Our Urban Voices

Tim Welch — a veteran missionary — has researched some of the inventive ways missions is funded in the Majority World. For decades, he served with SIM in Cote d'Ivoire. But, he makes a case for missionaries relying on more than once source of funding. He outlines several ways churches around the world fund missions from his recently released book, New Funding Models for Global Mission . WHAT YOU'L...

Bud Houston, a Hub Leader for Global Gates, shares his passion to reach unreached people who are living in cities in Canada and the USA. He offers four action steps, a starting point for urban churches and organizations to get involved. He is also the Director of Research for UPG North America and host of the Let’s Talk Diaspora Podcast . WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: About the two basic types of people who...

Mark Atkinson serves as the Area Director for Care Portal in NYC which helps churches serve vulnerable children and families in their own communities. Young people who've been in foster care are at high risk of being trafficked, incarcerated, homeless and having their own children go into foster care. Plus, only 8% are likely to graduate from high school in four years. Hear how you can use CarePor...

Tiffany Owens Reed unpacks how suburbs, towns and cities can impact their inhabitants. She talks about how understanding the way a city works can impact ministry, allowing churches to better serve their congregants and steward their neighborhoods. She also reveals how churches can better reflect the incarnational gospel where life happens in the daily interactions among residents. Check out her fr...

Tiffany Owens Reed unpacks how suburbs, towns and cities can impact their inhabitants. She talks about how understanding the way a city works can impact ministry, allowing churches to better serve their congregants and steward their neighborhoods. She also reveals how churches can better reflect the incarnational gospel where life happens in the daily interactions among residents. Check out her Ci...

Josh Collins serves with Global Gates. Having completed social media training just before pandemic-related lockdowns, he was prepared to communicate the gospel online. He shares some of the big differences between social media outreach and being in person. Plus, he offers ways you or your church can meaningfully communicate the gospel on line. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: Three things Christ-followers can d...

Dr. Yousaf Sadiq shares the uniqueness of the Punjabi Psalms -- a successful example of contextualizing scripture for a culture with strong oral traditions. Collectively known as Zabur, these songs are an interdenominational source of strength. They unify Punjabi Christians who are often persecuted as a religious minority in Pakistan. Dr. Sadiq has a new book, The Contextualized Psalms (Punjabi Za...

Dr. Bill Merrifield worked cross-culturally in Beirut, Lebanon for 17 years while his family grew. Considering how faithful Christians can think critically and engage the culture without compromise, he breaks down different ways that honor the gospel. He currently serves as the Vice President of Engagement for IDEAS. Dr. Merrifield maintains a blog where he recently shared a vision for transformat...

Elizabeth Black is the co-founder of Kaleidoscope , a ministry dedicated to “Providing LGBTQ+ people opportunities to engage with tangible expressions of Christ” and joining the Spirit of God where He is already at work among LGBTQ+ folks in NYC. She shares some surprises and challenges in reaching out to the LGBTQ+ community, contextualizing the gospel message and the vital role of the local chur...

Rebeca Castillo felt at home the first time she traveled to the Middle-East. Considering the differences in social customs, she looks at the importance of Christ-followers offering and receiving hospitality, building deep relationships, sharing their lives in the Lord and how to start. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: How to share hospitality inside and outside of your home What Jesus said to His disciples abou...

Brad Vaughn (formerly Jackson Wu) breaks down how the interpretation of Jesus’ atonement impacts an individual, the church and perceptions of God’s character. Understanding the atonement can be heavily influenced by culture, worldview and holding metaphors more closely than scripture itself. Brad shares from his recently published a book, The Cross in Context: Reconsidering Biblical Metaphors for...

Most recent years, about 1 million international students come to the United States to study. Elizabeth Wolf discovered a heart for Muslims while serving abroad. Today, she serves among international students on an urban campus in the United States. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: About some differences in reaching out to Muslim students in Gen Z What it means to give students opportunities to experience Chris...

Seven years on the mission field gave Dr. Matthew Bennett the opportunity to see the American church with fresh perspective. As a missionary and professor at Cedarville University, he invites American evangelicals to look at the American church like someone on the outside looking in. Without the sentiments or idealizations that can come with familiarity, he shares a Hope for American Evangelicals:...

