Urban Leadership Foundation

The following are some focus networks seen in some cities.

(Isaiah 61:1-4).

Historically, ministries among the poor result in religious movements. Ministries among the elites result in societal and structural change. In most cities, the most responsive groupings are the migrant urban poor (though not skid row). The scriptures tell us these are rich in faith (James 1:5). They command us not to forget them. Sociology, and church growth research indicate them as the most responsive. They make up from 10-60% of your city. Any strategy for a city must biblically have a focus to the poor.

Since the central focus of Jesus' mission (and ours in Christ) was proclamation and that to the poor (Luke 4:18), the poor should be a central component of every consultation.

As Leadership teams from 16 cities in India met together in Bombay and Delhi in 1994 and each city sought to define objectives towards the year 2000, again and again came the realization that many in their city were slum-dwellers and poor, and so each city emerged with a part of their strategy that defined how they would plant churches among the poor.

A needy-focussed approach to ministry causes the true pastors of the city to emerge. Men who have freely gone among the poor are understood to be true pastors. Others trust them. Involvement among the poor also leads to dealings with the rich as issues of injustice and inadequate city structures have to be addressed.

It is also important to seek out representatives for them in the Leadership team. The development of a network of church-planters among the poor may be a key to new phases of ministry.

Some have developed small neighborhood prayer groups across the city. Ed Silvoso talks of a "points of light" strategy. Other have developed prayer triplets, and others "Houses of Prayer" for each street.

No citywide strategy will be effective unless it is rooted in small house group development. Some cities have a cell group pastors forum that fosters conversion from traditional churches to cell group churches.

In Abidjan, a research study of ethnic groups across the nation resulted in a series of maps plotting their density. As one flips through the maps it becomes obvious that for many of the people groups, their greatest concentration is in Abidjan. This resulted in a strategy of finding church members from certain ethnic groups such as the Fulanis who were attending different churches and asking them to work together in evangelistic teams to target their own people.

In Perth, Julie Spence leads an interesting Orchestra of Christians from many churches who over the last year have set up musical events and celebrations in 85 different venues.

In a media culture, the high profile of sports heroes has a huge drawing power. In Auckland, 1996, a number of sports outreach personell met together, and setup open air meetings in a park, involving cultural performances by ethnic cultural groups, plus testimonies of leading sports figures. For the first time in many years open air evangelism in a post-Christian culture related to that culture. Of the 5000 who emerged from their isolated homes, 120 came to a new faith in Christ.

Youth networks became the basis of the Aussie Awakening. Often they are a major factor in unity across a city. They are the base from which future pastors emerge. Linking them into the broader network is a service to the body of Christ that will bear fruit over the next twenty years.

In many contexts the broad sowing of the word is the key to the explosion of new churches. In some cities, teams move from one slum to the next - taking a slum per day, then returning after a period to see if there is fruit remaining or to preach again until the seed is ripened.