redemption won by Jesus Christ on the cross.
EGC Executive Director Jeff Bass reflects on the greatest lesson from the recent meeting of the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization at the Boston Islamic Center, attended by Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Mayor Marty Walsh.