10 of those

This is the story of how America’s church is failing the poorest in the country—but it’s not the familiar critique.

Many commentators record a failure to engage on a cultural level with the recent rise in liberalism, but few consider the abandonment of those in our inner-cities, trailer parks, and impoverished communities.

Authors Doug Logan, Jr. and Mez McConnell have lived and walked with those in the poorest communities their whole lives. Now, with empathy, intelligence, and insight they put forward a call to reach those America has forgotten. The Least, the Last & the Lost speaks into poverty, race, and culture and calls the church to rethink what effective evangelism and discipleship look like in America’s most deprived communities.

Selected commendations

"Poverty is pervasive and, as a kid from Camden, NJ, I know it well. However, liberation from poverty’s grasp is possible through the power of gospel. This book lays the blueprint for navigating this great escape. This book proclaims that the lost can be found, the last will be first, and the least will see the Most High. As I pastor in Wilmington, DE, I’ve used these principles to lead and love well in my context." Pastor R. Derrick Parks, Lead Planter of Epiphany Church of Wilmington, DE

"If you have ever sung, “Open my eyes that I may see, Lord,” this is the resource and tool that needs to be in the hands of every local church, including our church plants, to help us see and biblically pursue the vulnerable, the marginalized and those whom we may perceive as the least or the lost. This is a provocative call, a correction, and a commission for the evangelical church of the West to stop waiting for people to come through our doors so that we can plug them into programs to “be saved”. This is a gospel-rich call to exegete our neighbourhoods, and a call for every walk of life to be our brothers and sisters in Christ, learning and mutually encouraging one another no matter where we have come from or where we are in our story." Jennifer Winger, Director of Women’s Ministry Calvary Baptist Church/Mile One Mission

"Mez and Doug are not simply strategists and theorists thinking about poverty. Their lives have been deeply impacted by deprivation, segregation, and prejudice. Yet as Christians and pastors they know that the gospel is good news for the poor and the church is a beacon of light in hard places. This book is a theologically rich and practically insightful guide for all churches seeking to engage the poor in our own cities." Matthew Spandler-Davison, 20schemes Executive Director, Practical Shepherding Ministry Director.

"I am the target audience for this book. I pastor at a center-city church that desires to serve our last, least, and lost neighbors but needs help to do so effectively. Doug Logan and Mez McConnell have provided just that help. They culturally educate. They biblically encourage. They pointedly exhort. And they practically instruct. This book is uncomfortable to read in the way many of us need, as it exposes misconceptions and apathy. But then it builds up and shows a way forward for churches. I am grateful for these trustworthy, committed men of God and this resource they have written for His church." Barnabas Piper, Pastor at Immanuel Church in Nashville