Missio Alliance Essential Reading List

The cross means more than we've let it mean.

Proclaiming the gospel and forming the faithful: these are the most practiced disciplines of the evangelical church.As central as these disciplines are, however, they are only part of the story. And as Christian Community Development Association CEO Noel Castellanos has learned over a lifetime of ministry and mission, the neglect of the gospel's full implicationsfor the world has contributed to the erosion of communities and the languishing of poor and other marginalized people.

In Where the Cross Meets the Street Castellanos shows the strengths and limitations of a narrowly focused church andbroadens our imaginations to embrace a gospel that proclaims Christ and forms disciples. This life-giving gospel also demonstrates compassion, confronts injustice and restores individuals and communities to wholeness. This is the whole work of the cross; this is the privilege of those who follow the Word made flesh.



John M. Perkins is the founder of Voice of Calvary Ministries in Mendenhall, Mississippi, Harambee Ministries in Pasadena, California, and the Christian Community Development Association. His books include Let Justice Roll Down, WithJustice for All, and Making Neighborhoods Whole.







Wayne "Coach" Gordon is founding pastor of Lawndale Community Church in Chicago, Illinois. In 2011 he was given the William Wilberforce Award by the board of directors of Breakpoint and the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview.







Noel Castellanos has worked in full-time ministry in Latino, urban communities since 1982, serving in youth ministry, church planting, advocacy and community development in San Francisco, San Jose and Chicago. He is chief executive officer of Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) and was the founding pastor of Chicago?s La Villita Community Church. In addition to being a popular speaker, Castellanos mentors young leaders across the United States and directs the CCDA Institute, training emerging leaders in the Christian Community Development philosophy. He was appointed to serve on President Obama's Council for Faith and Neighborhood Partnerships and has served as the chaplain for the Chicago Cubs. He has a deep passion to serve and invest in the lives of leaders committed to serving the poor. Noel is the coauthor of A Heart for the Community and New Models for Urban and Suburban Ministry and has contributed to various other books and publications including Deep Justice in a Broken World, A Heart for the City, and Crazy Enough to Care. He and his wife, Marianne, have three children and make their home in the barrio of La Villita in Chicago.



Foreword by John Perkins and Wayne Gordon

Introduction: Mumbo Jumbo

1. Mi Familia

2. Leaving the Barrio

3. A New Burden for the Barrio

4. Becoming an Evangelico

5. Incarnation

6. Proclamation and Formation

7. Demonstration of Compassion

8. Restoration and Development

9. Confrontation of Injustice

10. Sí, Se Puede

Conclusion: Seek the Peace and Welfare of the City



Acknowledgments

Appendix 1. A Snapshot of CCDA

Appendix 2. Lessons from the Book of Nehemiah

Glossary