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Get to know my mentor and inspiration Bishop Arthur M. Brazier

Today I honor one of my mentors who was a advocate for justice, a man of integrity and a spiritual leader who epitomizes community transformation through individual self-determination.  Bishop Brazier has gone on to be with The Lord; but his impact across the United States continues to be felt even today.  Those that knew Bishop Brazier will tell you that he was a very humble man whose life’s work was for the advancement of community, not for personal recognition and awards.  He believed for individuals to change their situations their mentality had to shift from victims to victors.
He was honored by Presidents, from Kennedy to Obama, worked tirelessly in Washington for the betterment of others and held local politicians accountable by measuring their actions through the lens of scripture.
Because he worked behind the scenes, most people don’t know his role in advocacy, about his fight to end school segregation, illegal housing practices and his role in bringing Dr. King to Chicago.  And that was just the beginning… Here is a look back at the early days of Bishop Arthur M. Brazier – The Activist.
Today the struggle has been redefined, but the fundamental issues of perceived privilege and injustice remain the same.  If we are training young people to understand their DESTINY, we can’t approach it from a victim mentality; teach them to be overcomes.  Scripture says – They can do all things through Christ which strengthens them.
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Wilderness Journeys Perfect Your Faith To Move Forward

Thank you to those who have supported me during this time of silence and transition.  A good friend asked me “what did you do wrong to be silenced?”, to which I replied not that kind of silence.  It is the silence you experience when God is moving you to a new place and new assignment that causes you to stop, reflect on the past, review His promises for your life and recall the provisions He has provided when you were entering into other places that stretched you beyond your current situation.  When God instructs, prepare to move forward in a way that requires your faith to be strong.  I have been silent on this blog for the past four weeks out of obedience to the guiding of the Holy Spirit.  A preparation process for moving forward.  The New Urban is not about showing hopeless kids hope; it’s about changing attitudes of kingdom building among the adults and young adults charged with leading our youth through this transitional state to adulthood.  It’s about a collective vision of moving young people forward, not a siloed classification of young people.  The Bible teaches that all have sinned and come short of the glory.  All need him, not just the poor, not just those experiencing challenging circumstances but everyone.  I truly believe God is moving Youth Ministry to a new understanding of faith, vision and  equipping of young people.

Faith can be idle when circumstances are calm.  But, when adversity hits then our faith is exercised.  Like muscles, our faith grows stronger when exercised.  I have learned that faith states the dream, examines all options, uses all resources, removes all nonessentials and then moves forward.  I now understand what it means to say – “a man able to see in faith sees things that do not yet exist in the natural realm and sees the potential to bring to pass something marvelous.”

In the Bible, the Hebrew  word  forward is about taking a journey that has many stages to it.  In Exodus 14: 13 – 15 the people had to first stand still and then go forward.  This has been an incredible journey the Lord has me on to this point.  I walk in expectancy of all that He has for me going forward.

 

I invite you to also move forward in your relationship with Jesus Christ, in your ministry and in exalting God, engaging unbelievers and edifying the believers:

F – represents the future.  Things do not happen by chance, they happen according to His will.  Don’t be distracted by circumstances seen with the natural eye.   (Prov. 19:21)

O – signifies ordinary people. God uses ordinary people to accomplish His will.  Throughout history it wasn’t about titles, degrees or pedigree – just ordinary people.  In Romans 16 Paul mentions 24 people used,  Luke 10:1 speaks of 70 that went out 2 by 2.

R – stands for resiliency.  The Bible tells us that “a man who holds his ground can become strong like the oak” (Prov 24:10).  As Christian leaders we are to cultivate our ability to endure under pressure, rise after failure and push ahead when others quit.  Spurgeon said, “by perseverance, the snail reached the ark”.

W –  represents wholehearted prayer. Prayer is an intense dialogue with diety. It is your decision to personally pursue and seek guidance from the Lord.  It is an intense, continual, wholehearted seeking of relationship and conversation.

