Renovate: Changing Who You Are by Loving Where You Are

An Atlanta pastor describes how individuals and churches can become agents for spiritual and cultural renewal in urban contexts. God is not wiping this world away. He is in the midst of renovating it.  Léonce Crump, lead pastor of Renovation Church in the urban core of Atlanta, invites you to do what God did when He wanted to make a difference in this world—move in.   Whether you’re a pastor looking to plant a church, a missionary preparing to serve in a far-off land, a family preparing to move into a new community, or a follower of Jesus simply looking to engage more deeply in your current neighborhood, Léonce reveals how our agendas can often sabotage achieving real change in our world.   Léonce takes you on a journey to understand what he calls “the ministry of presence” which he himself learned the hard way after planting a church in one of the most violent areas of Atlanta. Léonce and his family found that, before we can preach or reach others, we must first know the story of a place and its people—especially since skin color, cultural norms, and economic status often isolate us more than bringing us together.