Among Wolves: Disciple-Making in the City

I just finished Dhati Lewis' Among Wolves and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I am a pastor and have read a lot of Christian books and this one was hard to put down. Dhati did a great job quoting from a wide variety of sources (Dr. Hannah: "If God calls you to be a farmer, do not stoop so low as to become a king"), told great engaging stories (there's one about rats and narcolepsy that I will never forget!), and very biblically taught about the importance of disciple-making through the book of Matthew. I could see Dhati's huge heart for the city of Atlanta and the people of that city come through powerfully. I learned some great nuggets of knowledge like how God broke the 400 years of silence after the OT minor prophets and how many times Jesus said the word church versus talking about the kingdom of God. Here are some of my favorite quotes:"Disciple-making is not a ministry of the church; it is the ministry of the church.""It is my deepest burden–a God-given burden. I can coach, and I can do it well. But I must make disciples, and I must help others do the same.""God's vision is for redemption that brings about reconciliation.""You can teach what you know, but you only reproduce who you are.""Church is not like family; it is family.""I define discipleship as our capacity to lovingly transmit and embody the life of Jesus through the life of His followers.""My foundational belief is that if it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a church to raise a Christian."I would highly recommend this book not just to pastors but to anyone looking to grow in their faith. If you have a heart for urban ministry, this is a great resource for you. If you want to uncover a vision for your life or ministry, this is a great book for you. If you want to grow in making disciples of Jesus, this is a great book for you!

Fantastic reminder of what it really means to make disciples. What sets this book apart is the clear and genuine call to go and act. Dhati is aggressive in his push on the reader to pursue the great commission, but he does so with grace and most importantly, robustly aligning with Scripture. I would highly encourage all Christians to read and be reminded of the call to make disciples.

Among Wolves is forged out of the intersection of Lewis’ personal story and the reality of ministry in the urban context today. As the son of a NFL football player, Lewis begins the book by explaining the cultural tensions he faced growing up. After becoming a Christian in college, these tensions were only further accentuated. As an African American, he found himself constantly at odds culturally with his new found theological context. Eventually, this tension manifested itself into a burden to experience an expression of Christianity that was both “culturally relevant and doctrinally sound.” Something needed to change. For Dhati, this change was found in the reframing of discipleship in the local church.The significance of Among Wolves is that the author’s personal story—of cultural tension and the rethinking of discipleship–is the story of church planting in our cities today. And it is to this end to which Among Wolves is written. As Lewis explicitly states, “This book was written for anyone who has a burden to bring a tangible expression of the gospel into their neighborhood or network of relationships—a group of people who are willing to minister among wolves, in the most dense and diverse and difficult urban areas of our cities.”The book is broken into “eight movement” (11 chapters) derived from the gospel of Matthew and set forth as a paradigm for discipleship in the urban context. Each movement is aimed at answering the question “How do we turn passive participants into active disciple makers in an ever changing urban context?”There are many strengths to this book. Lewis’ discussion of ecclesiology in light of the New Testament’s language of family is a needed recovery today. A repeated reframe throughout the book is that “the church is not like family, the church is family!” Another aspect worth noting is Lewis’ reiterating how Christianity is about three primary relationships—relationship with God, with others, and the nonbeliever. His phrase Christianity is not about “a relationship, but about relationships,” forces the reader to think holistically about the discipleship process.This is a helpful book. However, if you approach this book looking for a packaged, step-by-step process for making disciples, you will likely be let down. But if you are seeking to create an authentic expression of gospel ministry in your urban context, then Among Wolves is for you. So pick it up and soak up wisdom from a man who has wrestled with the tension of ministry in the urban context while seeking to obey the call of our Lord Jesus’ to make disciples of all nations.

Simply loved it! Lewis is an urban church planter. What does he have to say to this suburbanite? Everything! He pulls together the basic tenets - things I know- and presents them in a simple, gripping, new way. These are principles for all Christ followers!

One of the best books written for the urban practitioner! If you are planting a church or doing ministry in the urban context, this book is a must read! Thank you Dhati!

Excellent book to challenge followers to be true disciples

This book is terrible. It cannot decide what it wants to be. It is part autobiography, part lessons on discipleship, and part commentary of Matthew. All of which are wanting. For example, the commentary on Matthew goes from chapter 16 to chapter 28. The entire passion week and resurrection, let alone the crucifixion narrative is skipped over. There are parables, such as the boy among the town of would be fishermen that seem out of place. Lewis is often regarded as a great disciple maker but the evidence is not listed in this book. Perhaps a better option would be Doug Logan's On the Block. It tries to do too much, often employing allegory or personal anecdote where Scripture should be presented. The conclusion to carry out the Great Commission falls flat because the sacrifice and language of covenant theology are skipped over. The application is spoken of in theory only.

Wonderful Book. The heart of Jesus.