A – indicates the attitude of faith and courage that fuels your moving forward to fulfill the vision God gave you.   Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the mastery of it.  You must be able to see your vision, say it and seize it.  You must have faith to see what God is doing.

R – stands for remember. Looking back over your life, recall what God has done for you.  Even as you look back over your test and trials, you will see where God has brought you through.  That which seemed like there was no way out, no solution or now path forward . . . look at you now.  And if you are in the midst of a storm now, look around and remember – “you have been here before.”

D – signifies decisions.  Decisions determine your DESTINY. Every decision in your life has a consequence; some positive and some negative.  When we take matters into our own hands, that is when God allows us to struggle in the darkness created by our decisions.  To move forward, learn from wise men’s (and women’s) lifestyles and decision making processes.  Don’t be afraid to seek wise counsel. (This is the biggest mistake most young leaders make – The I Know It All Syndrome).  Don’t take my word, read Prov. 1:5; 8:33; 9:8,9.

 

Your path forward belongs to the Lord .  Be confident and stay conscience . . .

 

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Does The Burden You Have For The Young People You Serve Lead You To Your Knees Or In Search Of Another Curriculum Or Program

 

Today we begin looking at the details of Nehemiah’s four step process for dealing with the burden he had for the people in Jerusalem.  We as leaders should have a burden for the conditions our young people face and an action plan for supporting them.

 

Step 1 – Nehemiah heard the report of his city.  In response, he spent four months of fasting, praying, weeping and mourning.

 

Our communities are deeply broken by the conditions society, some self-imposed, others that have been created.  We face economic breakdown with parental loss of jobs or the inability to acquire employment.  Businesses are struggling or closing.  We face family breakdowns in two family homes, parental relationships and the relationships between parents and kids. Single family homes are overburdened by the responsibility of the one parent.  Our educational system now pits teacher union reps against administration looking to get control of massive budgets; while neither is really focused on the education of our young people.  The young people themselves don’t see the true value of education and the capable ones dummy down to fit in and avoid peer pressure, thus affecting their long-term prospects of economic self-sufficiency.  Our men are being broken by a system that has devalued them and targeted them in a way that makes high school to prison the norm for a large number of our men.  The political system is run by power brokers whose self-interest sacrifices any other efforts.  The little man with few financial resources has no voice.  Services and assistance are being cut or redirected to those who don’t have the greatest need.  People have lost hope and see no way out and are giving up.

The challenges described above are not just in the urban communities; I am describing all communities.  Unfortunately, we don’t always want to face up to the reality of trouble existing in our own community.  By not addressing these head on we leave our young people exposed to deal with what they see, in their own way.  I conducted a workshop, last week, at a suburban youth ministry and after the workshop the adults were amazed at the attitudes of their young people and the experiences they were having.  The youth workers assumed the issues were in the other communities, not theirs.   They said they have “the good kids” but learned they were not equipping the young people to effectively make Godly decisions.   The young people began to discuss not only their issues but also how they felt the youth workers didn’t understood them, were not equipping them or living as an example for them.  This was incredibly eye opening to these youth workers.  This upper middle class, suburban, curriculum rich ministry learned they had not spent much time in collective prayer seeking God’s guidance in equipping their young people to deal with the issues they face.  Now don’t confuse my point; curricula is necessary but not the end all be all to helping our young people grow.

As youth workers and leaders, we have to engage more in the lives of our young people to understand what they are dealing with day-to-day and not assume everything is ok.  Issues may not be the same in every neighborhood, but every neighborhood has issues.  Your burden for the young people should lead you to find your neighborhoods issues.   That search starts with prayer and fasting on their behalf.  Engaging them in conversation about their challenges and taking those issue to the Lord for guidance.

