A Call to the City
by Mark Kramer
I recently stepped into a southern California neighborhood corner store, the kind of small store that's replete with soda pop, beer, beef jerky, Tostitos and a minimal selection of over-priced canned goods. Four boys played on the entrance steps, the tallest pivoting his two-wheeled scooter underfoot while talking loudly and sternly to the others. I found out later from a woman on the street that the corner store sells alcohol to some of these children. As I nudged past them the smallest boy, shirtless and in yellow shorts, darted for the inside. As he crossed the store's threshold, a colorful bill dropped from his hand and fell to the concrete, dollar-sized with ornate, interlaced designs, shapes and swirls, all of it printed in red.
I abruptly stopped. What's this kid doing with foreign money? I thought. Where'd he find such a thing? But then I noticed the bold print across the face of the bill: "Food Coupon." In that moment I felt innumerable emotions: a sense of irony, sadness, embarrassment at my own privilege. What I thought was exotic yet useless in this context, was actually this kid's usual and useful fare to purchase food, even if only a bag of chips or a Coke.
Later, I reflected upon the juxtaposition of this African American child living in a low-income neighborhood reputable for drug dealing and gang conflicts, and myself, a middle-class white guy with money in my wallet and a secure plane ticket home, away from any corner store, drug activity, or any kind of urban setting at all if I so chose. I tote a credit card and have "purchasing power." He fists a food coupon and is therefore allowed to eat today.
I do not pity that child, so much as I desire for him to live in security and justice. What must my response be, as a Christian, to this evident inequality?
Clearly Jesus' mandate is to share the Gospel with the poor, be it through loving word or deed. The early followers of Christ told others about Jesus and simultaneously sought equitable material ties. We read that, "Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common." (Acts 4:32) Without much spiritual haranguing, I can believe that God's command is to serve the poor and give to those who are in need. (Matthew 25:31-46) Today's cities possess an exponentially growing number of poor and not only do they live in material inequality, but a large portion of the poor live without Jesus.
The urban center is a complex place. Millions of people, of a variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds, speaking myriad languages, live and work, fight and play together. From corporate executives to mop pushers in the local diner, from slum dwellers to suburbanite commuters, cities draw diverse people into one bustling locale. I find that I must scrutinize my own responsibilities to the urban poor, but how am I to replicate the early believers' models of evangelism and equality in such a complicated place?
There's plenty of need outside of the city. And Jesus didn't spend all of his time in cities. It seems a ridiculous notion to exhort everyone of privilege to descend upon the city in one mass siege of service. What does it mean to serve the poor of the city? And what's my role?
I believe God is a God of purpose and design. I believe he calls us to love the poor. Many of the poor live in the mega-cities of the world. The real question then is this: Is serving the urban poor my specific calling?
I know some folks who are called to serve in the city.
Jason Johnson works at a NASA jet propulsion laboratory during the day but his evenings are filled with ministry in a low-income community in Pasadena, California, particularly with at-risk boys. He's been doing this for almost five years now and presently he is the Executive Director of a young Christian community development called Northwest Neighbors of Pasadena.
Donna Irwin, the Program Director of Northwest Neighbors, discovered her interest in urban ministry through a short-term urban mission experience. Then, upon earning a Sociology degree from University of California at Irvine, Donna and some like-minded friends moved into an area of urban need. Donna discerned that the city is the place to which God has called her to minister and she's been doing so for six years now.
Donna and Jason each believe in and pursue a call to the urban poor. But how, specifically, did each of them come to such a bold conclusion?
Viv Grigg left the comfort of his New Zealand pastorate to live and minister among the poorest of the poor in Metro Manila, in the Philippines, where thousands live as shantytown squatters. He experienced a growing discomfort with affluent complacency and eventually discovered this call to live among the urban poor as a witness to Jesus. That was twenty years ago. Today he leads others to serve in the cities of the world. Like many, he believes we need an even greater influx of servants to the city. He writes: "In the next few years, there needs to be an ever-growing stream, a new thrust to these dirt-and-plywood jungles. We need bands of people who, on fire with the message of Christ's kingdom, will choose a lifestyle of simplicity to proclaim that kingdom to the poorest of the poor." (Grigg, 190) The question of discerning a call to the city becomes critical.
Bringing Scripture to Bare
We can begin by looking at Jesus' example. In the fourth chapter of Luke, Jesus tells his early followers, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18,19) He clearly identifies himself with the poor and commanded us to do the same (Matthew 25:31-46) and his compassion for those in need is deep and present (Matthew 9:36; Mark 8:2). We also learn from Scripture of God's impending judgement upon those who do not care for the poor (Ezekiel 16:49-50, Amos 2:6-16).
