Ministry in a Multi-Cultural and Unchurched Society

Ses s i on 1: Tra i n i ng Cros s -Cu l tura l Mi n i s ter s 21

F. Respond to the urgency of the need: the ever burgeoning urban poor.

G. Quote: Join us in equipping laborers to plant churches among the poor.

“Some people ask, ‘Don’t we have enough churches already?’ The answer is ‘No!’ For example, metropolitan Los Angeles has ten million people of which eight million are unchurched. If we planted 100 churches for each of the next 25 years (the average church in America has around 100 members) . . . “. . . we would have reached 500,000 people, leaving seven and one half million unchurched. We will not have enough churches until every person is in one. We encourage all evangelical churches to join with us in a massive cross cultural church planting effort among the urban poor” (Dr. Keith Phillips, Out of Ashes ).

H. Pray earnestly, give generously, serve faithfully until the urban poor populate the New Jerusalem: “raise up an army, O God!”

I. Bottom line: A sign in Hudson Taylor’s home with two words: Ebenezer and Jehovah-jireh (“Hitherto as the Lord helped us,” and “The Lord will provide”)

J. Challenge: Sell out everything to the Christian story.

Indeed, to be a Christian is to be in the business of kissing frogs and nursing ugly ducklings, for nothing is as it appears to be. Nothing in heaven or on earth can prevent the Kingdom of God from coming to the cities of America and the world. Nothing! Forgive me please, but I am unashamedly fanatic concerning this glorious vision . . . “ A fanatic is someone who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject ” (Winston Churchill).