 

The Bible says when Nehemiah heard about the challenges of his people he was grieved –

3And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

 4And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

 5And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:

 

Nehemiah was a middle class person who had a seat at the table with those in control.  He was considered successful and set.  Even though, he was concerned about his people and felt he needed to take action. He knew that phrase the old folks us to say and we must understand today that – “but for the grace of God, go I”.  People have to care and we are the people who have to lead the caring.  Our young people are depending on us to step up and equip them to be able to discern and make Godly decisions.  Stay encouraged. Stay engaged. Stay upon the Wall.  Our young peoples DESTINY demand our diligence.

 

Next week we will look at Nehemiah’s next step after praying and fasting.

 

What is the burden you have for the young people?  How is your team collectively getting it’s understanding?  How are you engaging them?  Join the conversation and be a blessing to someone else.

 

 

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Urban Leaders – If The Lord Calls You, He Will Establish You

 

God always has a special and unique way to call each one of us into ministry.  The Lord called Jeremiah by His spirit before he was born.  Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5).  God chooses the way in which we are called into ministry.  Each of us has been essentially predestined to fill a particular place in the building of the Kingdom.  Everything that happens to us as ministers, from the point of birth is either directly planned by God or will definitely be used by Him to cause His will to be done.  This is part of how he establishes us.  He will open His Word to them and enable them to feed the people of God.  Jeremiah had the words of the Lord to speak to the people(Jeremiah 1:9)  Like Jeremiah our ministries must be based on God’s word and not man’s word.  We are to speak nothing but the Word we have been given from God.  The Lord set Jeremiah over the nations and kingdoms (Jeremiah 1:10).  Our promotion does not come from man but it comes from the Lord.  We will be exalted in due time after we humble ourselves.  Jeremiah was called to root out, to pull down and to destroy (Jeremiah 1:10).  We are called to preach and teach against sin and unrighteousness.  To help young people understand what it means to be separated from this world.  To teach them how to discern and make good choices as they walkout their destiny.

Whatever reservations or hesitations we have about our calling are understandable but not acceptable.  Jeremiah had several excuses, one “Lord, I cannot speak” (Jeremiah 1:6) he felt he was inferior in his ability to communicate effectively.  But the Lord will always put His words into the mouth of those He is equipping for ministry.  A second excuse was his Youth.  I do not know how to speak, because I am a youth (Jeremiah 1:6).  God replied “ Do not say; I am a youth, because everywhere I send you, you shall go (Jeremiah 1:7).  What was most important to God was his willingness to obey the word of the Lord.  His third excuse was that he was afraid to go because of the rejection that he would sense even by the expression on the people’s face.  The Lord commanded Jeremiah “do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you”.  God will give abundant grace for us to meet every fearful situation we may face.  God assures that if he calls us he will ensure we are established.

 

What hesitations do you have about your calling?  Let’s talk it out.

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Mo Money, Mo Money, Mo Money

 

 

Did you get caught up in the spending hype of Black Friday or Cyber Monday?  Or today’s fairly new Giving Tuesday? Wouldn’t it be great if we could get that excited about worshiping God.  Today we live in a very materialistic society.  The desire for money and what it can buy has a strangle hold on people.  Even Christians spend a great deal of time trying to create or pretend to have heaven on earth.  In search of mo money, mo money, mo money.  In fact, we see Christmas has become a time of the flaunting of affluence, assuming exaggerated expenses, a pursuit of vanity for vanity’s sake — in a word, financial decadence.

 

The last few weeks we witnessed in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana a focus on money almost like never before.  People stood in line for hours to get a Powerball lottery ticket.  No one won, so this week we are seeing a repeat.  The lottery was going to solve their problems.  Everyone speaks of what they would do if they won and the good they were going to do.   The jackpot now stands at $425 million.  The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot: 1 in 175 million.  See we trust what is impossible, yet doubt salvation that which is sure, guaranteed and eternal.  Money can distract anyone

 

Matthew 6:24 tells us that “ No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”  The Bible tells us that mammon can be translated or substituted with the words treasure, money, wealth or materialism.

