The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI) of Dallas offers classes in three different locations. Juan Pablo Herrera teaches classes at the World Impact Dallas classroom for Spanish-speaking students. Ted Smith, David Estrada, and a couple students in training offer courses at West Dallas Community Church and New Found Life Bible Church in South Dallas.
Our student body consists of pastors, lay leaders, elders, deacons, Sunday school teachers, evangelists, and those interested in urban ministry. Most of our students come to us through the testimony of our other students who spread the word about TUMI. We have also seen new students as a result of exposure events we are doing in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area; Pastor Resource Meetings Bible Conferences, and will hold our first ever Dallas-area Men’s Retreat this October. At each of these events we showcase TUMI among other resources. We possess a real took kit of resources that can assist urban pastors train leaders.
We are blessed to have three partner TUMI satellites in our area: TUMI of Fort Worth (South Side City Church), TUMI of Arlington (Inspired to Live Ministries), and TUMI Old East Dallas (City Church International). Several other DFW area churches are in the application process to become sites.
Since 2010, we have seen fifty students graduate from our Spanish-speaking sites in Dallas and Guadalajara, MX. We look forward to graduating our first class of English-speaking students in January of 2016. Two soon-to-be-graduates have already begun mentoring TUMI classes under my direction. Both Mack Robison and Jimmy Hutson area a part of our Associates program and have facilitated classes this summer.
As an Associate of World Impact Dallas, Mack Robinson launched our first SIAFU chapter in Dallas and is working to establish more chapters in the area through partnerships with local churches. Mack helps facilitate courses at TUMI and has connected us with three pastors in Dallas who are interested in becoming TUMI satellite campuses. Associate Jimmy Hutson facilitated several short-term mission groups this summer and has been learning more about church planting. He also brought a pastor to the table who I believe will open a satellite in his area of Dallas and possibly become an Associate of World Impact.
I am so proud of Mack and Jimmy, and all of our TUMI students, as they grow in their leadership and apply that learning in their ministry contexts. It is a joy to now work beside them as colleagues seeking to advance the Kingdom in the city.
Ted Smith is the City Director for World Impact Dallas.