Tom Pratt, one of the founders of Servant Partners, an urban missions agency, sees Scripture as integral to understanding God's heart for the poor. He says that, ". . . the basic issue, much like anything else, is bringing the Scripture to bare." In considering the specific roles that young people can play in urban service, he adds, "Students on campus can understand issues of justice, of God's concern for the poor and it's their opportunity to participate."
John Perkins has established multiple urban ministries and been involved for many years with issues of biblical justice and economic development, particularly within the black community in the United States. He holds similar convictions regarding what Scripture tells us. In Beyond Charity, he writes that, "God's will has objectives. And one of God's main objectives is liberation, to liberate the oppressed, to offer new and more abundant life." (Perkins, 141) Perkins looks to the Bible to draw such a conclusion. The Bible depicts the despotic results of oppression and poverty caused by rebellion against God's Word:
"As we look at Scripture, especially the Old Testament, apostasy almost always resulted in economic oppression. The Book of Judges shows that Israel's spiritual enslavement to idols resulted in their own physical enslavement by their neighbors. The prophets denounced the people of Israel when they worshipped other gods and oppressed their own brothers and sisters. This oppression always brought God's judgement, their own collapse, and sometimes captivity. A total liberation, spiritual and physical - that is the objective of God's will." (Perkins, 142)
God's general will is for his people to love him and to love one another (Matthew 22:36-40). Throughout Scripture, we also learn that he desires to see us love the poor, bring the good news, and seek their liberation. Once we grasp this reality, we must go the next step and consider our own, personal callings. Perkins continues, "I could never have survived the ministry we have had all these years without the knowledge of God's will and the confidence of his call on my life and the life of my family. It is my conviction that God's specific summoning to service in our world involves two steps: learning God's will and hearing his call on our lives." (Perkins, 139)
Discerning God's Will
As we gain an understanding of God's character in Scripture, the next step is to consider his will for our individual lives. "But the call of God," Perkins writes, "is where my feelings, my talents, my very gut response to God makes a difference, because it is a summons to a special place or situation in which I can do God's will with the special and unique equipment he has provided me . . . we are looking for the opportunity in which we can be of greatest use for the kingdom, and where we can, as a result, feel the greatest sense of personal satisfaction and fulfillment." (Perkins, 144)
Not that such a calling is discovered on one's own. God's ultimate goal is to glorify himself through his people as an entire body of believers (Ephesians 1:18, 3:10). God may desire for us to use our individual gifts, but he'll also make us accountable to others in fellowship and use others to help us develop our gifts. In such a context of support, we may even discover unexpected gifts or callings.
Often, God's blesses us with a vision for cross-cultural missions when we are being faithful with responsibilities he's already given us (Luke 16:10, 19:17). Jason, for example, was involved at USC in his student fellowship in coordinating missions involvement. He helped send a group of students on a short-term trip to India, then provided an environment of support and fellowship upon their return. Over time, God has entrusted Jason with more and more ministry challenges. Today, in radical fashion, he has the vision and skills to focus his life entirely upon cross-cultural service in the city.
Personal calling may be connected to personal circumstances. Tom Pratt notes that the best people to minister to gang members or drug addicts are in fact former gang members or former drug users. Such people are able to "use that same cultural structure, but they use it for the Gospel," he says. They develop fellowships that have a kind of "gang structure."
Our personal calling will inevitably become inextricably intertwined with our relationship to God. John Perkins, in reflecting upon his commitment to work in Jackson, Mississippi, states that "For me to leave would have been to deny something that I knew about the character of God himself and his faithfulness. I would have had to deny some of what I knew about his will and the personal way that he finally called me." (Perkins, 145)
Practical Experience
In light of her growing interest in urban ministry, Donna wrestled, like many do, with post graduation plans: "When I was graduating," she says, "I was faced with this decision: should I stay on campus, stay in campus ministry, or . . . what should I do with what I was starting to sense was a calling to urban ministry? But I really felt like God spoke to me and said, Well, you've seen who I am in this context, but I have a whole lot more to show you of who I am." Donna found that as she gained a greater understanding of how God views our responsibility to the poor, he did in fact have a call on her own life to be in the city. Part of the discernment process for her included practical experience in urban ministry. She participated in summer Urban Projects and, after doing so, Donna found her view of the world deeply altered. "I left the urban project knowing that I wanted to move back into an inner city neighborhood and start a ministry. So it was just a matter of praying and discerning where . . . "
For his part, Jason studied at University of Southern California in south central Los Angeles where he early on discovered a call to serve the urban poor. He was highly influenced by the challenge of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship staff workers to serve in the city, as well as through a summer Chicago Urban Project. His initial urban experience, in fact, proved to be a kind of "testing" of God. Once Jason survived what proved to be a fiercely challenging summer - especially on a spiritual level- he concluded that God was faithful and that he had confirmed Jason's calling. Like Donna, Jason found that the challenge to encounter God in the city has been part of the appeal in serving.
