Book Review : Neighbourhood Mapping: How to Make Your Church Invaluable to the Community : Dr. John Fuder (Chicago, IL: Moody, 2014)

In Neighbourhood Mapping, Fuder is interested in equipping churches to engage with their local communities in such a way that the gospel can be shared in relevant ways within partnerships that transform both the community and the church. Drawing from extensive experience, Fuder lays out a four step method of community analysis, grounding his approach in Scripture and addressing practicalities for the four steps, namely supplication, stakeholders, surveys and stories.

Supplication: Refreshingly Fuder begins analysis with prayer, suggesting prayer-walking as the most effective way of observing a locality and perceiving God’s heart for it. Drawing from Biblical narratives, Fuder lays out a guide to prayer walking that is public, informing and engaging the local community, yet also tactful. It is constrained in its geographic extend and time frame, yet empowers the church to worship and discern God’s concerns in their locality.

Stakeholders: Contending that God is already at work in any locality, Fuder encourages humility in identifying community leaders and those already working in an area, and amongst them seeking opportunities to partner. Sadly Fuder does not expound method or offer any practical suggestions for how this might be done effectively, using terms such as ‘man of peace’ without further clarification.

Surveys: Whilst encouraging some desktop research, Fuder’s analysis rests heavily on engaging a defined community with surveys. These should be carried out by individuals chosen for their ability to listen and discern felt needs, concerns, joys, past hurts and future hopes. Fuder helpfully provides an extensive selection of sample survey questions to draw from.

Stories: The process of exegeting a community is hard work, and Fuder is at pains to make clear that the process of analysing findings and discerning places of need is complex and costly. He draws particular attention to facing opposition and the possibility of being overwhelmed by what is heard. In this he encourages an attitude of humility, where community stories can be told without an arrogant attitude that seeks solutions. Rather stories are told and opportunities sought ‘to weave the gospel into the fabric of the community’[1].

Fuder’s approach is refreshing, drawing community analysis as a spiritual exercise. In urban contexts which are complex and rapidly changing, engaging with the locality physically in prayer is very powerful, uncovering many of the hidden narratives that shape a community; the life-givers, the helpers, the divisions and fears. His emphasis on engaging the community relationally and with humility is helpful in shaping effective attitudes for community involvement in a post-Christendom context, and this complements his warnings of opposition and cost. Fuder offers accessible and practical guidance for effectively engaging complex urban contexts, and although not everything is explored, it is clearly drawn from a wealth of experience and provides a firm grounding from which others can form their own experience of engaging their community.

Notes:
[1] John Fuder, Neighbourhood Mapping: How to Make Your Church Invaluable to the Community (Chicago, IL: Moody, 2014), p.28