The Timothy Conference

T H E T I M O T H Y C O N F E R E N C E S E S S I O N E I G H T

Understanding the Support and Oversight Structures Part 2: The Vision of The Urban Ministry Institute: Multiplying Laborers for the Urban Harvest Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis

The Problem: The Emerging City and Neglect of the Church

I. The Need to Mobilize and Equip Urban Workers For the Massive Urban Harvest.

The church of the city needs to be mobilized for Kingdom proclamation and advancement.

A. The challenge of the city itself to the Kingdom.

1. Population growth: Over six billion people; in 1900 there were only about 1.6 billion, and as recently as 1970, only 3.7 billion. Almost four times as many people in 2000 as 1900 (WCE2, 1:4). 1 Most populous continent is Asia 3,683 million, Africa, 784 million, Europe, 729 million, Latin America 519 million, North America 310 million, and Oceania 30 million. (Asia, Africa, and Latin America comprise 82% of the world’s population!)

1

World Christian Encyclopedia , 2nd ed, 2002

2. Complex, ethnic diversity: over 160 distinct languages spoken, numbering well over 60 million people, drawn to urban areas for economic, social reasons.

3. Bastion of power, influence, civilization, and control: the modern city as the symbol and sign of human civilization, the seat of commerce, industry, politics, military, business, education, jurisprudence, religion, entertainment, athletics, government, medicine, etc.

B. The benign neglect of the evangelical church.

1. As of 2000, 419,000 Christian workers are serving God outside of their home countries (this numbers includes missionaries of all traditions, Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican, independent, and marginal Christian). The U.S. is the largest mission sending and receiving country on earth, sending 118,200 missionaries to other countries and received 33,200.

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