 

God knows this materialism is so tuff that he made one of the most shocking statements – it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

 

The world’s riches make it difficult to keep God at the center of our lives.  Scripture has shown time and time again monies influence on behavior and attitudes.

 

The tragedy of Lot’s wife was her placing all her affection on an earthly city rather than a heavenly one.  Joshua’s army was crushed when Achan disobeyed God and took the gold, silver and exotic garments;  Achan thought his sin mattered little in the grand scheme of the invasion.  Both lost perspective and fell prey to materialism.

 

We see it in the church today. Pastors, the music ministry — lose their way; get caught up in chasing the o’mighty dollar.  They have become dependant on money to define their ministry, their life or their success.   It has led to excessive behaviors – infidelity, homosexuality, sexual abuse of minors, opulence in homes, cars and in the clothes.  Look at the destruction it has cost their sheep.   Congregations split, people avoiding church due to their view of the members.   Ministers, we have accountability and a responsibility.  Hebrews tells us that all to often the love of abundance and luxury opens people to sexual sin.

 

If we go further into scripture, and look over in 1 Timothy 6:10 it tells us – The love of money is the root of all-evil.  But if we go back up into chapter 5 to see how we got to that statement, we see that people who want to get rich, fall into temptation and a trap and into mans foolish & harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.

 

As ministers of the gospel, we must be free from the love of money.  As overseers, the Bible says we are to be above reproach, not a lover of money, not greedy but eager to serve.  See where your treasure is, there your heart will be.  It will drive your values and decisions.  We can’t be compromised.

 

So what am I trying to say – as we move into this Christmas season, don’t get caught up in the presents hype and forget the real reason for the season.  Your young people will be watching you to see how you plan act and respond to the season.  They will look to you to see the expectation you set.  How do we focus less on giving and receiving presents and focus more on understanding the celebration is the birthday of the King.  Young people have become way too caught up in “what are you getting me?” and being mad if they don’t get what they want.  There are those who also flaunt and tease those less fortunate who don’t receive the presents they wanted.  The excess surrounding receiving Christmas presents is contrary to the lessons we should be teaching our students.

 

Now I am not saying having money is bad, you have to take care of your family.   We support the church thorough our tithes.  We help the poor through being good stewards of the resources God provides us.  What I am saying is the danger of a focus on accumulation of wealth, is that it usually dominates one’s mind and life so that God’s kingdom and glory are no longer first.

 

You say –  “having more money would really help . . . I don’t have much and could use so much more.  It would reduce so much stress in my life.”

 

But didn’t God tell us to be content?

He said he would supply all your needs

He said he would never leave you or forsake you.

Have faith and confidence in His Word

Don’t fall into the materialism trap

 

What assignment are you not doing to chase the dollar?  Be still and know that He is God.  Stay grounded.  The truly rich are those who have gained freedom from the things of the world through confidence that God is their father and he will not forsake them.

 

Money fails.  But we know that God can never fail.  Take inventory of your heart and life.  Is there any area in your life that needs forgiveness?  God promises to take care of the righteous.  First, repent of your sins and live a godly life.  Then God will supply all your needs.

 

 

Give me your thoughts; hit me back with your comments

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4. You need more than an urban curriculum to minister to urban youth.

GUEST POST: Erick David Townsend

Today we continue are conversations of understanding for those currently ministering or wanting to minister in Urban communities.  Our guest post today comes from a dear friend and partner in Kingdom ministry.  Erick has a heart for young people and is a husband, father, lead worshiper, vocalist, songwriter and has been a celebrated on-air radio personality for Chicago’s top rated Moody Christian Radio.  Erick now host The Urban Message on Total Christian Media.  Notable guest on his show include nationally renowned recording artists Kirk Franklin, Richard Smallwood, Deitrick Haddon, Fred Hammond and Marvin Sapp.

