African American Church Growth: 12 Principles of Prophetic Ministry (Book)
Carlyle Stewart Fielding, III, Author. Nashville: Abingdon, 1994.

Dr. Carlyle Fielding, the pastor of the influential Hope United Methodist Church in suburban Detroit, says that African American churches can build viable congregations by employing principles of church growth that reflect prophetic concern for African Americans. Fielding, whose message is directed toward churches in mainstream denominations, defines prophetic ministry as a concern for wholeness of the individual and community. He offers 12 principles for prophetic ministry, which include celebration, restoration, proclamation of the gospel, and evaluation of and participation in church community-based programs.

Annotated Bibliography For Faith-Based Community Economic Development (Web Resource)
Washington, DC: National Congress for Community Economic Development (NCCED), 1999.

This full bibliography is more than 50 pages in length and contains more than 140 entries—books, articles and videos, organized under seven major headings and 24 subheadings. It also lists sources of literature not produced by commercial or university presses and has sections on other periodicals, CED internet sites, and other organizations to contact for information. There is an on-line version that reproduces the major headings and two or three sample annotations from each subsection. The full list of Internet sites and sources are also included.

Another Day’s Journey: Black Churches Confronting the American Crisis (Book)

This book presents a very readable, analytical portrayal of the internal life of the black church and its effective form of social and community ministry. It also contains a set of practical guidelines leading churches to a deeper understanding of what is required to increase their resources and to meet the needs of their various communities.

Blow the Trumpet in Zion: Global Vision and Action for the 21st Century Black Church (Book)
Iva E. Carruthers, Author. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2005.

Several authors combine to highlight the tasks set before the black church in the 21st century. Issues such as the black church and globalization, social justice, the prophetic imperative, public witness, and effective ministries are addressed by several leading scholars.

Community-Based Organizations: The Intersection of Social Capital and Local Context in Contemporary Urban Society (Book)
Robert Mark Silverman, Editor. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press, 2004.

Though this text is dense with economic analysis, the essay by Sherri Leronda Wallce—"Social Capital and African American Church Leadership"—suggests that the African American Church is a great source of both leadership and social capital. She invites the church to consider the role it is positioned to play in the economic development of contemporary urban society.

The Empowerment Church: Speaking a New Language for Church Growth (Book)
Carlyle Field, Author. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2001.

The denominational church in general, and black churches in particular, need models of ministry that address the ultimate concerns and needs of the people in the communities in which they are located. This book will address the cultural nuances and complexities within various ethnic and racial contexts that must be considered in developing viable and empowered churches.

Empowerment Ethics for a Liberated People: A Path to African American Social Transformation (Book)
Cheryl Sanders, Author. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1995.

Cheryl Sanders sharpens the agenda of black liberation by offering both a fresh reading of historical black religion and a distinctive approach to Christian ethics. Arguing that the experience of oppression has been a catalyst for black moral life and thought, Sanders traces several paths that African American Christians have taken in moving from victimization to moral agency: testimony, protest, uplift, cooperation, achievement, remoralization, and ministry. Informative and engaging, earnest and constructive, Sanders’s book envisions a new way of empowering people to take responsibility for their moral and spiritual development.

Faith Based Community Economic Development Initiative (Organization)

The Faith Based Community Economic Development Initiative is a project of the National Congress for Community Economic Development (NCCED). Its mission is to promote and facilitate faith based community economic development by engaging in research and training in faith based development, expanding collaboration between religious institutions and other agencies, encouraging theological reflection on community revitalization within American religion, and enhancing NCCED’s services through integrating faith based development into the life of the association.

The Long March Ahead: African American Churches and Public Policy in Post-Civil Rights America (Book)
R. Drew Smith, Author. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2004.

The role of the African American Church in public policy debates is recognized historically but often questioned in contemporary times. Smith brings together many voices from the post civil rights era to discuss innovative ways in which the African American church may continue its campaign to insure access to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for her members.

Mighty Like A River: The Black Church and Social Reform (Book)
Andrew Billingsley, Author. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.

Andrew Billingsley makes the case that the African American Church is "mighty like a river" in its community outreach and social activist roles. The book sketches the history of the social and community outreach efforts of the African American church and gives an up-to-date picture of its current social reform efforts. Especially useful is a profile of leading churches involved in social activism efforts ranging from economic development to outreach to urban African American youth. This book is an excellent resource for congregations interested in model urban ministries.

National Congress for Community Economic Development (Organization)

The National Congress for Community Economic Development (NCCED) is the trade association and advocate for the community-based development industry. The Faith Based Initiative section of its Web site provides useful information on community building through strategies that encourage cooperation and interdependency as expressions of religious or spiritual ministry, calling or beliefs.

Prelude to Struggle: African American Clergy and Community Organizing for Economic Development in the 1990's (Book)
Katie Day, Author. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2002.

Katie Day offers an insightful analysis of African American activist congregations. Using qualitative and quantitative data, she builds a strong description of selected African American congregations in Philadelphia who organized to meet the economic needs of their surrounding communities. Special emphasis is also placed on the role of the pastor in the community.

Render Unto God: Economic Vulnerability, Family Violence, and Pastoral Theology (Book)
James N. Poling, Author. St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2002.

The noted pastoral theologian, James N. Poling suggests that unfair economic practices affect communities across the globe, especially women and children. Poling focuses on the particular impact of these practices on the African American community and suggests a new way of reading the Gospel of Mark as a way to transform the pastoral care provided by the church in response to the needs of the poor.

Streets of Glory: Church and Community in a Black Urban Neighborhood (Book)
Omar M. McRoberts, Author. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2003.

Streets of Glory presents a case study of a Boston neighborhood fraught with crime that fought back and, ultimately, reclaimed its streets through the combined efforts of church and community. It will be helpful for those in urban settings interested in evaluating the concrete activities of one community and drawing from its successes.