Global Outreach Website

Jul 23

Many people assume that cities are inherently evil; at least in the small town that I come from.  It’s believed that we should avoid the city and the problems that it presents. When it comes to ministry some believe that cities have had their chance, so our focus should be on more remote unreached parts of the earth. Not cities.

But God loves cities, and calls us to minister in them. (Jeremiah 29:7) There are many confused and hurting people in cities. In cities there are amazing opportunities for gospel centered transformation.  Cities inherently lead the way of social and cultural development for the rest of the region and country. The way a city goes, so goes the culture. As we hope to see the coming of God’s Kingdom, we also trust to see Gospel centered transformation of global cities.  

Why Now?

You may be thinking cities have always been around, cities have always impacted change, why is there a newfound emphasis on the city?

God moves in culture and circumstances. Many great movements of God have occurred in conjunction with great unavoidable cultural shifts, i.e. Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution. 

There are currently unprecedented shifts in global culture towards the city. Two of them are:

 1. Urbanization - There has been a phenomenal move of the world's population to the city. As The Economist reports, about 200 years ago only 3% of the world's population lived in cities. Now the majority of the world's population lives in urban areas. This urban growth is only predicted to continue; by 2030 two thirds of the world's population is expected to be urban. This influx of population also represents opportunities; as diversity and intensity increase city-dwellers become more open to new ideas and beliefs, like the Gospel..

2. Globalization - Another recent global shift is the rapid growth of interconnectedness of countries, regions, and most dynamically cities. Ideas, economies, and cultures of various cities are becoming integrated despite the geographical separation that has historically kept them apart.  So not only are there more people in the cities themselves, but because of the impacts of globalization urban centers have a much larger sphere of influence than ever before.

When you combine the sudden urbanization of world population with the overwhelming influential reach of globalized cities we can only trust that God is on the wake of a major movement in our world. As the director of Global Outreach, Tom Mullis, has pointed out,

“God is moving uniquely in our time to bring the bulk of unreached people into world-class cities. … When you consider reaching the unreached people of the world that will most strategically be able to change the world, global cities are the inevitable conclusions for investment.”

We are excited and find joy in being a part of the great work that God is preparing to do in and through Global Cities.