Why do we do this?
One of the most pertinent issues in the future of Christian ministry is the dealing with diversity and the changing needs of congregations, whether they are rural, suburban, or urban. As communities become more multicultural the church must be able to respond with new leadership and news means of communication. It is also certain that there is untapped potential in their young people. Also, Many Christian colleges and universities struggle to attract and retain theological students of color. Thus, there is a need for a program that reaches out to young people in these communities and nurtures their talent as potential Christian leaders. The future of Christian ministry depends on attracting more talented people from all communities, all cultures, and all denominations. Thus, the Urban Leadership Academy is one step in the right direction as it attempts to identify and nurture urban youths as a new generation of leaders.
The original Urban Leadership spawned from the knowledge of pre-seminary summer programs around the nation. We have reviewed the programs of our peers at Emory University, and the Wartburg Center for Youth Ministries, as well as Mark Yaconelli’s work at San Francisco Theological Seminary.
The Urban Leadership Academy has at least four qualities that distinguish us from our peers.
- The Academy is unique in its focus on urban Christian leadership
- The curriculum involves teaching to multiple intelligences and experiential learning, including music, arts, emotional, and bodily/ kinesthetic, approaches, as well as the traditional cognitive approach.
- The program is not just a summer program, after the two week intensive the students have 10 monthly meetings as they put into practice what they’ve learned. Finally, the Academy is unique in that it is intentional about the multi-ethnic diversity it offers.
