New York Urban Immersion

SUBMITTED TO BAKKE GRADUATE UNIVERSITY OF MINISTRY
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE DEGREE REQUIREMENTS OF A
DOCTOR OF MINISTRY
MCC 702/URBAN IMMERSION – NEW YORK CITY
NOVEMBER 6 – NOVEMBER 11, 2011
BY
BRYAN MCCABE

CONTENTS
CHAPTER
1
BIBLIOGRAPHY 51

CHAPTER 1
BOOK REVIEWS
I verify that the following list represents all of the books I have read for this course, the
page on which you will find my book review, and the number of pages read for each
book.
Book Title
Page # of
book
review
# of pages
read
The Most Famous Man in America 5 529
A Theology as Big as the City 6 221
Urban Ministry 7 527
To Live in Peace 8 261
Renewing the City 9 240
Encounter God in the City 10 191
TOTAL PAGES READ 1969
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The Most Famous Man in America
by Debby Applegate
Doubleday (2006)
Henry Ward Beecher was an intriguing figure, and this biography by Debby
Applegate provides some amazing insight into the life of this pastor and leader in 19th
century America. Beecher rose to fame in New York City as the founder of America’s
first megachurch. He was a key figure in the abolitionist and women’s suffrage
movements, and he preached a gospel of love that stood in stark contrast to his famous
Puritan father’s message of hell fire. To understand the history of Christianity in the early
development of the United States, one should know of Beecher and his controversial life.
I was floored by the amount of information that the author was able to gather
about the life of this fascinating man. I read most of the book before arriving in New
York for this course through Bakke Graduate University, and I was thrilled to be able to
learn more about Beecher during our time at Plymouth Church. “Henry Ward Beecher’s
own legacy has been uneven. Plymouth church still stands, looking much the same as
when he trod its stage. His greatest talent was oratory, that most transient of arts, so he
will never be judged by his best work.” (469) This biography helps to fill in many of the
gaps in Beecher’s development. His strong family relationships, especially including his
relationship with his father, played a crucial role in the type of pastor and leader that he
became as an adult. He was able to build on the solid foundation that he received growing
up, and yet he was his own man as he deviated heavily from his father’s theology and
eventually from his father’s stances on some of the major social issues of that time
period. In an era when many pastors were either advocating for slavery or remaining
neutral on the subject, Beecher was able to develop his courage over time to be able to
use his oratory skills to lead a nation through a time of healing during and after the civil
war. I respect and admire any pastor who is able to stand up and utilize their influence to
bring justice into the world, even if that calling comes with a great cost as it did with
Beecher.
Beecher’s life has influenced my life in that I have become even more inspired to
take on injustices. God has given me influence in Pittsburgh, and I am praying that God
will empower and equip me to be able to advance his Kingdom fearlessly over a period of
many years. The controversies surrounding Beecher’s life show that he was human, and
that he struggled in areas even though he had a dynamic personality. It is a good lesson
that humility and accountability are also important components of leadership in the midst
of pressing circumstances in complex urban environments.

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A Theology as Big as the City
by Ray Bakke
InterVarsity Press (1997)
The main concept of this book is to present both the need for an urban theology
and also Ray Bakke’s search for a theology of the city based on his life experiences. God
values cities, although most systematic theologies are developed through a rural lens.
After an overview of the need for an urban theology, the author addresses urban theology
from Genesis all of the way through the Bible to Revelation. The author argues that the
primary challenge to effective urban ministry in the 21st
century is theological, although
other challenges are demographic, missiological, ecclesiastical, and financial.
The chapters of this book actually present the information along the lines of the
chapters in the Bible. For instance, the second chapter entitled “God’s Hands Are in the
Mud” presents an overview of the urban theological concepts found in the book of
Genesis. God demonstrates in Genesis that he values his creation, and that he partners
with us to steward its resources. From an urban perspective, many Christians “throw
away” deteriorated city neighborhoods even though God values their redemption. Bakke
identifies Philippians and Colossians as two different and unique perspectives on
community development and spiritual transformation. He presents insight into the public
spirituality of Colossians and the personal spirituality of Philippians. The author argues
that both forms of spirituality are crucial to the fabric of a healthy urban community. He
writes, “Of this I am sure: we will never have healthy ministry in our largest cities until
we can affirm both Philippian and Colossian Christologies and the spiritualities they
embody and then bring them together in the ministry of the church.” (162) The content
in this urban ministry classic prepared a foundation for the experiences and theological
perspectives that our class would gain during the New York City course. The healthy
development of a theology of the city can lead to some amazing outcomes in terms of
transformation in the lives of people and in urban places. After reading Bakke’s book, I
had wished that he could have expanded on some of the key concepts he made in the
short chapters. The New York City course provided plenty of opportunities for him to
expand through lectures, and that really added context for me.
This book was most valuable to my work in the area of urban and suburban
partnerships. The ideas also carried over very well to the LAMP partnerships between
churches and schools. Although corporate spirituality concepts were emphasized, I also
gleaned a great deal of practical application toward my personal spirituality. I was forced
to ask myself, “What biases do I have toward reading and understanding the Bible?”
Because of my life experiences, I would definitely say that I have often read the Bible
through a rural, white, middle class, American lens. Reading this book encouraged me to
expand my view of scripture.