Zamary Texeira found a path to financial freedom. She shares insights and offers advice for anyone who wants to get out of debt and stop the cycle from continuing in the next generation. She is now a Ramsey preferred coach , encouraging others on their own path to financial freedom. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: What needs to happen before you call a financial coach Why financial freedom is not about the mat...

Pastor Ramny Perez prioritizes the gospel, discipling congregants and loving the local community well. He shares how following Jesus' example and upholding the integrity of the gospel lead to loving the community and building interfaith relationships in NYC. Ramny Perez is the Lead Pastor of Fordham Community Church in the Bronx, New York. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: How to build interfaith relationships a...

As the Director of City Relief and overseeing eight outreaches a week in NYC, Josiah Haken shares his informed perspective about people made in the image of God and who happen to be homeless. Noting that eleven is the average age of a homeless person in America, he pushes back on four common lies and offers practical ways that congregations can help. He is the author of Neighbors without Doors . W...

Jonathan Bornman talks about modern day peacemaking in the real world. Who would ask for a cup of coffee when they are greeted with the words "your blood is permissible to me"? Founder of Dove Tail Productions, Jonathan Bornman is a producer and and makes documentaries about non-violent conflict resolution, like the soon to be released film, Unexpected Peace: In Search of the Common Good . WHAT YO...

Seth Bouchelle highlights how the command to love our neighbor and the great commission fuse in modern urban settings. He challenges assumptions about cross cultural ministry and the examples modeled by Jesus. Seth is the co-author of Mosaic: A Ministry Handbook for a Globalizing World and the author of Lost Faith: A Practical Theology for Post-Christendom Ministry. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: How studying...

James Rayment unpacks what how Muslims and Christians can have conversation without compromise and build relationships despite fundamental disagreements. These dialogues stand in stark contrast to perennial accusations of cancel culture in America. James Rayment pushes back on some common misconceptions that Protestants have about Muslims, outlining four steps that churches can take to get to know...

Ruth Ripken shares why its so important for Christian women to be the ones to reach out to Muslim women with hospitality plus 4 ways to overcome fear and love their neighbors well. With 35 years of experience in missions, she has lived in several countries in Africa, learned about different cultures, ministered to believers in persecution and participated in relief efforts with her husband Nik Rip...

Dr. Matthew Kaemingk separates the Christian response from the political rhetoric that can dominate the conversation about Muslim immigration in America. Looking at Jesus’ example and with practical examples from around the globe, he looks at failures and successes of Christians loving their Muslim neighbors well despite fundamental religious differences. Dr. Kaemingk is the author of Christian Ho...

Pastor Mike Rubino, Lead Pastor at Cornerstone Bible Church, saw the congregation grow from 40 people to 400 people. The fruit of revitalization was plain to see, soon after the church started down that road. Pastor Mike now works with many other congregations — offering a bird’s eye view of local congregations and a simple roadmap to a thriving body of Christians. Pastor Mike Rubino shares that j...

Brant Hansen compares toxic masculinity to what it actually means to follow Jesus. Moving from generational trauma to generational hope, he shares his discoveries about mentoring, adulting, and fatherhood as a man in today’s culture. How can a man defend his family against harmful intruders and cultivate a life where the people around him can thrive? Brant Hansen's most recent book is The Men We N...

Divya Maiya gives us a peek into the world of South Asian dance. She is the co-founder of the South Asian Arts and Theater House — SAATH — based in Minneapolis, MN. More than Bollywood and Bhangra, she looks at how dance can be a fun way to build community across and beyond the South Asian diaspora. And, she talks about breaking stereotypes, appreciating cultural traditions and the motivation for...

Jami Staples discovered a unique approach to reveal lies and trauma that often ensnare Christian and Muslim women—same lies, different contexts. Through the Truth Collective, Christian women are empowered to see themselves through God’s eyes—with inherent value—and be empowered to heal from trauma. Then, Christian women can be free to humbly and boldly engage Muslim women who share similar experie...