Because a Large Population of People Live There
Our inner-cities are a diverse, active and exciting part of modern society. Some things about the city are easy to celebrate and enjoy – the cultural, educational and social opportunities. But at the same time, our cities are also permeated with their share of difficulties such as poverty, hopelessness, crime, drug abuse, illiteracy and other tragedies. Those that inhabit our inner-cities have in many cases fallen victim to years of urban decay, neglect, oppression and limited opportunities.
In most of the large cities in the United States approximately one half of the geographic area in those cities is now considered urban. This is typical in most of our larger cities; New York, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Los Angeles and even in many medium size cities.
Note: the word “urban” can carry with it a great deal of baggage. The reference here is not intended to identify various groups of people, whether by income level or by racial or ethnic background, but to only identify the neglected and oppressed areas of our cities that are often diverse and multicultural.
A disproportionate percentage of our country’s ethnic minorities live in urban areas. Overall, 29 percent of U.S. families live in the city. Yet, 58 percent of African-American families and 54 percent of Hispanic families live in the inner-city. As you can see, ethnic minorities are really ethnic majorities in many of our cities.
We are talking about a large percentage of the population in the United States. On an international scale we are talking about a large percentage of the world’s population. It was Jesus who said to “go into all the world” with the Gospel. Since our inner-cities are a large part of that world, Christians should be deeply concerned for reaching the inner-city as well as other parts of the world.
Because the People There are Poor
Most U.S. ministry resources target our middle to upper middle class population. In contrast, the resources of Jesus (His time and energy) prioritized going to the poor. Jesus preached to the poor, (Luke 4:18). The scriptures prove this over and over. Just look in a concordance for all the references to the poor.
You will see that God truly emphasizes going to the poor and ministering to the oppressed. Obviously, a majority of poor people today are found in our inner-cities. Therefore, from what we see in the scriptures, these areas are very precious to the heart of God and a top priority in His view of things. And they should also be a priority in the view of Godly Christians who are following His Word.
Because There’s an Open Door.
In I Corinthians 16:9, the Bible talks about an open door. This indicates that we should look around to observe where God is already at work and has already opened doors for our ministries to serve Him. There is no place where the doors are more open than in the inner-city. People are looking for help; they will accept help from spiritual sources. There are no problems getting building permits or occupancy permits for ministries or churches. The government, businesses, neighbors; everyone is happy for you to do anything that will help people in need. There are very few restrictions. We should not take this for granted. For now the door is open, let us walk through it while we can.
God emphasizes by means of His instruction and example – that ministry to the poor and oppressed are high on His priority list. A majority of poor people today are found in the urban areas of our cities. Ray Bakke has said, “We must keep the urban poor high in our priorities. The poor are no less sinners than the rich are, but they have also been sinned against. They are the victims of other people’s sins and injustices. Our ministries must be accompanied by a struggle for justice and righteousness. Many Christians are missing the point that social action is not done in order to communicate the gospel, but as a sign or evidence that the gospel has already been received and acted upon.”
In looking at these three simple answers to the question, “Why Go to the City,” it is easy for some of us to feel some emotions of conviction and guilt. That is not the intention here at all, however do not ignore those feelings either. Ask God to help you see where they come from and what it is He would like to teach you, or have you do about those feelings.
Renewing the City with Hope, Compassion and Justice
HOPE4theCity 