Truths to Urban Church Planting

*The following is based on notes taken from a workshop led by Brian Moll and Jonathan Williams, both pastors in New York City.

The idea of church planting in a city is often romanticized but the reality is that the city can be a very difficult place to live. It is expensive due to cost-of-living increases, people come and go very quickly, and the constant flux exposes our weaknesses and demolishes our presuppositions.  If we are going to plant churches in the city, then we must not allow it to overwhelm us. The pressure from the city to mold ourselves to it, as well as the immense diversity, can leave us tired, broken, and damaged by the ministry. We must instead focus on these new challenges as ways God wants us to prayerfully depend on Him, not as ways we have to fix or change ourselves.

There are usually five mistakes people make when they move into the city to plant a church:

1. They become tourists. They take all they can from the experience of living in the urban culture but never see the city as their home. When we don’t root our lives in the city then it becomes very easy to leave when things get difficult.
2. They try to become like the urban culture around them. Be yourself, but be yourself in the city. Just because others stay up until two in the morning, spend large amounts of money on clothing or electronics, or live in really nice apartments, it doesn’t mean you have to. It is more important to live in the city as yourself, than allow the city to change you until you get worn out and move.
3. They create a separate community within the city. Churches in the city do a great job of reaching other Christians but if we are going to reach the non-believer, we have to contextualize the message to the language and methods of the city. Don’t assimilate into the culture around you, rather learn and engage it with the Gospel.
4. They see the city as an evil adversary. Make sure you see the city for the beautiful place it is, not just a place of wretchedness and depravity.  Most people think of the city as a place to escape, especially once you start a family. The city is a beautiful place full of diversity in the arts, cultures, ideas, music, food, people, and the list goes on and on. Additionally, it is important to understand the whole world is broken and in need of a Savior. Instead of focusing on the great sin around you, pray that God shows you the generous amount of beauty in your neighborhood and what it will look like when redeemed by the Gospel.
5. They strive to be the hero. Just because we plant a church in the city, doesn’t mean we are the city’s savior. There is only one Savior and it is Jesus Christ. We are but lowly, clay vessels of His grace. As those vessels, our role is to listen and preach the Gospel, praying that the Spirit works in people for their salvation.

All five of these can best be summed up by the following: WE LIVE IN THE CITY; WE ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE CITY; WE ARE FOR THE CITY.

Another area where nearly all Urban church planters want to grow is in their diversity. Yet, there is a huge difference in being a diverse church and church where minorities happen to go. If you are wanting to know if you are a diverse church or simply a church with a few minorities, then ask this: Does our worship style look more like the me or like my community?

If you are wanting to really face the issue of diversity within your church, here are a few suggestions:

1. Be intentional in asking questions and listening to those who are different than you. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to the people in your community about their spiritual lives and be prepared to listen to the responses. This will take purposeful time, energy, and investment.
2. Recognize you are inherently biased to your own culture. This is difficult to swallow but true. We all prefer to hang out with people who are like us. Why wouldn’t we? We are also wired to consider habits or rituals that are unusual to our culture as weird or ‘not right.’ For instance, pre-arrainged marriage is the norm for over a billion people who call India home but in the U.S. it is seen as a violation of the right to choose. Be careful of how you engage other cultures and pray that God would make you aware of your biases and that you aren’t forcing your preferences onto Scripture.
3. Pattern your worship service so it looks like the community. This refers back to suggestion #1 but can be difficult, especially if the community doesn’t like the same kind of music as you do. It doesn’t mean you give up the reins but that you are flexible, inclusive, and aware of your neighborhood when planning your worship services.
4. Don’t be afraid to address diversity amongst your leadership and congregation. When you are able to address the elephant in the room, you give others the freedom to discuss it too. It creates openness and honesty which helps build healthy Christian community, especially as we challenge each other with the Gospel.
5. Develop a sensitivity to other cultures and diverse issues. This is one that will need to be developed overtime but prayerfully strive to understand the cultures and nationalities present in your community and try to relate with them on their terms. For instance, in the Arabic culture it is shameful to shake hands with your left hand. It is a small but effective way to avoid creating distance between you and people you would like to share the Gospel with, even if you are left-handed.

There is a lot to consider when planting in an Urban context but still the greatest key remains: WE LIVE IN THE CITY; WE ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE CITY; WE ARE FOR THE CITY.

About christopherseay

I am a husband to a wonderful wife and father to two amazing boys. I am a church planter in Northeast Kansas City.

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Tagged with: Brian Moll, Culture, Diversity, Exponential, Five Mistakes, Gospel, Jonathan Williams, Urban Church Planting
Posted in Exponential Conference