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Urban Ministry
by Harvie Conn and Manuel Ortiz
Temple University Press (2001)
Manuel Ortiz describes this book as “the final work of Dr. Harvie Conn,” (11) the
coauthor who became very ill and died before this work was completed. Dr. Conn wanted
to deliver an urban ministry text book of sorts to students and practitioners in cities
around the world. The authors do a deep dive into how Christians should respond to the
complexities of urban life, covering such topics as the history of urban life, biblical
perspectives on cities, understanding cities through the lens of the social sciences,
community development, and the importance of Christ-centered leadership in mission to
modern urban contexts.
The authors have a wonderful overview of urban ministry. When I first became
involved in urban ministry, I ordered as many books as I could about the subject in order
to understand if I was being effective as a Christian leader or not. Although I never read
the entire book at that time, many sections and excerpts helped me to engage my urban
context appropriately. Now that I have had the opportunity to work through the whole
book, I am even more appreciative of the scope of this work. The connection of
sociological research to biblical perspectives was particularly helpful. “Use of the social
sciences can make Christian mission activities both more effective and more fluid. We
are able to plan and strategize better when we gain an accurate understanding of the
dynamics of culture and geography in an area.” (256) Modern cities change rapidly, and
demographic information is crucial for urban ministry leaders. Yes, individual
relationships should always play a significant role in planning, but we should not be
afraid to utilize social science tools that are available to us. Problems develop when
Christian leaders spend too much time staring at demographic studies, and not enough
time out and about in the community building relationships. The section on mentoring the
urban leader was also an important part of this book. Over the past five years, I have
sought out mentors to help me navigate the challenges of urban ministry. In the same
way, I have given myself away on behalf of many young people in my community in
order to help them progress as the urban leaders of the future in Homewood. “Mentoring
is one of the most effective ways to disciple new Christians to maturity in Christ.
Mentoring is also the best way to develop urban leaders.” (429)
I heard from a U.S. census worker that only 3 percent of the people in my
neighborhood of Homewood in Pittsburgh actually completed the recent census forms.
When I pulled data recently to learn more about Pittsburgh, I noticed that the statistics
seemed to be largely off base. Homewood statistics were nearly nonexistent in the
research. That is why it is important for me, as a Christian leader in Homewood, to not
emphasize demographic studies so much as spend time out in my community getting to
know my neighbors even if they are not counted in census studies.

