Literature Review
Academic research often includes a Literature Review, which is a survey and synthesis of previously published works on the chosen topic. It situates a project within a relevant body of existing material and theoretical framework. And it helps the researcher identify gaps or inconsistencies in the current knowledge and suggests areas for further research work.
A thorough search for literature on the topic of apartment or multi-family housing ministry revealed a surprising black hole. Published, scholarly material on this topic is virtually non-existent. I could find no research in scholarly journals, and only three books on the subject, none of which were published by a national publishing company.
Therefore, the majority of the research for this project has come from interviews I conducted with individuals who work in this field, online newspaper articles that highlight specific communities, denominational publications, and research done by Apartment Life.
My hypothesis was something that hit me very early in my work in apartment ministry, and it has been gnawing away like a splinter in the back of my mind ever since. My tongue-in-cheek answer is: “Sam and Samantha Saddleback don’t live in an apartment.”
What do I mean by that? Click the button to read on …
Biblio-files for bibliophiles
In the spirit of academic research and the doctoral degree, our desire is to produce a resource that would be easily and joyfully used by others who are endeavoring to launch an apartment chaplaincy or similar ministry, or anyone who may share our passions and interests.
These are many of the books that have influenced my thinking, philosophy of ministry, theology, and practice, and therefore have influenced the strategy of this project. I hope that by putting these resources into categories and making some annotations, it will make this part of the project exponentially more useful to those who, for one reason or another, might find themselves wandering about this page.
Here are the FOUR books and ONE journal article that I found dedicated specifically to the in-depth study and practical implementation of apartment ministry.
Bunch, D., Kneisel, H., Oden, B. (1993). Multihousing congregations: How to start and grow Christian congregations in multihousing communities. Home Mission Board, SBC.
Goodman, G. A. (1967). End of apartment house ministry. The Christian century. 84:615-619.
Goodman, G. A. (1966). The church and the apartment house: Case studies. In Cooperation with the Offices of Urban and Industrial Ministries Division of Church Strategy and Development Board of National Missions United Presbyterian Church in the USA.
McNairy, Chris. (2016) Planting the Gospel in apartment communities and other multihousing settings. Urban Fusion Network Books.
Nalley, B. (2020). Community Care Network. Bradley K Nally.
Allender, D. B., & Loerzel, C. (2021). Redeeming heartache: How past suffering reveals our true calling. Zondervan.
Anderson, N. T. (2019). The bondage breaker. Harvest House Publishers.
Barton, R. R., & Haugen, G. A. (2018a). Strengthening the soul of your leadership: Seeking God in the crucible of ministry. InterVarsity Press.
Bonhoeffer, D. (1995). The cost of discipleship. Touchstone.
Bonhoeffer, D. (2015). Life together (D. W. Bloesch, G. B. Kelly, & V. Barnett, Eds.). Fortress Press.
Bojaxhiu, Mother Theresa, M. T., & Kolodiejchuk, B. (2014). Mother Teresa: Come be my light: The private writings of the “Saint of Calcutta.” Asian Trading Corporation.
Cloud, H., & Townsend, J. (2017). Boundaries: When to say yes, how to say no to take control of your life. Zondervan.
Comer, J. M. (2022). Live no lies: Recognize and resist the three enemies that sabotage your peace. HarperChristian Resources.
Comer, J. M. (2017). God has a name. Zondervan.
Eldredge, J., & Curtis, B. (2007). The sacred romance. Struik Christian Books.
Lawrence. (2009). The practice of the presence of God: Conversations and letters of Brother Lawrence. Oneworld.
Ortberg, J. (2008). Faith & doubt. Zondervan.
Ortlund, D. C. (2021). Gentle and lowly: The heart of christ for sinners and sufferers. Crossway.
Phillips, J. B. (1967). Your God is too small. New York.
Seamands, S. A. (2005). Ministry in the image of God: The Trinitarian shape of Christian service. InterVarsity Press.
Tozer, A. W. (1987). The knowledge of the holy. OM Publishing.
Volf, M. (2006). Free of charge: Giving and forgiving in a culture stripped of grace. Zondervan.
Voskamp, A. (2021). One Thousand gifts: A dare to live fully right where you are. W Publishing Group, an imprint of Thomas Nelson.
Wardle, T. (2017). Identity matters: Discovering who you are in christ. Leafwood Publishers.
Wilhoit, J., & Willard, D. (2022). Spiritual formation as if the church mattered: Growing in Christ through community. Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
Willard, D. (1998). The Divine conspiracy: Rediscovering our hidden life in God. Harper.
Willard, D. (2021). Hearing God: Developing a conversational relationship with God. IVP an imprint of InterVarsity Press.
Willard, D., & Johnson, J. (2015). Hearing God through the year: A 365-day devotional. InterVarsity Press.
Willard, D. (2021b). Renovation of the heart: Putting on the character of Christ. Form.
Willard, D. (2001). The spirit of the disciplines: Understanding how God changes lives. Family Christian Press.
