Urban Education, Leadership Development and Urban Ministry Training

• Survey Questionnaire for Urban Ministry Training Centers
• Urban Ministry Training Programs
• Best Resources for Urban Students [1]- college applicaptions, scholarships, & other resources

Articles on Urban Education and Ministry Training

1) A New Kind of Learning: Contextualized Theological Education Models [2]

   by Alvin Padilla

The challenge of dealing well with the different cultures in our modern cities is the most significant and overwhelming challenge facing theological schools today, according to Dr. Alvin Padilla, Dean of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’s Center for Urban Ministerial Education. In this article, he begins to unravel the problem by offering several perspectives to help us move from being bewildered to better understanding what God might be doing in our cities today.

2) The Role of Churches in Mapping Out a Road to Higher Education [3]

 by Rudy Mitchell

“College Prep Ministry in Boston: León de Judá” is the lead article in this section. Supplementary articles showing different ministry models and an extensive resource list of print and online resources could spark the interest of churches to start their own formal or informal ministry to guide young people toward higher education goals.

3) Christian Preschools and Early Education in Metro-Boston [4]

  by Erik Nordbye

This article looks at some recent research into the landscape of Christian Preschools and Early Education Centers in the Boston area. This research was done by the Emmanuel Gospel Center and the Child’s Play Network, which is a developing network of educators dedicated to high-quality, Christian early education. The research includes an effort to identify existing Christian preschools, as well as a series of individual interviews and focus group discussions with local teachers, directors, and other early educators. The principle finding has been the surprisingly low number of Christian preschools in the Boston area, particularly those coming from Protestant traditions: approximately 9 in Boston, Cambridge, and Brookline; 11 more if you extend the examined range out to Rt. 128; and finally 45 more if you extend that range all the way out to Rt. 495.

                                 Emmanuel Gospel Center’s

          2011 Survey of Urban Ministry Training Centers

                                  Return to Emmanuel Gospel Center /Box 180245/ Boston, MA 02118

                                                                      or email to us

Dear Christian Leader,

            Your urban ministry training center or program will be listed at no charge in The Greater Boston Urban Ministry Training Center Directory.  The Directory provides free publicity for your Bible institute, Bible college, church-based discipleship/leadership training program, parachurch training program, or seminary-affiliated center and its programs.  It is also a useful tool for networking and collaboration, and it helps others make referrals to your center or program.

            The Greater Boston Urban Ministry Training Directory is a database and printed directory of Bible institutes, colleges, church-based discipleship/leadership training programs, parachurch training programs, or seminary-affiliated centers located roughly within the parameters of I-495.  This is a non-commercial, non-profit service of the Emmanuel Gospel Center, located in the South End.

            Emmanuel Gospel Center is a Christian, non-profit organization which seeks to understand and help nurture the vitality of urban churches in the context of their broader urban communities.  The Center has been serving the city and its churches since 1938.

            We do not share our address list or emails with commercial businesses.  Further, the questions in the following passages highlighted in gray are those which help us in our research as we work to understand churches and training centers  in the city, but we keep that information strictly confidential.

            If you have any questions about The Boston Ministry Training Center Directory or the Emmanuel Gospel Center, please call me at: 978-473-2593 or email me at hvanderbijl@egc.org [6].

            When you have completed the form, please mail it to me at the address below.

Thank you,

Hanno van der Bijl, Research Associate

Emmanuel Gospel Center, Boston

Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher                                                       

Brian Corcoran, Project Director       

Urban Ministry Training Center Survey

Name of person filling out form:

1. Contact Information and Founding Year

2. Description        What is your center’s unique focus, identity, emphasis, approach, vision, or mission?

3. Personnel         Please provide us with the names of your staff and key leaders.

4. Profile

5. Courses of Study Offered

What ministries do the center’s courses equip the students to serve in?

6. Curriculum      Please list any courses with various levels or courses which form a series of study.

7. Center Calendar       What is the center’s typical schedule and location? (e.g. weekly semester-long classes, one                                                                  week intensive courses, weekend classes etc.)

8. Number, Age, and Student Information

Please describe some typical examples of ministries that your students and graduates are engaged in:

9. Ethnic Groups, Nationalities, and Languages

10. Ministries and Programs

Printed materials and digital images of your center are much appreciated.  Thank you!

Urban Ministry Training Programs

Center for Urban Ministerial Education (CUME)
[9]Boston urban campus of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; Masters degrees and Doctor of Urban Ministry in urban ministries. Special programs in urban youth work and mentored ministry. Courses offered in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French. Complete urban Master of Divinity program.

Center for Urban Theological Studies [10] 
Philadelphia program with four  B.S. programs and a Masters degree program. Its mission is to provide education, training and resources to develop servant-leaders for the urban church, community and marketplace.

Denver Institute of Urban Studies [12]
An independent , nonpartisan organization devoted to research, analysis, education, and faith-based community leadership that focuses on public policy issues in the interest of the urban poor. The Institute facilitates effective grassroots organizations and empowers faith-based community practitioners through a variety of technical assistance and capacity building initiatives.A number of degrees are offered including a Master of Arts in Global Urban Mission and a Master of Arts in Urban Community Leadership.

City Vision College [13] (formerly called Rescue College)
Offers a degree completion program - a Bachelor of Arts in Missions with an urban ministry emphasis (for students with 90 transfer credits). Also gives a certificate of completion to students who complete all ten courses. All of the instructors are current urban ministry professionals with graduate degrees and a heart for mentoring future leaders. This is an accredited distance education program which you can work on in your current ministry setting. City Vision College became a part of TechMission [14] in 2008.

Moody Theological Seminary  [15](Chicago) 
Graduate Certificate, Master of Arts, or Master of Divinity in Urban Studies. Urban Studies students will be able to express a biblical theology of the city and the poor and a practical philosophy of urban ministry. The will also gain an understanding of urban systems and structures and a deeper appreciation for urban ministry models. Distance learning options are available.

North Central University - Urban Studies Major [16]

Urban Ministry Track: The Urban Ministry track prepares the student for traditional church-based forms of service such as leading a congregation in a pastoral role. The Urban Development Track will equip students with the knowledge, skills,and experiences to develop and lead Not for Profit (NFP) and For Profit (FP) relief and development ministries in World Class Cities.

SCUPE - Seminary Consortium for Urban Planning Education [17]

An educational consortium for urban theological education based in Chicago. SCUPE offers courses, consultations and educational resources for individual students, churches and organizations at the seminary level. It provides training in community development.It also conducts a biennial Urban Ministry Congress and operates a resource library.

Westminster Theological Seminary  [18](Philadelphia)
Masters degrees and Doctor of Ministry in Urban Missions with strong emphasis on international contexts.The M.A.in Urban Mission is designed to prepare the student for ministry in the Philadelphia area, in other North American cities, and in cities around the world. Using the resources of Philadelphia’s urban complex, a program of study has been developed which seeks to integrate traditional features of Westminster’s academic curriculum with involvement in, and reflection on, urban community and church life.