 

 

 

I currently have lived in a Chicago urban setting for more than 10 years and am fortunate enough to have 20 plus years of rearing roots in rural and suburban dwelling places. I agree with JP Paulus’ assessment of issue #2 and believe issue #4’s answer also begins to develop in what most of us, no matter our current living arrangement, have fashioned little time to perfect…more on that later.

 

Today’s technology and social media have made it almost effortless to keep up with whomever we choose, but what about those who are assigned to us? Those who aren’t concerned about the ease of connection, rather wish to see valiant effort.  What about those who have connected with your urban youth group only because of proximity rather than preference? Or even those who can’t see anything other than their desperate need and desire to at the very least, not get lost in the dominant or sub-dominant culture’s priorities, whether on a macro or micro scale. More questions than answers and not by accident.

 

There is nothing more offensive to a young person than giving false testimony.  It is always better to say you don’t know or have yet to experience than to make something that happened to you “fit” into every urban context.  It is understood that we will have transplants or urban immigrants but the way the immigrant handles their adjustment period and assimilation, determines their own effectiveness. Stereotypes and assumptions only render you effective-less. So, is urban curriculum needed, YES!  Is urban curriculum the answer to doing urban ministry effectively, I say NO!

 

As we are finding our gathering of youth, inside and outside of church settings, becoming more and more diverse in culture and ethnicity, how can we expect a “good for the goose, good for the gander” curriculum to address the vast issues of the city?  A common mistake of same color equals same culture, I believe, imprisons us into a mentality of “one size fits all” and what worked for Tyrone will work for Tanisha. What we then fail to see is, Tyrone’s truth has more in common with Becky than he ever will with Tanisha. We have allowed the proof texting of Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” to keep us in a state of “Blind Denial,” when it comes to the diverse and connected issues of today’s youth. Why “Blind Denial” because we take the stance of the famous monkey statue “Hear No Evil, See No Evil” but we forget to “Speak No Evil.” We should instead be freed by that text into understanding that my differences ON the table don’t make us different in the eye of God thus I should be willing to treat my neighbor as myself. Not simply like I like it!

 

The urban places to gather are increasingly becoming places where, Red, Brown, Yellow, Black and White are all precious in the owner’s sight (LOL). As the dollar brings us closer together and the economics of today simply force us to actually spend money together, we mustn’t forget that after the transaction, we must live together. Now neighbors by the Bibles calling and by proximity have doubled the need to understand that my example and many others may not be in that workbook of yours.

 

We have all heard the argument of standardized test examples keeping underserved urban youth from excelling but what about the standardized youth group examples that instead of keeping you connected to youth drive you farther away from them and no closer to authentic relationship with Christ? Today’s multicultural, multi-ethnic youth group takes more devoted work than ever before. Which leads me to where I started, piggybacking off of JP Paulus…RELATIONSHIPS. Yes it was the driving force behind Christ’s walk here on Earth and it is the underlying rip current to successful or unsuccessful ministries…Urban or otherwise. When learned how to navigate, rip currents can be a great asset. When ignored, they can be the relational and spiritual deaths of you and all involved. The same is true for urban curriculum.

 

So what do we do as conduits of truth and leaders of our future leaders? Great question! Here are several practical “Duh” answers:

 

–       Be YOU. Don’t try to be anybody else…Period!

 

–       Admit you don’t know. Not only will you learn something new, you will begin to gain credibility.

 

–       Ask if the curriculum example is authentic. Don’t treat the curriculum as the Bible. IT can be wrong in the context of your  urban setting.

 

–       Be willing to look silly (old). There is nothing more rewarding than being laughed at because you were born before cell phones were invented then turned right around and being called on the cell phone and trusted to answer a question that will change their life today.

 

–       Build RELATIONSHIPS not religion. Urban dwelling, in itself, has its own religious practices, by definition of the word religion. In order to gain access to that world, one must be willing to spend the time it takes to establish trust and permission to reveal the way, truth and life.

