This Is Our City

October 15, 2013

When a Church Matches Missions with Entrepreneurship

Pastor Daniel Harrell had a heart for missions, so upon unexpectedly receiving roughly $2 million from a land sale, his Minnesota church was energized to use the funds accordingly. Though they had various debts to pay and building projects to fund, the church was committed to allocating at least 20 percent to service “outside of their walls.” Continue Reading...

October 09, 2013

The Tragedy of Detroit: From Bottom-Up to Bigger-Is-Better

“Detroit developed best when it was bottom-up,” says Harry Veryser, economist and professor at University of Detroit Mercy. “When small communities, small parishes, small schools were formed… that’s when Detroit prospered.” Continue Reading...

August 23, 2013

Beyond Gardening and Governance: Cities Need Business

[This post was co-authored with Chris Horst, director of development at HOPE International. He is a This is Our City fanboy and is grateful that Christianity Today has given him freedom to write about manufacturers, mattress sellers, and solar product designers, all working for the common good in Denver, where he lives with his family. Continue Reading...

August 19, 2013

Business as God’s Restorative Work

Katie Nienow worked in youth ministry for four years. After deciding to transition into the world of business, her former boss was not pleased. “You’re leaving the one thing God has best designed you to do,” he said. Continue Reading...

July 23, 2013

Value Creation for the Glory of God

The real estate crisis led to plenty of finger-pointing and blame-shifting, but for Phoenix real estate developer Walter Crutchfield, it led to self-examination and spiritual reflection. “The real estate crash brought me to a place of stepping back and evaluating,” Crutchfield says. Continue Reading...

January 29, 2013

The Art of Restoration: Repairing the Breach in Detroit

Last week, Barrett Clark summarized some key insights shared at the recent Common Good RVA event in Richmond, Virginia. The event was part of Christianity Today’s This Is Our City project, which seeks to highlight how Christians are “using their gifts and energies in all sectors of public life—commerce, government, technology, the arts, media, and education—to bring systemic renewal to the cultural ‘upstream’ and to bless their neighbors in the process.” Continue Reading...

January 22, 2013

Promoting Community Flourishing at Common Good RVA

On January 18-19, over 200 Christians gathered at the Common Good RVA event in Richmond, VA, to “explore what it means to see our everyday work as a meaningful part of our Christian calling.” Continue Reading...