By participating in a summer project for a period of five or six weeks, Donna and Jason were able to work at various ongoing ministry sites, connect with local folks, get to know people, work with children, spiritually and mentally process all that they saw and learned. Basically, they had a chance to "get to the streets," as Dennis Ortega puts it. Dennis is the Director of the Lincoln Heights Tutorial Program, a mission focused upon mentoring and teaching students in an urban neighborhood.
While such experience is critical, Dennis warns anyone coming to the city with a glamorized view of what to expect in his or her urban ministry involvement. Most likely, he says, they wont be " . . . witnessing thousands of gang members coming to know the Lord, in tears before you. It doesn't work that way. We work one person at a time."
Dennis adds that a short-term urban ministry experience can also help students discern when urban ministry is not for them.
"A lot of folks can get a strong call or they'll come out saying, This really isn't for me. There's no way I could do this. Or God's going to have to work on me for the next ten years to get me to be a person who could do this long-term . . . That, that was enough. My background, the way I'm made, I can't do this. I can't handle the poverty. But other folks say, It doesn't matter where I was headed, what degree I was headed for, or the money or whatever, this is what God's calling me to. I'm going to lose all this other stuff and I'm going to get into (urban ministry)."
Once they've discerned a call, many students utilize their time back on campus, in classes or other involvements, to further their urban knowledge and prepare for ministry.
Tom Pratt echoes the belief that urban missions isn't for everyone and that a short-term experience can help in the discernment process. Some young people who begin service in the city don't continue such labor for the long haul. "We try to help people to actually leave if it's clear that it's not a call for them," Tom says. "We don't try to tell everybody this is for every Christian. It isn't, obviously . . . It's a very unique thing."
Get in Touch With Reality
One of the reasons urban ministry experiences are so helpful in understanding one's call is that they serve as a reality check. Dennis feels the difficulty of such an experience can help an individual relate to the daily lives of many urban dwellers.
"You get into buildings that are hot and you gotta work with kids and you got a fan blowing on you and you're sweating to death and you say, Gee, why don't they have air conditioning? . . . Most of these kids, they have to deal with this day in and day out . . . None of these schools have air conditioning and they're sweating to death. They have to make the grades on not only sub-standard teaching conditions and overcrowded classrooms, but if it's ninety degrees outside, it's ninety degrees or hotter in their classrooms. Windows are open, fans are blowing and they got to stay awake and study. And here their papers are sticking to their hands, their sweat. And then they have to come home and be in a cramped little house with a lot of kids screaming and stereos blazing and the television's going on and the gang folks are hanging and someone's smoking something over here, folks are fighting over there and they're drinking over here, slapping each other around and you're sweaty and you're hot and you got to study. You got to get homework done. You got to study for that test tomorrow and you got to take SATs and you got to try to get to college. My hat's off to these kids when they can get in (to college)."
Jason and Donna are experiencing the rigors of ministry in such a setting. When the demands are so great, and the resources so sparse, needs are often met through their own time, energy, and personal sacrifice. Jason, between his job at NASA and his roles as a youth pastor and Director of Northwest Neighbors, regularly works very long hours every day of the week. He's forced to switch contexts between employment and ministry by the minute. But Jason is comfortable with these demands.
"There's just a lot of overlap. One phone call will be somebody from an organization that needs me to be at a meeting at 3 o'clock in Los Angeles. Next, I'll have a meeting with my boss and he has a deadline for a program that I need to have fixed for a customer by the end of the day and then a youth will call me and say, I need help with an essay that's due tomorrow!" Jason adds, " I take sleep very seriously."
As the Program Director of Northwest Neighbors, Donna experiences few "typical" weeks. Her afternoons are filled with Bible studies, Bible study preparation, after school tutoring and spending time with neighborhood girls. She works part-time with another, local non-profit as well as with the owners of the apartment complex in which Northwest Neighbors serves, coordinating services to the residents. Donna's evenings involve relational time with neighborhood residents, particularly with the girls in her Bible studies.
