As our family continues the adventure of planting a church in a poor urban area of Dallas, I know firsthand the victories and great challenges of being the church in the city. There may be few things more difficult. That’s why I am so thankful that our ministry can offer church planting tools for urban pastors and their church plant teams. Our nearly fifty-year history of working among the poor has taught us much about serving urban communities.
Since January 2016, World Impact has certified 35 Evangel Deans who have offered eight Evangel Schools of Urban Church Planting. These schools have trained 31 church plant teams who will plant churches in urban poor areas. We believe getting these tools into the hands of pastors and leaders is key to Kingdom advancement in the city.
Recently, in Dallas we offered a Church Planting Seminar based on the On This Rock Church Planting Sampler, which introduces readers to World Impact’s church planting philosophy and best practices. We wanted to help pastors and their church plant teams get a better idea of what the Evangel School offers to leaders and teams. We presented one of the teaching seminars offered at Evangel, covering our Church Planting overview, and had participants work together in an actual breakout session that Evangel attendees work through. We wanted them to get the flavor of Evangel so they could count the cost.
Please join us in prayer for many church plant teams who are discerning their call to plant among the poor and that they would be encouraged and equipped through these church planting tools and our coaching. We could not develop urban Christian leaders, who will transform their communities through the gospel, without your valued partnership. Together we can empower the urban poor.