Urban Ministry

In the midst of major demographic, economic and social changes taking place in our metropolitan areas and cities, we want to lift up the work of many Presbyterians who are faithfully working for justice and peace, seeking the welfare of the city, and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The 221st General Assembly in Detroit, June 2014, approved the policy paper, The Gospel  from Detroit:  Renewing the Church’s Urban Vision, developed by The Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy. The policy paper stated in its first recommendation:

“Commend the efforts of Presbyterians in city congregations and presbyteries that embody an urban Christian vision; who see the urban poor as clearly as the glittering skyscrapers; who seek to understand urban trends theologically and ethically; and who unite ministries of mercy and justice with evangelism, education, and cultural outreach, recalling our heritage of urban mission leadership and working to renew or build new worship communities grounded in a creative Reforming spirit.”

---

Urban Ministry Spotlight

The Presbyterian Outlook, Kansas City, Kansas | Love your neighbor: Presbyterians in Kansas City help immigrants

Rochester, New York | Churches band together in the face of ongoing decline

La Mesa Presbyterian Church, Albuquerque, NM | Partnering with and serving our community

North Presbyterian Church, Cleveland, OH | Sharing space, sharing in ministry

South Presbyterian Church, Rochester, NY | ‘Acts of Faith’ model of ministry takes ‘church’ to Rochester

Isaiah’s Table, Syracuse, NY | Grace, Hope, Food for All

New Hope Presbyterian Church, Orange, CA | Building a Symphony of Hope

Volunteer Sites

(These volunteer sites are not hosted, sponsored, or related to the Presbyterian Mission Agency.)

The Pilgrimage | Church of the Pilgrims, Washington, D.C.

St. Louis Urban Mission Camp | First Presbyterian Church of Ferguson, MO

Mission Immersion Camp | Lexington, KY

The Center: Where Compassion Meets Justice | Baltimore, MD

Project Hospitality | Staten Island, NY

Broad Street Ministry | Philadelphia, PA

Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community | Pittsburgh, PA

First Presbyterian Church (Urban GAPS) | Fort Worth, TX

OGHS Engagement Map | Find where OGHS gifts are at work and opportunities for service

---

Connect with Others

Regional teams are developing across the United States, working in partnership with other faith-based and community-based groups to support and resource one another, collaborate on similar issues/projects, and effectively address local metro urban issues.

If you are local to one of the following areas, you may contact the following people to ask about participating:

• Baltimore, MD – Tanya Wade, Grace Presbyterian Church
• Charlotte, NC – Flo Watkins, Seigle Avenue Presbyterian Church
• Chicago, IL – David Thornton, Sixth Grace Presbyterian Church
• Cleveland, OH – Carmen Cox Harwell, St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church, Beachwood
• Detroit – Kevin Johnson, Calvary Presbyterian Church
• Kansas City, MO — Rev. Dr. Vernon Howard, St. Mark Union Church; and Rev. Eric Garbison, Presbyterian Urban and Immigrant Ministry Network of Heartland Presbytery
• Los Angeles – Carlton Rhoden, Westminster Presbyterian Church
• New York/Northern New Jersey – Bob Brashear, West Park Presbyterian Church
• Philadelphia – Adan Mairena – West Kensington Ministry
• Richmond, VA – Nelson Reveley
• San Antonio, TX – Tom Heger
• St. Louis, MO – Cedric Portis, Third Presbyterian Church

If you are interested in organizing a regional network in your metro/urban area or have questions about this initiative, please contact Phil Tom at ox_49@yahoo.com.

Upcoming Conferences/Training Events

Please check back for upcoming events.

Other sources of Urban Ministry Training

Urban Institute
Urban’s mission is to open minds, shape decisions, and offer solutions through economic and social policy research.

SCUPE
Educates and trains faith leaders to mobilize communities inter-racially, inter-culturally, and inter-religiously for justice, inclusivity and peace.

New York Theological Seminary 
A diverse and inclusive community of learning grounded in biblical witness and Christian tradition, with a historic urban focus. The Seminary prepares women and men for faith-based ministries in the city and throughout the world.

Pittsburgh Metro Urban Institute
With more than 80 percent of all USA residents and 50 percent of the global population living in and around urban centers, the Metro-Urban Institute prepares Christian leaders for the challenges of urban contextual ministry.

Grants

Please see the specific scope and requirements for each grant, and use contact information that is provided by the entity offering the grant.

• Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People – Grants for low income community groups 
• Mission Program Grants – Seed, Investment, and Growth Grants (and related health insurance grants) 
• Congregational-based community organizing grants for organizations and scholarships for training 
• Racial Ethnic/Women’s Ministries Grants

Print, Video and Online materials related to Urban Ministry

Articles related to Urban Ministry

• What the General Assembly may say about St. Louis, PNS article, June 2018
• Churches merge, close: ‘We no longer live in Christendom. We really have to accept that it’s a thing of the past’ | article from The Baltimore Sun, Oct. 2017
• Learning from Urban Churches | from The Presbyterian Outlook, June 2017
• Church Planting and the Gospel of Gentrification: Are we seeking the “welfare of the city,” or just our own? | article from Sojourners, July 2017
• As cities look to get greener, lower-income residents fear gentrification | article from USA Today, June 2017
• Employment by race and place: snapshots of America
• States of Change: Demographic Shifts, Representation Gaps, and America’s Future
• Understanding US productivity trends from the bottom-up
• The End of Black Harlem
• City and metropolitan inequality on the rise, driven by declining incomes Article from the Brookings Institution.
• The Black Family in the Age of Mass Incarceration | Article from The Atlantic

Books related to Urban Ministry

• Hegemony How-To: A Roadmap for Radicals by Jonathan Smucker, AK Press, January 2017
• Exposure and Risk: The Great Coming Church: A Half Century of Urban Ministry by George Todd and Trey Hammond, 2016. Can be ordered from Amazon books.
• Theology from the Trenches: Reflections on Urban Ministry by Roger Gench. WJK Press, 2014.
  Purchase from WJK or purchase an ebook.
• The Church has Left the Building – eBook by Rev. Deborah Fae Swift, pasotr of South Presbyterian Church, Rochester, NY.
• Urban Ministry Reconsidered: Contexts and Approaches by Smith, Boddie, and Peters

Downloadable media and other related sources of information

• Educate a Child
  The ministry of many urban churches (and others) around the nation connects with the major foci of the Educate a Child Initiative: strengthening early childhood education and reducing the dropout rate of adolescents.  Educate a Child, Transform the World brochure
• City Churches: Convictions, Conversations, and Call to Action – 2016 urban policy resolution
• Seven Samples of Urban Ministry
  Report on National Capital Presbytery’s 2015 Urban Visioning Network Dialogues (73 pages)
• The Global Metropolitan Revolution
  TED talk (video) by Bruce Katz, Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program. “City power and problem solving are going to define this century the same way that national power and problem solving defined the last …. Embrace the metropolitan revolution.”
• Creating Pathways for New Life in Urban Congregations—Stories, testimonies, conversations, and observations of 12 congregations who handled change and opportunity (follow up to the Vital Signs of Urban Congregations resource); order free from PDS