Every now and then I get back to my ministry alma mater, Inner City Impact, and speak in chapel. This week is their annual summer missionary orientation and and they asked me back to speak to the staff.
It brought back memories. 10 years ago, I was one of the full time staff welcoming the new summer workers. Good to catch up with old friends and also to meet the newer staff and summer staff. Also several members of ICI's team are beginning a new work in Cicero and are a part of our New Life Cicero location--very cool.
My talk was on "keys to urban ministry"--which gave me a good opportunity to review my own history in Chicago and think through what I've learned and what has been most important in my growth process. Here are the bullet points of what I shared (most of which I related back to Acts 17, my favorite "missional" chapter in the New Testament):
It brought back memories. 10 years ago, I was one of the full time staff welcoming the new summer workers. Good to catch up with old friends and also to meet the newer staff and summer staff. Also several members of ICI's team are beginning a new work in Cicero and are a part of our New Life Cicero location--very cool.
My talk was on "keys to urban ministry"--which gave me a good opportunity to review my own history in Chicago and think through what I've learned and what has been most important in my growth process. Here are the bullet points of what I shared (most of which I related back to Acts 17, my favorite "missional" chapter in the New Testament):
- Stay constantly engaged as a student and learner.
- Do things you're not supposed to do—always experiment.
- Be gospel-centered AND contextualized.
- Get some “Holy Stubbornness”.
- Most of urban ministry fruitfulness involves things anyone can do but few people actually accomplish.
- Work in an interdependent team or die.
- Sabbath.
- Expand your vision--see God's heart for the whole city.
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