God gave us a vision in 1993. This vision is rooted in a theology of city reaching and community transformation that equips the body of Christ to empower the urban poor and reach the urban unchurched. Now, after years of taking the radical gospel to the streets of one of the worst communities in our nation – and witnessing transformation as a result of seeing God “set up shop” in Fort Apache, the South Bronx – God is fulfilling the vision . . . and here is why:
Today, half of the world’s population is urbanized. By the year 2000, there were 20 cities with a population of over 10 million, 60 with over 4 million, and 402 with over one million. In the United States, nearly 80 percent of our population resides in the large urban centers of our nation. Amidst the affluence of large cities, a portion of the population remains disenfranchised, unable to pursue their dreams and destinies in communities with widespread unemployment, poverty, substance abuse, crime, neglect and despair. Children are often the ones who suffer the most, with limited educational opportunities, fatherlessness, and unsafe streets.
The authors of Operation World (Patrick Johnstone and Jason Mandryk, Operation World, Operation Mobilization) call urban missions “one of the biggest challenges for missions in the 21st Century.” They rightly conclude that a combination of effective methods and a concerted effort by the body of Christ “could decisively change the spiritual climate of a city.”
This is what we believe God has called us at Urban Harvest to do by equipping churches to become centers of empowering the urban community with effective and contextual methods of ministry.
God began this in the Bronx years ago. God has demonstrated His providence and displayed His glory as many have made decisions to begin life-change and pursue the road to their destinies. He has changed their worldviews related to five strategic areas: work ethic, academic excellence, family responsibility, moral values, and, at the core of it all, a lifestyle of faith.
These strategic areas are at the core of what we do at UHM. And it is, in its essence, true discipleship: Discipleship that transforms the mind, putting on the mind of Christ in place of the ways in which we have been conditioned by our culture, our society, our families, and our life experiences.
The gospel, if allowed by the church, will powerfully affect our lives. IF allowed. IF our faith is not considered a sub-culture, but a counter-culture. IF our faith possesses a radical commitment of all that we are to all that He is in every part of our lives. IF allowed, the gospel will permeate every part of the human being to the very core – as the Word says, the marrow (Hebrews 4:12) – of our being, and thus to the very core of our homes, our churches, our families, our city and our culture.
If not, however . . . If the gospel is not allowed to radically and dramatically transform our ways of thinking and our ways of doing . . . If we are, instead busy about the business of doing church . . . If we are content with a small taste of heaven that affects our emotions rather than effecting our lifestyle and transforming our thinking . . . then we are doing church in mediocrity without transformational change. Our communities remain the same, and pastors continue moving from one church problem to another rather than being challenged by the vision that God has provided for the harvest fields of the community around them.
To be continued . . .