Fortunately, amidst all this busy activity, Donna and Jason, among other means of staying refreshed and focused upon Jesus, take Friday mornings as a time of concerted prayer and Sabbath.
Counting the Cost
Such a reality check begins to shed light upon the cost of being in urban ministry. But many costs are more tangible, sometimes financial. Jason has personally incurred much loss at the hands of boys in his Bible studies who steal from his apartment or even destroy things to express their anger. Again, Jason seems to take this in stride, a response that highlights his devotion to God over money as well as his devotion and love for the kids.
As the gospel calls us to identify with the poor, an insatiable drive for selfish financial success will prove incompatible to ministry in the city. Tom Pratt says students need to consider their motives and ambitions even as they begin college. "You've got be asking questions . . . Why are people in college in the first place? What's the real goal here? Is it to prepare yourself for service to your neighbor, or is it to primarily prepare yourself to be financially and socially successful in life? Don't misunderstand me. I don't think those things are necessarily always mutually exclusive, but you do have to make choices of what you value in life." Tom adds, "I think if you're going to work among the poor, there has to be a commitment to a certain level of simple living."
Beyond financial costs, some urban settings present real physical dangers. Derek Perkins, co-director of Harambee Christian Family Center in Pasadena and son of John Perkins, recalls the violence he's had to face in a neighborhood that, though greatly improved over the past few years, has been riddled with drug activity and gang violence. He tells the story of a particular night many years ago in which he and his father were threatened by their neighbors. They even heard gunshots go off within their neighbor's home. But Derek and his father felt they needed to stand their ground, show their neighborhood that they'd committed to live and minister in that place in Jesus' name regardless of the consequences. Derek tells the story,
"I'm standing out there saying, I'm gonna get killed. What do I do? Do I just go in (my house) like I'm scared or something? Do I stand there? . . . So I just sat down there on the porch for about an hour, thinking, I'm ready to get killed . . . So hey, it's okay. Okay, God, this is it. It's me and the world and it's your choice . . . and I'm totally scared, totally scared, but courage is the ability to stand in the presence of fear and do what God wants. And I just felt like he wanted me to be there and I just waited. They're still over there cussing and cussing and cussing and pretty soon they stopped cussing and a couple of them leave and it's over. And I say, "I can go to bed now." And I come back to the house and go to sleep."
Not every servant to the urban poor faces such a drama, but all must be cognizant of such a possibility. Other real costs to an urban minister can include sickness, the loss of security and comfort, and, in some situations, a commitment to celibacy or the postponement of having children for married couples. Viv Grigg, working in Manila, experienced physical and spiritual angst.
Along with the feeling of aloneness, I felt Satan attack wave after wave. Fever lasted several days; I experienced an unpleasant rash; doubt and discouragement sought to overwhelm. The constant failure, that is a normal part of any ministry and of culture shock, continued. (Grigg, 114)
Still, even in simple and sometimes precarious living situations, the call isn't necessarily to be destitute. In fact, for "tentmakers" like Jason and Donna, people who work at a paying, secular, job while also being involved in ministry, the call may be to earn a decent living and in turn be wildly generous with personal, financial blessings.
Motivation
Human need cannot be the sole motivation for an urban minister. Otherwise, they'll burn-out in face of never ending needs. Urban servants will not survive long if their reason for giving is personal guilt over being a "have" in an environment of "have nots."
Nor can the implementation of "successful" programs be our motivation. Urban ministry is unpredictable and difficult. From day to day it's sometimes unclear as to which program or approach will best reach a group of people with the Gospel, or what service will adequately provide the day's food for a family. We may attempt to gain the favor of God or those around us by coordinating seemingly slick programs and remaining loyal to these programs in almost idolatrous fashion, and in the process forget the people whom we're serving. We cannot enter the city to serve out of pride.
We must identify ourselves with the urban poor as a means of pursuing God's most basic commands, to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." (Deuteronomy 6:5) and to "love your neighbor as yourself." (Leviticus 19:22)
Modeling
Finally, it's important to study models of urban ministry being done today. People need to see that, " . . . it can be done," says Tom Pratt. "We need working models."
Dennis Ortega finds that such modeling occurs in short-term missions projects where students are able to gain " . . . exposure, see other role models, see folks running the sites, talk to people and ask a lot of questions." Dennis, a college graduate and former InterVarsity student, sees himself as a kind of mentor to students as he has experiences and background in common with them. When students serve with him and other urban ministry staff, they are able to connect and develop a relationship.
Ideally, if someone is considering urban ministry, he or she should become acquainted with people involved in such work. Doing so will allow them to see the big picture, what goes into preparing for ministry and the daily struggles and joys. Finding a mentor who can walk them through their questions and concerns as they discern their true calling is crucial.
