Why the Need for this Online Course?
As of 2008, more people will be living in cities than in the rest of the world combined. That is almost three and a half billion people. Half of these people are described as "poor." And half of the poor are living in abject poverty, in slums or shanty towns, or homeless.
The Church of the Nazarene was born in the city, in Los Angeles, urban New England, industrial Glasgow, Scotland. Its mission was to the poor and disenfranchized of the world. Immediately with the creation of the Church of the Nazarene in Los Angeles, missionaries to the world were sent out to places like Calcutta, India, while at the same time, ministries were established to urban immigrants, such as the Chinese in Los Angeles. Prisoners, the sick, the needy, and shuts-in were ministered to by Company E and the deaconnesses called to these ministries by the authorizing church.
In the past 30 years, the denomination has rededicated itself to the ministries emerging in many cities, in ethnic and urban church planting, in compassionate ministry centers, in lay evangelism and penetration to all levels of urban life. New partnerships are unfolding between rural, suburban, and urban churches. To be engaged in urban ministry is to put oneself at the cutting edge of mission, where self and paradigms are challenged, shaken, examined, and reordered, bringing people to a new awareness of what the "signs of the Kingdom" are, and where they might be located.
This online training course is packaged into six sessions. All people--students, pastors, laypersons, and the curious--who care for the salvation and benefit of others are candidates for this training, whether it be for an urban context or to understand better the mission field under one's nose and in the media. It asks one to reflect, read, listen, do a variety of well-selected items chosen from the best of what the Church of the Nazarene can offer. It is not a heavy, academic class, but introduces one to exciting and insightful speakers, stimulating resources, thoughtful materials, and beautiful evidence of God's work done, at times, solidly and gracefully, and at other times, excitingly and energetically. The sessions are honest and admit failure, temptation, and disappointments, in order to avoid replicating them.
Whether you study the materials diligently or hurriedly, try them. Perhaps in the process, you'll get hooked, or upset, or blessed. We offer the curriculum to you to help change our cities and ourselves in the process.
General Outline of Course Sessions
Session 1: Understanding the Urban Challenge
Session 2: Knowing Our Urban Roots
Session 3: Sensing the Urban Call
Session 4: Responding to the Urban Need
Session 5: Making an Urban Difference
Session 6: Loving an Urban World
Course Structure
Sessions are set up to be self-guided, but could also be used for small group study. Each session in this online course is comprised of seven sections:
- Key Questions--designed to get your mind thinking in the direction of the session's theme and objectives.
- To Prepare: Biblical Study--a guided study of a biblical passage or passages relevant to the session's purpose.
- To Hear--audio file of a sermon, talk, or presentation.
- To Read--selected readings from the class text and other materials.
- To Do--activities/assignments to gain some practical experience with the concepts of the session.
- To Think--some final ideas to consider.
- To Review--a self-administered quiz to facilitate review of the session's material.
Program Note: We hope this is the first of several similar online seminars, practical to your needs and interests. Others we are planning to develop in the future, depending on responses to this study, include the following:
- Urban Church Planting
- Compassionate Ministries Development
- Cross-Cultural Ministries
An immediate alternative for undergraduate, accredited, online training is the program of Rescue College, in relationship with the Bresee Institute for Metro Ministries, found at www.cityvision.edu.
