18 April 2006
Urban mission gives boost to whole church
An ecumenical urban mission initiative backed by the Methodist
church is producing results. The Methodist Church and the
Evangelical Coalition for Urban Mission (ECUM) jointly sponsor an
Urban Mission post, with an office at the Church Army College in
Sheffield. Erica Dunmow was appointed Urban Mission Development
Advisor in 2004, and has been working in a low- key way to
encourage better support for mission practitioners in urban areas
and more joined up working by congregations in those areas. Erica
has been tasked with working as a catalyst, and during the first
year the work was mostly about consulting with a cross section of
organisations and mission practitioners across the UK.
A website has been created to support this work explaining what
urban mission is and outlining the aims and progress of the project
at www.urbanm
ission.org.uk. The initiative is ecumenical, conducted by ECUM
and the Methodist Church on behalf of the 23 other bodies that
sponsor and endorse the Urban Mission project. Visitors to the
website can find these groups listed in the 'Partners' section,
with links to partner websites offering further opportunities for
learning and involvement.
The Yorkshire and the Humber region, which has been a pilot area
for some of Erica's work, will launch the York and the Humber Urban
Mission Network later this year. If successful, this will provide
one model for joining up urban mission across the whole of the
country.
'One of the best kept secrets in many churches' says Erica, 'is
that mission in urban areas has often been at the cutting edge of
ministry, developing new forms of outreach and expressions of
church in an often under- recognised way, and quietly being
alongside the outcasts with whom Jesus builds his kingdom.'
Over the last few years several different initiatives have been
developing across the spectrum of Christian activity in our towns
and cities that have been about re-stimulating the interest of
denominational decision-makers and mission educators in the demands
and rewards of ministry in challenging city centre, inner city and
outer estates. The Commission for Urban Life and Faith has been the
highest profile of these, and reports in May 2006.
'Having lived and served in inner city and estate churches for over
20 years I know how exacting and exciting the work can be,' says
Erica, 'and how frustrating it is that the fruits of that work do
not get harvested as effectively as they could by the churches as a
whole. That's partly because urban ministers are often so busy.
It's also because so often the wider church does not incarnate the
understanding that our Gospel comes from a lowly, hitherto unknown
Galilean Jew.'
The Project is concentrating on creating networks of urban mission
practitioners via which churches can be helped to understand
relevant government policies and gain access to funding
information. The other main task is identifying key urban mission
issues and how to best deliver training for mission in urban
areas.
Erica: 'There is so much that is good and exciting to share, but
also a lot that can be done to help the churches in urban areas
more able to respond to the moving of the Spirit. The work that
gets done in urban areas has got so much to offer to the wider
church.'
Network development has initially concentrated on the area of the
Yorkshire & Humber government region and will now focus on
Wales and then the North West. Discussions about how best to
network nationally continues with a range of Christian social
action and community development agencies, and exploration will
take place as to whether the model can be meshed in with the
Churches Together and Churches Regional Commission structures. A
second important thread will be increasing the inclusiveness of
networks. Work with mission education institutions nationally will
form the other main thread of work during this period.
'I'm really heartened by the fact that many Christians who might
have trodden separate paths in the past, are seeing common ground
in Jesus' mission and talking and praying together more, and
sometimes working together too', says Erica. 'And there is a better
integration with the community and voluntary sector as well. It's a
bit ironic that a government requirement for agencies to work more
closely with faith communities has sometimes been the stimulus for
this, but good that it's happening more.'
A full copy of Erica Dunmow's 'Next Steps Report' is available
from: w.evans@churcharmy.org.uk.