Join the conversation on Urban Mission

Urban Mission At the time of the great missionary conference in Edinburgh in 1910, London was the only super-city in the world. At that time, nine percent of the world’s population lived in urban areas. In 1950 (only 50 years later) 27 percent of the world’s population lived in cities, and 73 percent of the world’s people lived on the land. 1996 marked the dawn of the Urban World, when, for the first time in human history, more than 50 percent of the earth’s population lived in cities. The growth continues. Worldwide, cities gain a million people a week. The United Nations – which offers the most conservative growth estimate – projects that by 2025 over 60 percent of the world's estimated 8.3 billion people will live in urban areas.

According to the World Heritage Centre, by 2020 the urban population of Asia will be around 2.5 billion, having doubled in 25 years. By then, more than half of the urban areas of the planet will be in Asia, and those urban areas alone will contain over one-third of the world’s population. The same organization predicts that the cities of Asia will be growing twice as fast as cities in the rest of the world.

Surely, God has a purpose in this.

In this conversation on Urban Mission, we want to explore the global dimensions of urbanisation and what it will take to mobilize congregations in the 250 largest city/regions of the globe to new forms of Christian witness and engagement. Second, we will look at contextual issues. These include the implications of tribalism and ethnic disorientation in African cities and the cause of Christian witness for the next decade. We also will look at the major issues in mission with slum communities in Asia and Latin America.

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What are the implications of urban growth and modernity to our ways of sharing the gospel?

How can the gospel be contextualized in pluralistic urban societies?

What is the meaning of the gospel to a person living in urban poverty?

How responsive is our theological education in preparing workers for urban mission?

Has the church contributed to the widening gap between the rich and the poor?

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Select a conversation below and post a response at the bottom of that conversation page. Or start a new conversation by contributing an article, blog, video or other relevant content on the featured topics.

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: Emmanuel M. Luna
Philippines

: gsmith
Canada

: CPER4HIM
Sweden

: Cody Lorance
United States

: fletcher
United States

: Ruth Padilla Deborst
Costa Rica

: Carlos Scott - Mision GloCal
Argentina

: ontheedge
China

: Willy Kotiuga
Canada

: raineer
Philippines

Featured Conversations

: Urban Poor Development Strategies
By raineer | Cape Town 2010 Advance Paper
Philippines
Topics: Urban Mission
: Globalisation, Secularity, Hyper-individuality and the Mission of God
By gsmith | Blog
Canada
Topics: Globalization, Urban Mission, Truth & Pluralism
: Contextualization of the Word in a Diverse World
By Emmanuel M. Luna | Blog
Philippines
Topics: Urban Mission
: What Is God’s Global Urban Mission?
By Tim Keller | Cape Town 2010 Advance Paper
Australia
Topics: Urban Mission
: THE FLOOD: Then and Now
By Emmanuel M. Luna | Blog
Philippines
Topics: Urban Mission

Recent Responses

: Great discussion and conclusion. I know of North Koreans living in South Korean cities who cannot be reached easily by South Korean Christians. The refugees…
helbling - 08.09.2010 - In Response To:
Is People Group Thinking still relevant in today’s more-urban world?
: I once heard it said that we are often like a drunk man climbing on a horse, we fall off either side. We love to…
Pete_Houston - 07.09.2010 - In Response To:
Is People Group Thinking still relevant in today’s more-urban world?
: Rainner, Thank you for providing some concrete ways of dealing with urban development. Our faith and beliefs have to be translated into actions that can…
Emmanuel M. Luna - 05.09.2010 - In Response To:
Urban Poor Development Strategies
: As an urban planner, your discussion on the theology of the cities provides me with a more wholistic perspective. I will be moderating the multiplex…
Emmanuel M. Luna - 05.09.2010 - In Response To:
What Is God’s Global Urban Mission?
: Here is a case study of an urban church to add to your argument: http://conversation.lausanne.org/en/conversations/detail/10826
Pete_Houston - 01.09.2010 - In Response To:
Outward-facing, life-affirming and well-informed: only the best will serve our cities
: Thanks for the helpful article. I do have a question. I am not sure that it is right to say that Paul’s missionary strategy was…
Andrew_Southerton - 31.08.2010 - In Response To:
What Is God’s Global Urban Mission?
: Thanks for the response. While I have worked in other countries, it has always been with indiginous believers. I appreciate hearing from someone who has…
LCKeeney - 31.08.2010 - In Response To:
Should we allow culture to inform our values?
: Warrick, excellent question, I’d suggest in the spirit that Tim has presented that is through regular believers living and discipling among the lost and not…
Samuel Hershey - 28.08.2010 - In Response To:
What Is God’s Global Urban Mission?
: What would this look like in a city that is 99% Muslim? Keller mentions that even with pre-existing churches this would take place “over decades.” …
Warrick Farah - 28.08.2010 - In Response To:
What Is God’s Global Urban Mission?
: Tim, I was just sent this website article by an expert on cities ... Why the 21st century will be dominated by the city -…
Samuel Hershey - 28.08.2010 - In Response To:
What Is God’s Global Urban Mission?

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