Suppose God has called you to plant a church in the city, and you’re struggling simply to gather an initial core group to launch the new congregation. When someone asks you about small groups, you might wonder, “Do I really need to think about small groups? Why isn’t enough simply to have an outstanding Sunday morning worship experience and deal with groups later, after the church is growing?” If you think that gathering in small groups is optional, you need to listen to this episode of Urban Ministry Podcast. Today, my guest on the Urban Ministry Podcast is Brad House, the author of Community: Taking Your Small Group Off Life Support and the coauthor with Gregg Allison of the book Multichurch. The focus of our discussion is the unique dynamics of small groups in urban contexts and the need for small groups even in the early stages of church planting.
[Read More...]Podcast: Caring for the Souls of Singles in Urban Contexts
There are more than 100 million single adults in the United States. In 2016, 53% of adults in the United States were unmarried, and 64% of these individuals had never been married. Since an overwhelming percentage of singles are moving into urban contexts, urban congregations must learn to minister effectively with single adults. In this episode of the Urban Ministry Podcast, Lilly Park—professor of biblical counseling at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary—joins me to talk about how churches in the city can help single adults to pursue God’s calling for their lives.
[Read More...]Podcast: Caring for Your Soul in the City
Ministry is exhausting! But God’s calling is for us to “fight the good fight, keep the faith, and finish the race” well. If you want to finish the race well, it’s essential that you learn to care for your soul—but many of us have never received guidance when it comes to caring for our own souls. On today’s episode, I’ll be talking with two pastors—Nick Nye from Apostles Church Union Square in New York City and Charles Shannon from The Mission Church in Norfolk, Virginia—about the habits and disciplines that we need to care for our souls as pastors. If you’re tired and burnt out, or if you’re simply wanting to start well in ministry, this episode is for you.
[Read More...]Podcast: What I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Urban Ministry
Ministry is filled with surprises—but the types of surprises you face in ministry will be different, depending on your context. Paul, for example, urged Timothy against “myths and endless genealogies” in Ephesus—but the warning he gave to Titus in Crete was against “empty talkers and deceivers.” This week, our goal is to help you to pay attention to the unique challenges of the context where God has placed you. On today’s episode, Timothy Paul Jones talks with Charles Shannon of The Mission Church about the challenges he’s faced in his first year as an urban church planter.
[Read More...]Podcast: How the Inner City Became the Way It Is
To listen or to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, click here. The inner city is defined by poverty—literally. The inner city has been defined as a region in a metropolitan area in which 20 percent or more of households live in poverty and where the median household income is 50 percent or less than […]
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