Week 7: Chapter 6 — Working in Your Jerusalem

1.The authors argue that many churches invest enormous energy in overseas mission while the poor in their own neighborhoods go largely unengaged. What explains this tendency? Is it easier, spiritually or emotionally, to help people far away than to help people close to home?

2.The chapter introduces practical tools for understanding who actually lives in your local community — demographic research, listening sessions, asset mapping. Have you (or your church) ever done this kind of intentional community analysis? What surprised you, or what do you think you would find?

3.Corbett and Fikkert describe the way that concentrated poverty in urban and rural areas creates an interlocking set of challenges — poor schools, absent fathers, limited job access, inadequate healthcare — that no single program can address. How does this systemic picture challenge the 'one-program' approach many churches take?