 

Let’s pick our heads up out of the workbook and work the Book. What do you think? How can we be more effective with the urban curriculum that we have?

 

Please see the links posted by JP Paulus for practical places to further training. If you are feeling brave, there are plenty of hangouts for you to immerse yourself into the urban youth world. Ask for an invite, reply with those you know of and we can provide others.

 

You can hear me Weekdays from 11am-2pm CST on my radio show “The Urban Message” on www.tcmradiostation.com. I can be reached for bookings or comments at erick.townsend@gmail.com.

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Are Urban Leaders Effectively Plugging In?

GUEST POST: JP Paulus, Do-Gooder Consulting

 

 

In last week’s blog entry, David shared several great points.  One of these struck me in particular:

2. There are a significant number of urban leaders doing great things to engage and equip young people, but are not trying to hype it.

I have a view on this myself. I am a guy who grew up in the suburbs, but immigrated to the city, first in the Chicago North Side neighborhood of Uptown, and now in Chatham on the South Side.  I write that to say that I come from a culture that tells you that you are supposed to know everything and be self-sufficient, but it is also a culture that didn’t value deep interpersonal relationships, and certainly not ones that exposed weaknesses.

In my younger years, Uptown Baptist Church youth pastor Mark Colligan did a great job of helping in his volunteers (at one point, there were at least 8 of us!) connect with his ministry friends., introducing us to events like the KingdomWorks/CompassionWorks , and other city youth pastors such as Danny Lopez and Steve Laughlin.

What we saw as volunteers was Mark having REALATIONSHIPS – not simply doing a big event with little results. We saw lifelong relationships. (We DID do big events – but they were meaningful, and some lasted for years!)

And for me, it really ignited a passion of resourcing and connecting. And there’s a lot I could write, but I will try to keep it to a few brief thoughts (for now):

  • It can be very frustrating, at least in Chicago, to connect with people. Some have a particular agenda (such as political, or hyping their own ministry). Some are just super busy, and haven’t delegated networking to someone else.
  • Respect in the world I see here comes from consistency, and letting people see your heart over a long period of time. It’s not about how impressive or prefect things are (or appear to be) – but how real you are. Basically the same concept as effective youth ministry, only YOU are the one who will be ministered to.
  • Don’t let big events be the center of your connecting. I mean, projects are EASY to get excited about, and put a lot of energy into,  but you might not bear much long term fruit past a spiritual high.
  • People, especially in youth ministry, go through some hard seasons. Sometimes it’s God telling them to move on, but sometimes it might be that they simply need stop pouring OUT, and let someone pour INTO them (in conjunction with the Holy Spirit). But assume that person is you. (Especially those of us form the suburbs – we might “accidentally” go into Messiah complex)

Once you have plugged in with some people, your eyes will be opened to the community out there. So for example, the Reload one-day conference for urban youth workers, held at North Park University, can feel like a family reunion for those who have been a part of many such events.

And again, forgive my networking bias, but there are also secular events where we can also connect. And in the course of who we are, God will still bring out fellow believers to share a deeper connection.

My view is certainly limited, especially in a city with literally thousands of churches, and with that, millions of relationships and billions of stories. I would love to hear how you have experienced networking and connecting with the larger Christian community here in the city of Chicago or elsewhere.

I also invite you to check out a few of these resources as well. Between all of these, you can learn how to connect with fellow youth workers and get the tools you need to fulfill your calling.

North Park University –  http://northpark.edu/Centers/Center-for-Youth-Ministry-Studies/Reload-Urban-Youth-Worker-Conference/About-Reload = Reload conference information.

Urban Youth Network – https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/157392998144/?fref=ts = An interactive fellowship of pastors and volunteers with a heart for youth and a need for fellowship and support. Currently, their Facebook page is the best way to communicate.

Illinois College Access Network  – www.illinoiscan.org = A secular network of people and organizations who want to help youth (and adults) go to college.

