Renewal City Ministry

Vision

Theological Basis

Shalom, commonly translated in English as “peace”, in the Hebrew carries a far deeper and broader meaning. In order to better understand this concept of Shalom, we have to first understand that the world was created in God’s wisdom and has design and order (Proverbs 3:19). Thus, in Genesis 1:31, God describes his creation as “very good”. Shalom, simply put, is a term that finds basis and describes that original good creation.

It is the way the world was supposed to look like before sin permeated creation. It is the picture of a world where everyone is interconnected and interdependent in community, and lives for the advantage of others, even in situations that would disadvantage themselves.

The metaphor used by Tim Keller is that of a fabric. This world was not created by God just throwing a bunch of strings on top of each other. Rather He, in His great wisdom, interwove the strings to create a beautifully woven fabric. When sin entered the world, metaphorically speaking, this fabric began to unravel in all facets of creation. Biological, psychological, social, economic, aesthetic arenas of creation were broken. This view orients our perspective on the world away from the incorrect dichotomy of secular versus religious to the more accurate, broken versus redeemed. In this perspective, we must broaden our view of the person and work of Christ on the cross, as not just individual salvation, but as the beginning of redemption for the whole of creation.

In the meantime, we see that human history starts in the Garden but ends in a city (Revelation 21). The very design of cities isn’t outside of God’s plan for the world, but rather the essence of how He chose human history to manifest itself. Despite sinful aberrations, cities are designed to be hubs of government/politics, of finance, of medicine/health care, of fashion/trends, of arts/culture, of education, of entertainment, and virtually all facets of society.

If Christians want to transform not just individuals but cultures and societies, we would strategically want to reach the cities. We see this emphasis in Apostle Paul’s church planting ministry which targeted the biggest cities in his day (i.e. Rome, Ephesus, Thessalonica, and Athens). There’s no biblical mandate that every Christian is called to full time urban ministry or even to live in the city. But if we think about the body of Christ as a whole, and if we believe that we are God’s instrument of shalom to the world, the church must include a vision to influence every facet of the city.

On another note, the city is where the church can demonstrate the most sacrificial acts of mercy to those who need them the most. Part of the city’s design is to shelter the weak and the poor. The encryption on the Statue of Liberty (Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free) speaks to the universal function of cities as places of refuge. On this canvas, the church can paint a beautiful picture of God’s merciful love in action, thereby providing a witness that’s much more powerful than words alone.

Purpose

To stimulate the implementation of urban ministries at Renewal Presbyterian Church through:

1. Teaching the strategic purpose of urban ministries for the gospel proclamation in the entire region;
2. Teaching and communicating needs;
3. Offering opportunities for short term exposure;
4. Assisting established ministries sustain long term growth;
5. Establish and maintain a mercy/organizational support pool;
6. Promoting a community of families and individuals committed to living and serving in the city.

Structure

City Ministries will be organized into four teams: Mercy Ministry Team, Social Action Team, Education Team, and Networking Team. Each of the four teams is responsible for various aspects of City Ministries (see below). Each team leader is expected to raise awareness within the church and network with individuals and groups outside the church. For various ministries that will be considered para-church organizations but continues to receive significant operational support from the church (e.g. Quo Vadis), the overseeing elder shall sit on the board of those organizations or shall be provided other meaningful way to offer input over ministry decisions.

Ministry Methods

1. Teaching the strategic purpose of urban ministries for the gospel proclamation in the entire region;
   Lead team: Education Team
   Examples of initiatives and activities:
• Bi-Annual Urban Conference
• Preparing group discussion material on urban theology and mercy ministries.
2. Teaching and communicating needs;
   Lead team: Education Team, Networking Team
3. Offering opportunities for short term exposure;
   Lead team: Mercy Ministry Team, Social Action Team, Networking Team
   Examples of initiatives and activities:
• Quo Vadis, Teen Vision, and Lighthouse events
• Monthly prayer walks rotating in different neighborhoods/areas of the city.
• Participation in para-church mercy ministries
4. Assisting established ministries sustain long term growth;
   Lead team: Mercy Ministry Team, Social Action Team, Networking Team
   Examples of initiatives and activities:
• Quo Vadis
5. Establish and maintain a mercy/organizational support pool;
   Lead team: Mercy Ministry Team, Networking Team
   Examples of initiatives and activities:
• Providing for felt needs of the families and individuals that we serve.
• Ministry support for various organizations that do city ministries.
6. Promoting a community of families and individuals committed to living and serving in the city.
   Lead team: Networking Team
   Examples of initiatives and activities:
   
   • Bi-monthly fellowship and prayer meeting

Click HERE for more info on our Quo Vadis program.

(September 30, 2007)