Butterfield, R. C. (2018). The Gospel comes with a house key: Practicing radically ordinary hospitality in our post-Christian world. Crossway.
Butterfield, R. C. (2014). The secret thoughts of an unlikely convert: An English professor’s journey into Christian faith. Crown & Covenant Publications.
Chester, T., & Timmis, S. (2011). Everyday Church. Inter Varsity Press UK.
Clem, B. (2011). Disciple: Getting your identity from Jesus. Crossway.
DeVries, M. (2008). Sustainable youth ministry. IVP Books.
Dunkelberger, S., & Neary, W. (2005). Lakewood. Arcadia.
Fitch, D. E. (2007). The great giveaway: Reclaiming the mission of the church from big business, parachurch organizations, psychotherapy, consumer capitalism, and other modern maladies. Baker Books.
Fitch, D. E. (2018). Seven practices for the church on mission. IVP Books, an imprint of InterVarsity Press.
Frost, M., & Hirsch, A. (2004). The shaping of things to come: Innovation and mission for the 21st-century church. Hendrickson Publishers.
Frost, M., & Hirsch, A. (2009). Rejesus: A wild messiah for a missional church. Hendrickson Publishers.
Handeland, A. (2013). University Place. Arcadia Pub.
Hirsch, A. (2014). The forgotten ways: Reactivating the missional church. Manitoba Education and Advanced Learning.
Keniston-Longrie, J., Longrie, K., & Longrie, A. (2010). Tacoma’s stadium district. Arcadia Publishing.
Klavan, A. (2016). The great good thing: A secular Jew comes to faith in Christ. Nelson Books, an imprint of Thomas Nelson.
McNeal, R. (2009). Missional renaissance: Changing the scorecard for the church. Jossey-Bass.
McNeal, R. (2011). A work of heart: Understanding how God shapes spiritual leaders. Jossey-Bass.
Platt, D. (2017). Radical: Taking back your faith from the American dream. Multnomah Books, Crown Publishing Group, Penguin Random House, LLC.
Powell, N., James, J., & Keller, T. (2019). Together for the city: How collaborative church planting leads to citywide movements. InterVarsity Press.
Price, L., & Anderson, R. (2002). Puyallup: A pioneer paradise. Arcadia Pub.
Sanders, B. (2018). Underground Church: A living example of the church in its most potent form. Zondervan.
Sprinkle, P. M. (2016). Living in a gray world: A Christian teen’s guide to understanding homosexuality. Zondervan.
Sprinkle, P. M. (2016b). People to be loved: Why homosexuality is not just an issue. Zondervan.
Alcorn, R. C. (2003). Money, possessions, and eternity. Tyndale House Publishers.
Allen, D. (2015). Getting things done: The art of stress-free productivity. Little Brown Book Group. [I first heard about this book in a Spiritual Formation class]
Bolles, R. N. (2020). What color is your parachute?: A practical manual for job-hunters and career-changers. Ten Speed Press. [This is a mainstream book, but check out the Appendix. The author talks about the importance of his Christian faith, and how faith impacts one’s view of calling or vocation.]
Covey, S. R. (1989). The seven habits of highly effective people: Restoring the character ethic. Simon and Schuster.
Loehr, J. E., & Schwartz, T. (2003). The power of full engagement: Managing energy, not time, is the key to high performance and personal renewal. Free Press.
MacDonald, G. (1995). Ordering your private world. T. Nelson Publishers. [Updated in 2017.]
Tracy, B. (2017). Eat that frog!: 21 great ways to stop procrastinating and get more done in less time. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Incorporated.
Calvin, J. (2013). Institutes of the Christian religion. Blackstone Audio.
Erickson, M. J. (1973). Readings in Christian theology. Baker Book House.
Grudem, W. (1999). Bible doctrine: Essential teachings of the Christian faith. Zondervan Academic.
Kelly, J. (2003). Early Christian doctrines. Press, Prince.
Wright, N. T. (2021). Simply Christian: Why Christianity makes sense. HarperOne.
Wright, N. T. (2018). The day the revolution began: Reconsidering the meaning of Jesus’s crucifixion. HarperOne.
Backhouse, S. (2016). Kierkegaard: A single life. Zondervan.
Bonhoeffer, D., & Bethge, E. (2002). Ethics. Simon & Schuster.
Gushee, D. P., & Stassen, G. H. (2018). Kingdom ethics: Following Jesus in contemporary context. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Magnuson, K. (2020). Invitation to Christian ethics: Moral reasoning and contemporary issues. Kregel Academic.
Metaxas, E. (2020). Bonhoeffer: Pastor, martyr, prophet, spy. Thomas Nelson Pub.
Metaxas, E. (2017). Martin Luther – The man who rediscovered God and changed the world. Penguin Putnam Inc.
Schaeffer, F. A. (1976). How should we then live? The rise and decline of western thought and culture. F.H. Revell.
Anderson, L. (1998). Dying for change. Bethany House Publishers.
Gray, S., & Dumond, F. (2009a). Legacy churches. ChurchSmart Resources.