Do-Gooder Consulting Blog – http://blog.do-gooder.us = The blog for my firm, Do-Gooder Consulting.

 

 

Is networking important to the success of urban ministry?  Join the conversation and tell us how you plug in. . .

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Debunking the Misperceptions, Misunderstandings and Misrepresentations of Urban Ministry

 

 

 

 

Today we will layout a foundational picture to help those with the intent of serving in urban communities across America understand what urban ministry is and isn’t and how to successfully minister to young people in your community.

In summary – The dynamics of urban ministry are like a Hologram composed of endless layers. Each layer with its unique idiosyncrasies adds many additional non-parallel layers, but all the layers are in relationship of varying impact and influence.

 

 

So let’s break this complex statement into a few of its distinctive:

 

 1.  Urban ministry is African, African American, Asian, Caucasian, Chinese, Haitian, Hispanic, and several other multicultural groups. 

For the last 10 years I have watched and witnessed a significant uptick in the number of groups, organizations and individuals from outside the urban community trying to come into the urban community with their definitions of urban and versions of “how to do urban youth ministry” curriculum and programs.  The conversation really starts with – how are you defining Urban?  Are you really trying to say minorities or are you looking at the intercity which is a melting pot of all different races, religions and denominations.  Tightly compacted groups of people trying to live together in harmony.  Each race living integrated with, next to or near other races.  Each community with it’s unique set of challenges.  Those challenges are community based not race based.

Implications: No one group defines urban ministry, no single solution exist to minister to urban young people.  Biblical principles or precepts are not racial they are inclusive.  Ministry is relational, the more we are in relationship with each other the better we can all minister to young people.

 

 

 2. There are a significant number of urban leaders doing great things to engage and equip young people, but are not trying to hype it.

I continuously see people from outside the urban communities come in with perceptions that they need to teach urban leaders how to do ministry.  They don’t take the time to first observe or listen directly to those currently ministering.  To ask questions and gain an understanding of what they are currently doing.  To engage in a dialogue of what they feel is and isn’t working and what is the uniqueness of the environment in which they minister.  They don’t seek out the successful leaders to avoid having to viewing them as equals.  I understand the concept – you associate with whom you know.  But like Nehemiah who unless he first assessed the damage and examined the degree of brokenness, couldn’t begin to know what that job would entail.

Implications: The view of those inside your circle can become limited and jaded based on false assumptions and bias.    Take the time develop relationships with leaders in the urban community and learn what they are doing.  Seek first to understand what the different leaders are doing.  You will find they have innovative ministries that they don’t spend time promoting; they just keep doing good things with young people.

 

 

 3. The issues of urban youth are not different from that of suburban and rural youth

Young people face a common set of issues across all communities.  The difference comes in the veracity and manifestation in each environment.   Sexual pressure, bulling, peer pressure, anger, gender identity, self-confidence, drugs and alcohol, respect for parents, rejection, violence, wise choices of music, media and friends.  It’s everywhere.  Some suburban and rural communities are experiencing these at a greater rate than some urban communities.

Implications: Don’t immediately assume every urban kids life experiences are negative.  The key is being relational and intentional in understanding the challenges your young people face and helping them use biblical principals to deal with these challenges within the context of the environment in which they exist.  Focus on bringing them from where they are to where they need to be.

 

 

 4. You need more than an urban curriculum to minister to urban youth. 

Everyone wants to be helpful and valuable, but there is no turnkey solution.  You must invest the time to understand the challenges young people face and prayerfully seek God for direction in helping ground them in the biblical solutions to the challenges they face.  If you travel across the country you will find different views of ministering to kids from city to city.  Contrasting views even within the different communities OF each city.  There are churches that are in desperate need of resources; on the other end there are churches that have significant resources.  There are Caucasian churches in the heart of what were traditionally black communities.  And there are black and Hispanic churches in wealthy communities.  There are international churches that speak only their native language and there are international churches that speak English.

