This book gives a comprehensive introduction to the particular challenges and opportunities of congregational ministry in urban settings. In spite of the fact that urban ministry has long been a part of seminary curricula, a basic and definitive understanding of what students should know as they prepare for congregational ministry in the city has remained elusive. Ronald Peters proposes to clarify the core issues and lay out the essential issues in the practice of urban ministry. He lays out the history of the church's engagement with the city, articulates a theological grounding for ministry in urban areas, and describes the seven realities with which urban ministry must deal: economics, public education, family life, public health, ethnic/race relations, the justice system, and the urban environment.