Living Among the Urban Poor: The Practices and Approaches of Incarnational Ministry

There are many misconceptions of incarnational ministry that add unnecessary
stress on incarnational leaders. This dissertation offers an alternative understanding of
incarnational leadership and provides a framework for sustainable ministry among the
urban poor. The focus is on the practices and approaches of incarnational ministry, thus
addressing the two vital aspects of incarnational ministry: living meaningfully in a
community and engaging the community for transformation.

Chapter 1 presents the problem by examining the four major misconceptions of incarnational ministry including imitating Jesus, identification, simplicity, and living among the urban poor. In Chapter 2, I present an overview of the urban poor community of Botocan in Quezon City, Philippines, where I currently live. Chapter 3 examines the works of other incarnational leaders in order to glean insights from their wisdom on the practices and approaches of incarnational ministry. In Chapter 4, I present a biblical basis of incarnational ministry that is rooted in the theologies of location and engagement. Chapter 5 examines the different research methods used in this dissertation. In Chapter 6, I present an evaluation of the research methods used and an examination of the research discovered. This chapter also covers the specific details of the media project for this dissertation, which is a book entitled Living in The Neighborhood: Developing A Sustainable Incarnational Ministry Among the Urban Poor. Lastly, Chapter 7 reflects on what I learned throughout the dissertation journey and recommendations for the future.