Implications: There is no “one size fits all” turnkey solution, every ministry must be customized to fit the specific needs of its group in the context of the beliefs of its congregation.

 

 

5. There is no one person that can speak on behalf of the entire urban community

Each person can give you A perspective, not THE perspective.  When someone claims to be the “expert” in urban youth ministry, first ask him or her to describe the community from which they come, the resources available to them, the size of their congregation, the central focus of their ministry, the demographics of the people they minister to and their denominational background.  And then most importantly, have them compare that to another community in which they have served young people.  Not gone in and preached then left, but where they have actually served.

Implications: Those with the biblical responsible for bringing up the next generation of young people must be able to clearly discern the advice they are getting and the affects it will have on the lives of those young people under their unique care.  Listen to their experiences, but then run it through the filter of your specific community.  My father use to say – “chew the meat and spit out the bone”

 

 

 6. Hip Hop does not define the urban youth ministry culture

Culture varies from church to church and community to community.  Hip Hop is not the music of every urban person; baggie jeans and hoodies are not the choice of clothing for every person.  Too many stereotypes are attached to urban that only fit a segment of the population.  There are urban churches where young people are engaged and have a thirst for God.  Where parents are involved and men are engaged in the lives of young people.  There are churches with a mix of those attributes and unfortunately, there are churches with very little of this.

Implications: Taylor your approach to fit the uniqueness of the community in which you minister.  Understand there are kids that like opera, camping and who desire to play musical instruments.  Every young person does not want to be rappers, athletes or entertainers.

 

 

7. Urban Youth ministry does not have to replicate the secular world and move away from religion in order to be relevant and draw young people to Jesus Christ.

Young leaders are trying to define urban youth ministry as needing to mimic the secular world in dress, style, language and lingo.  There is quite a bit of rhetoric that the church is not relevant because it does not profess the social view they want to live under.  Why would someone want to be part of that which you continuously put down?  The reality is the Bible in Romans 12:1- 2 tells us to be separated from this world – To be in this world but not of this world.  And in the next verse it tells us to not think more highly of ourselves than we ought to.

The key to connecting is being relational; it’s about being real with young people.  Its not about trying to act like the them, to dress like them and talk like them.  That’s not how you connect with them.  When they see you have a genuine concern for them, the challenges they face and have the time to walk with them through their challenges.  When they see you care about them and this is not a platform for you to come up, you can draw them in.  Young people are looking for someone to look up to, individuals to model their lives after.   They follow more what you do then what you say.  So make sure your walk is representative of the life you want them to replicate.

If we continue to talk about the church not being relevant and talk down the actions of non-perfect people within the church; then young people will not want to be part of that.  We have to be seen encouraging one another, holding one another up during times of weakness, supporting one another.  Advocating, interceding and mediating on behalf of one another.  But a lot of time is spent putting down churches, church leaders and how what the church is doing is so wrong.

 

Implications: Young people become confused when we try to be the world.  Because we don’t do the world as well as the world, we look fake and phony to them.  And most importantly, it is the Word of God that saves young people not us.  So bring the Word to the young people.  It will not return void.

 

Let’s discuss these 7 distinctives, join the conversation.  Let’s hear your thoughts.  Did I miss any?  What would you add?  What additional clarity would you state?

 

Occasionally, I will have guest writers from all around the country that will bring you different perspectives so you can understand that urban ministries are as different as the leaves on the trees and the snowflakes that fall from the sky.  So you will be able to understand how to approach urban ministry in the demographic community in which you exist.  To help young people deal with the unique challenges they face.  Helping them to engage, discern and make good choices as they walk out their destiny.   Helping them to understand the importance of salvation and living a life that is pleasing to God.

 

So get ready to engage in a new understanding of urban ministry and the importance of Christian and secular leadership of God’s people.

 

Welcome to the conversation . . .