One of the many joys of ministry is the privilege of walking with others as they experience who God is and grow in reliance and trust in Him. One of the roles I have here in Wichita is working with urban pastors who have planted churches in poor urban areas. These pastors face difficulties in ministry that would cause many pastors to give up and quit. They face people who are broken in so many different ways; yet they are responsible for shepherding them with love and grace. Their churches are often in storefronts or houses, and they are chronically under-resourced. They work in areas where leadership in the church often needs to be built from the ground up.
Sometimes it can seem like planting churches in poor urban areas does not make much sense. It would be simpler to plant churches in suburban areas where the ground is easier to plow and resources are more plentiful. Yet, God has called us and those we partner with to go to people who are forgotten and who live without the hope of Christ. Inner-city ministry has taught us that we need God’s hand to guide us and lead us. He is the one who softens hearts and makes what is impossible possible.
I had the privilege of sharing a weekend with some of these pastors. The goal of the weekend was to support and encourage these urban pastors and their wives. Many of them were tired and feeling the heavy weight of shepherding incredibly broken people on a daily basis. It was amazing to see God renewing and refreshing tired hearts and weary hands. One pastor who we know well was on the edge of burning out. He was working on a new building and mentoring leaders in the church while also working a full time job. He and his wife were overextended and their family was struggling. But that weekend, they fellowshipped with other pastors and leaders and were poured into by others during the worship and teaching times.
We are always in prayer for these pastors and their ministries. We pray that God will continue to raise up leaders in these churches to ease the burden and that we will find ways to support and encourage them and their families. We also pray for indigenous pastors who have a heart for the urban poor. We are so excited for what God is doing here in our ministry and we want to see His Kingdom come here in the city.
Jordan King is a missionary at World Impact Wichita, where he lives and serves with his wife Kathryn and their two boys.