Establishing vital churches in metropolitan areas represents a formidable challenge, and church planters need the wise counsel of experienced practitioners to guide them through the process. Planting and Growing Urban Churches: From Dream to Reality provides such sage advice.

Harvie M. Conn pulls together selected articles from the quarterly journal Urban Mission that treat various aspects of planting and growing churches in the city. Contributors include urban specialists such as Ray Bakke, Craig Ellison, Viv Grigg, Robert Linthicum, and Ralph Neighbor Jr. This multiperspective approach results in a book brimming with insights and strategies for students, urban ministers, church planters, and missionaries.

The work is divided into four parts that trace the challenging but rewarding process of church planting in the city from initial stages to establishment–from dream to reality. Part 1 explores the use of research. In part 2 Bakke, Ellison, and Neighbor describe how to develop a strategy for urban ministry. Part 3 looks at the role of targeting in church planting, while part 4 contains seven models of success. Each part includes a substantive introduction by the editor and a list of resources for further study.