All Are Called ...
When we dare to approach God seeking insight into his will for our lives, we must be sure to ask the right questions. The appropriate question is not weather you are called to serve the urban poor, but rather how you should serve the urban poor. Jesus' commands, as noted previously, direct each of us to identify and serve the poor in some manner. Tom Pratt recognizes the reality that not all are called to actually live among the urban poor. "But," says Tom, "we do call everybody to be involved with the poor."
Derek Perkins notes that people not serving the poor incarnationally can " . . . give financially and of their time . . . You can be rich and then be a steward of giving." In addition, you "don't know what one little act of kindness will do." So even if you're not called to serve in full-time urban ministry, you can give of yourself in a variety of ways - commit to live simply and thus free up your resources for others, volunteer, pray, be an encourager to urban ministers.
One example of such involvement is Friends of Northwest Neighbors, a group of people who used to live in the neighborhood in which Jason and Donna now work. They gather once a month for meetings, to hear about current ministry activities, and then support the work by donating financially. This kind of community partnership allows everyone involved to contribute uniquely and effectively.
... But Not All Are Chosen
If you find that you're called, as Viv Grigg puts it, to be a part of the " . . . bands of people who, on fire with the message of Christ's kingdom, will choose a lifestyle of simplicity to proclaim that kingdom to the poorest of the poor," (Grigg, 190) then begin by thanking God. If, after prayer and discernment, discussions with urban ministers and some first-hand experience, you find that you are called to the city, then praise God. What a privilege it is that we serve a God of purpose and intent, a God that has designed you to be his servant in a particular place, as a servant to particular people.
Such a calling brings with it a call to humility. Dennis Ortega shares that " . . . we're constantly reminding students, You need to sit at the feet of folks. You need to realize that just because you're college undergraduates, you don't have all the ideas." Just as Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, effective, cross-cultural urban ministry will involve a servant-leader model. Urban ministers need to die to themselves daily to serve their neighbors.
Urban ministers don't have all the answers or necessary abilities. They're no "better" than the people with whom they work. In fact, sometimes urban ministers are terribly under-resourced and overwhelmed by needs around them, but through faith in God and by God's power they are able to further God's kingdom in the city. "When people make a commitment to be in a place," says Derek, "they let the peoples' needs become their needs and that's when they can be effective." But it's not simply a process of helping and enabling, as much as it's a process of mutual love and partnership. Such a work requires humility.
Trusting God
Donna and Jason, each with a few years of urban missions experience behind them, know well the process of discernment and the challenges inherent to urban ministry. They also know God's faithfulness.
Donna says that urban ministry has, " . . . definitely challenged me and caused me to grow as much, if not more than, my experience in college. I feel it's been a wonderful, life changing experience . . . I think there's a sense sometimes (for students) that, My campus experience was so rich. Is it really going to be that rich on the outside, am I really going to enjoy life after college?" She continues,
If you really give yourself to ministry and discerning what God has for you and give yourself to people, invest yourself in people, it's very rich, very rewarding, challenging, especially in a situation where it's cross-cultural and you really need to depend on God ... when you rely on God, it can be very exciting.
Jason shares similar experiences.
One of the reasons I decided to do urban ministry was because I wanted to make decisions that would help me depend on God. I've experienced a broader range of who God is ... in prayer or just continuing to learn about the word in different ways as you actually try to apply things in the city ...
On this final note, Donna, too, has had her view of God stretched because of the unique challenges of the city. "Because the situation is complex, there are ways to open new "doors" to see God and how he's revealing himself, a whole broader range of situations in life that sometimes you don't see on campus."
Jason and Donna, Derek and Tom, Dennis and Viv are all called to live incarnationally among the urban poor. Each of them understand their calling in a unique way, just as each of them are uniquely living out their calling.
The examples set by these urban ministers brings me assurance and encouragement as I comtemplate the small boy in yellow shorts in the corner store. My lot is to seek material equality and spiritual fellowship in Jesus with him and others. I can trust that God has granted each of us the privilege of knowing him and his lead in our lives, and this includes his lead in loving the oppressed of the city.
Works Referenced
1. Grigg, Viv, Companion to the Poor, p. 190, MARC Publications, Monrovia, California, 1990 (0-912552-69-7)
2. Perkins, John, Beyond Charity: The Call to Christian Community Development, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, 1993 (0-8010-7122-4).
Unless otherwise noted, all materials on the urbana.org web site are Copyright InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA. All rights reserved.
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