In recent years, church planting training has focused on starting churches in low-density residential areas which are predicated upon car-based commuting patterns. Because of the large shift of populations to cities, a new approach is now needed. Therefore, this course prepares students for effective church planting in high-density neighborhoods.
As our world continues to urbanize, it is prudent for students to learn to not only the complexity of planting churches in high-density global cities, but to begin understanding a framework for doing so. Students will need to develop a rudimentary understanding of how the built environment shapes and influences not only the culture of cities, but the lives of those who live within. This skill and understanding has never been more important in all of human history than now.
With the world continuing to urbanize, particularly in the developing world, it means that we need to engage in church planting in higher density settings, whether among the urban poor in slum communities or elite in high-rise towers, where urban form and transportation are factored into the church planting strategy.
The biblical story of redemption and restoration entails God’s mission to reconcile creation to Himself. Throughout the story arc of Scripture this has meant a called-out group of people to be God’s mouthpiece and ambassadors to the rest of humanity proclaiming and demonstrating the Gospel. Planting new churches then is an outflow of this.
Church planting is the result of the Missio Dei. It is the mission of God which created the church and Kingdom expansion entails the formation of new churches.
The context for today’s center stage in the drama of human history is the city. Not only that, but because of rapid urbanization we’re seeing the emergence of continued explosive growth of cities. Whether in slum settlements or in high-rise middle-class neighborhoods, the need to understand the context of higher density cities is pivotal for church planting in the 21st century.
Throughout this course we will look at high-density cities across the Americas (North and South), Europe, Asia, and Africa to provide the student with a cross-section of cities (and the various cultures they represent) to understand the unique challenges of planting churches there.
This is not simply a class on theory, but students will learn practical skills of not only planting churches in high-density cities, but ways to engage in holistic Gospel renewal for urban places and urban people.
Students will be given practical skills throughout the course like mapping and exegeting their cities in order to develop a church planting strategy that is at home in a high-density city.
