Urban Ministry and Racial Reconciliation
June 17, 2010 – 3:56 pmUpdate: Download Jason Ormiston’s urban ministry seminar notes.
On Tuesday, we had the privilege of hosting an Urban Ministry Seminar at the Crossroads House (the ministry center for the Wayne State University Campus Bible Fellowship) with Dr. Jason Ormiston (see bio below).
The seminar dealt with the rise of cities and the proper Christian response to them (Session 1); the issues that urban ministers must face, such as poverty and homelessness and how churches can respond (Session 2); and some suggestions for developing church leadership and adjusting seminary training to meet the needs of a growing urban world (Session 3).
With Jason’s educational background and urban church planting experience he was able to combine theological and practical issues1 in these sessions. I’m sure the audio of the sessions will be a great help in stimulating your thinking on these important matters.
Listen to the audio of the seminar:
Session 1 - The Rise of Cities and the Proper Christian Response to Them
Session 2 - Issues that Urban Ministers Must Face
(To download these mp3s, right-click the link and select the option “Save As” or “Save Link As”)
On Tuesday evening, Jason delivered a powerful message at Inter-City Baptist Church on racial reconciliation, using Ephesians 2:11-21 as his text. His broad outline was:
1. Apart from Christ we were divided (11-12)
2. In Christ we are united (13-21)
He emphasized that reconciliation of any kind is only truly possible through Jesus Christ, so to try to promote secular unity and reconciliation will ultimately prove futile. However, the blood of Christ has united diverse believers into one body, so we must live out this unity within the church. He ended with five points of application:
1. Confess your sin of racism (we may be surprised to see the prejudice in our own hearts when we are honest enough to consider it)
2. Preach the gospel to yourself daily (recognize your own sin and the grace of Christ in your life)
3. Treat others as image-bearers of God (e.g., don’t engage in racial jokes; don’t view someone as simply “the bus kid” but as someone made in God’s image)
4. Pray for unreached people groups (it’s hard to hold hatred for others when you’re praying for them)
5. Reflect on the foundational truths that are common to all mankind (e.g., we are all made in God’s image; we are all sinful; etc.)
Though this issue is not an easy one to consider, it is a very important one. I strongly urge you to listen to the message and consider how to live out these truths in your own life.
Listen to the message: “Racial Reconciliation Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ” (To download this mp3, right-click the link and select the option “Save As” or “Save Link As”)
Jason Ormiston is a professor at Bob Jones University and is leading a church plant in Powdersville, SC. He has eleven years of urban church planting experience, having helped start two urban churches in Minneapolis, MN. Jason recently completed a Doctor of Ministry in Urban Missions from Westminster Theological Seminary in Glenside, PA.
1 Jason gives a very helpful suggestion regarding handing out money to those in need at the end of session 2:
I make it a principle that I can be taken for $20 every month. In other words if someone asks me for some money, I have set aside at least $20 out of my budget to give them, because I want to know that I’m not developing callouses around me, or fortresses around me, when people are saying, “Hey man, you got five bucks.” “You know what, ya, the truth is that I do have five bucks that I haven’t given away.”