Johnson, S. (1998). Who moved my cheese? G. P. Putnam’s Sons.
Haugk, K. C., & Perry, R. S. (1988). Antagonists in the church: How to identify and deal with destructive conflict. Augsburg Publishing House.
Koivisto, R. A. (2009). One Lord, one faith: A theology for cross-denominational renewal. Wipf & Stock.
Sande, K., & Raabe, T. (2002). Peacemaking for families: A biblical guide to managing conflict in your home. Tyndale House Publishers.
Sande, K. (2004). The peacemaker: A biblical guide to resolving personal conflict. Baker Books.
Stevenin, T. J. (1997). Win/win solutions: Resolving conflict on the job. Northfield Pub.
Cleveland, C. (2013). Disunity in Christ: Uncovering the hidden forces that keep us apart. IVP Books.
Gregoire, S. W., Lindenbach, R. G., & Sawatsky, J. (2021). The great sex rescue: The lies you’ve been taught and how to recover what God intended. christianaudio.com.
Metaxas, E. (2017a). If you can keep it. Penguin USA.
Miller, D. (2007). Blue like jazz. Logia.
Noll, M. A., Hatch, N. O., & Marsden, G. M. (1989). The search for Christian America. Helmers and Howard.
Rae, C. (2012). Hope for parents of troubled teens: A practical guide to getting them back on track. Bethany House Publishers.
Strobel, L., & Vogel, J. (2017). The case for Christ: A journalist’s personal investigation of the evidence for Jesus. Zondervan.
Wallace, O. C. S. (1913). What Baptist believe. Sunday School Board, Southern Baptist Convention.
Anderson, L. (1998). Dying for change. Bethany House Publishers.
Anderson, L. (1992). A church for the 21st Century. Bethany House Publishers.
Osborne, L. W. (n.d.). Sticky church. illustrations.
Because of the importance of leadership in the filed of ministry in general and to this project in particular, and the fundamental differences between resources that seek to build their framework from a Judeo-Christian perspective or biblical worldview, and those that do not, I have put sources on leadership into two different categories.
The category in which a source appears on is NOT intended to be a commentary on the validity, usefulness, or suitability of any of the concepts or principles found in that source, nor is it mean to convey a judgement of the author.
Baker, A. T. (2021). Foundations of chaplaincy: A practical guide. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. [This book was insturmental for this project.]
Blackaby, H. T., & Blackaby, R. (2002). Spiritual leadership. Duranno.
Cathy, S. T. (2007). How did you do it, Truitt?: A recipe for success. Looking Glass Books, Inc.
Clinton, J. R. (2014). Making of a leader. Bethany Publishing House.
Gibbs, E. (2011). Leadership next: Changing leaders in a changing culture. Acts 29 Publishing.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2006). A leader’s legacy. John Wiley.
Maxwell, J. C. (1984). Your attitude: Key to success. Here’s Life Publishers.
Moschella, M. C. (2008). Ethnography as a pastoral practice: An introduction. Pilgrim Press.
Rodin, R. S. (2021). Set free to lead: Your guide to discovering the abundant life of a steward leader. Kingdom Life Publishing.
Strauch, A. (2009). Biblical eldership. Emmaus Correspondence School.
Thrall, B., McNicol, B., & McElrath, K. (2000). The ascent of a leader: How ordinary relationships develop extraordinary character and influence. Jossey-Bass.
Thune, B. (2016). Gospel eldership: Equipping a new generation of servant leaders. New Growth Press.
VanYperen, J. (2003). The Shepherd leader. Churchsmart Resources.
Kaplan, R. S. (2011). What to ask the person in the mirror critical questions for becoming a more effective leader and reaching your potential. Harvard Business Review Press.
Maxwell, J. C. (1984). Your attitude: Key to success. Here’s Life Publishers.
Osborne, L. W. (2016). Sticky leaders: The secret to lasting change and Innovation. Zondervan.
Phillips, D. T. (2009). Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times. Business Plus.
Books that have influenced me the most
Hopefully, the Bible has been the most influential book in my life and service to my King, Jesus. These books have served to increase my love for and understanding of the Bible, as well as how to apply the wisdom of God’s Word into all aspects of my being.
These are listed in their respective categories, but I created this list in case you want to know who most to blame. You can read more about each of these by clicking its title.
Barton, R. R., & Haugen, G. A. (2018a). Strengthening the soul of your leadership: Seeking God in the crucible of ministry. InterVarsity Press.
DeVries, M. (2008). Sustainable youth ministry. IVP Books.
Peterson, J. B. (1999). Maps of meaning: The architecture of belief. Taylor & Frances/Routledge.
Peterson, J. B. (2018). Twelve rules for life: An antidote for chaos. Random House Canada.
Willard, D. (1998). The Divine conspiracy: Rediscovering our hidden life in God. Harper.
Willard, D. (2012). Hearing God: Developing a conversational relationship with God. IVP.
Wright, N. T. (2018). The day the revolution began: Reconsidering the meaning of Jesus’s crucifixion. HarperOne.