This book just confirmed a lot of things that were running through my mind in the last few years. Throughout my travels, I have noticed that the urban cities in the international scene were playing an important role in that particular country.
Due to globalization and other factors, the cities around the world are becoming ripe for missions. They international cities are becoming more diverse and progressive. I saw this first hand in Shanghai, Jakarta, Kula Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh City, and Nairobi to just name a few.
This book was a tribute to Harvie M. Conn, a former professor at Westminster Theological Seminary who had a great passion for the city and the Kingdom of God. All the contributors in this book had a wealth of knowledge and experience when it comes to urban ministry.
The more we study the Bible and the important role that various cities had in God’s redemptive purposes, it begins to put a great burden for the cities around us. There is a good prospect to the city’s role in missions and world evangelization. There are challenges as well. Issues such as diversity, injustice and poverty add to the complexities. But as the world is getting more global, there is a great need for us to understand the role of the city.
What would it be like to see a church being planted in an international city (outside of the U.S.) where people can experience the same transformation as we are experiencing here in Ann Arbor and Chicago?
It might be worth the risks.