The challenge to the church addressed by this paper is the physical and spiritual decay o£ urban areas, and the fragmentation of the mission and ministry of the church. The theological principle undergirding this study is that the Kingdom of God is the Christian symbol for the just distribution and use of power in human community and social organization. This study describes the development of an urban mission strategy for the Presbytery of New Brunswick in which pastors and elders of urban churches covenanted with each other and with the presbytery for greater partnership in urban mission and ministry. A model for developing an urban mission strategy is proposed which includes an analysis of the situation, a vision for the city and the churches, coalitional leadership, and a covenant statement of organization. The model anticipates conflict in the process. This study examines selected biblical and historical examples, and three contemporary models of community organizing: locality, development, social action and planning. The different values given to community, power and conflict by the different models are analyzed. The most important conclusion reached in this study is that a collaborative coalition is often more effective than one which is confrontational. Further application of locality development techniques for more cooperative mission and ministry is promising.
