What makes a city or community thrive?

In the midst of today’s economic downturn, Joseph Sunde and Chris Horst write that business is a big factor…and they aren’t just referring to local or small ventures:

Though Christians and Americans more broadly are more willing to celebrate the ways small businesses contribute to our cities, in order to keep large metro areas like Detroit booming, we need great companies of all sizes. Would we be discussing Detroit’s current governance malaise if Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors – “Detroit’s Big Three” – still kept the city’s workers employed?

Horst and Sunde say that Christians can cultivate the community around them through their work and their business. They can help to “rebuild the city” by filling it not only with the work of their hands, but also with the love and hope of the gospel.

But this isn’t to be just an individual venture. According to Horst and Sunde, the entire church has a role to play in rebuilding and restoring the city.

What can the church as a whole do? Read Horst and Sunde’s thoughts here and leave your comments here.