“And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men will dream dreams…” -Acts 2:17 (ESV)
One thing I’ve witnessed after being in urban ministry for almost 25 years is that when people accept Christ into their lives, they talk and dream differently about the world in which they live. I have seen gang members and prostitutes come to Christ and begin to dream of being a business owner or youth pastor. I know of urban folks who have suffered from limited vision for their lives, but once they accepted Christ they spoke with great passion about what they could accomplish.
I was very fortunate to not only grow up in the inner-city of Minneapolis, but to also be empowered to serve as youth minister, Christian leadership foundation executive, and urban church planter. The way in which I was mentored and discipled during my high school years led me to believe that I could be a change-agent in my own community. This was important because for many years I didn’t fully understand my potential. As I considered serving as President and CEO of World Impact, I realize even more how I was equipped and empowered by so many people of faith who believed in me.
This is really what missions domestically or globally should be all about. We must not only have the heart and determination to evangelize and disciple the unreached in urban under-resourced communities, we must also be about the liberating work of assisting urban Christians in becoming indigenous leaders. We must empower those leaders to believe they are the ones responsible for the transformation of their own communities.
This is one of the reasons we developed the World Impact Associates Initiative. We have big dreams for the unreached urban poor as well as existing under-resourced urban ministers. The World Impact Associates Initiative allows us to invest in and minister alongside indigenous urban leaders to transform communities together. Most urban disciples aren’t looking for a hand out, but an arm to link with to see lives changed and neighborhoods become a picture of the beloved community. We have World Impact Associates around the country serving as church planters, athletic coaches, youth ministers, and chaplains. This initiative offers a great opportunity for us to grow an army of urban transformational leaders in cities all across this country. I pray you would partner with us in this empowering strategy of making a difference in urban America through indigenous leadership development.
Read more from Efrem Smith.