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To Live in Peace
by Mark Gornik
W.B. Eerdmans Publishing (2002)
The Sandtown neighborhood in Baltimore is a great example of how Christians
can work together toward the process of transformation. This book documents many
aspects of Sandtown’s story, but the primary purpose of the author “is to consider the
promise and possibility of God’s peace for the changing of the American inner city.” (1)
A wide variety of theological perspectives are covered in order to represent God’s heart
for reaching marginalized people who experience urban poverty. The gospel message is
meant to be lived out in the streets, not exclusively held onto tightly in the quietness of
church sanctuaries.
I loved the thoughts that the author presented about being a church of the streets. I
have found in my work in Homewood that the Holy Spirit is active in the streets of my
neighborhood. We cannot build relationships with the vulnerable people of this world if
we are unwilling to go into the streets where they are and spend time being sensitive to
where the Spirit might be calling us to go. The church in America has often lagged far
behind culture when it comes to diversity. However, I strongly believe that the church
should actually be out in front of culture with regard to reconciliation. “Amidst the deep
structures of division old and new that have formed in our urban world, part of what it
must mean to be a community that bears testimony to Christ is to pursue reconciliation
across boundaries of culture, race, ethnicity, social class, and gender.” (83) Christians
need to figure out a way to build relationships outside the walls of the church at a time
when many Christians are withdrawing from cities and society in general in order to
generate Christian bubbles for ourselves. When Christians engage cities and culture, we
live out the overwhelming joy of sacrificing all for the sake of Christ. I felt that the author
could have developed this point more in the book, although he captured this way of living
well in writing, “It is the living memory of Jesus – the rejected, marginal, but ultimately
resurrected and ascended one – that opens a new narrative, convicting all who follow him
to live vulnerably and passionately for God’s reign.” (236) God desires for us to give
everything we have for his sake, and that is only accomplished with unrelenting passion
and hope that God is ultimately in control of everything.
I saw many parallels to Homewood in Sandtown. Specifically, I live in a house in
Homewood that is a product of Christians in Pittsburgh working together to address
urban blight through housing. The street I live on was once one of the most violent and
chaotic streets in the entire city, and now it is a place of ever-growing shalom. That type
of thing can only happen because of God’s intervention. I have been inspired to become
more involved in the issue of housing in Homewood, where over 48 percent of properties
are vacant.

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Renewing the City
by Robert Lupton
InterVarsity Press (2005)
In this book Robert Lupton retells the story of Nehemiah through a process called
midrash, which is an ancient Jewish teaching method using imagination and imagery to
add context to Scriptures. The first part of the book focuses on adding depth to the study
of the biblical book of Nehemiah. The second part of the book draws parallels between
Nehemiah’s community development work in Jerusalem and modern day development
efforts in American inner cities. Contemporary urban ministry principles are compared to
ancient urban ministry principles.
The author argues that the dilemmas facing urban ministry leaders long ago are
relevant in resolving similar dilemmas today. One highlight of the book was a chapter
about gentrification with justice, which argued that what is needed in cities is gentry
“who will use their competencies and connections to ensure that their lower-income
neighbors have a stake in revitalizing their neighborhood.” (124) Christians are called to
care for the poor, and those who move back into the city from the suburbs need to think
strategically about also caring for justice for their neighbors. The book has another great
chapter about vision and risk taking. Lupton speaks clearly and with credibility about the
need for strong visionary leadership from urban leaders. He argues that “Vision that is
divinely authored – the kind that extends me far beyond my own abilities – requires a
frightful level of risk taking. It is fundamentally different from strategy planning and goal
setting. It requires me to let go of the security of predictable outcomes and venture into
uncharted waters with little more than an inaudible internal voice as a guide. Such vision
is not a product of human creativity; it is divinely conceived and implanted in the spirits
of those who are willing to trust miracle over plan.” (151) Nehemiah was a visionary risk
taker, and this is what is needed for all urban ministry leaders today. This is one of the
author’s strongest points. The final chapters focus on different aspects of incarnational
living. Cities may have a romantic appeal on people from an outside perspective (with
their violence, noise, and drama), but everything becomes much more meaningful once
the inner city issues begin impacting one’s family and home. Programs are important, but
good neighbors are much more important to the renewing of the city.
Robert Lupton describes the process of how his ministry became much more
effective once he moved to where he was serving. I hope that I am more effective as an
urban ministry leader now that I have moved to the Homewood neighborhood of
Pittsburgh. Lupton gives many different examples about how his move impacted his
family, and the incarnational move of my family in Pittsburgh has also had a big impact
on the community. Many children in my community spend a great deal of time at our
house, and my family has had to make quite an adjustment.

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Encounter God in the City
by Randy White
IVP Books (2006)
Involvement in urban ministry can lead to a process of transformation. However,
that transformation does not just randomly happen. Christians who get involved in cities
need to practice reflection in order to fully experience all that God wants us to learn. That
briefly summarizes Dr. Randy White’s intention in writing this book. There are practical
points within the book, but White also leverages the use of personal stories in order to
“maximize insight into the city through reflection and application.” (16) With
thoughtfulness and humor, White captures both the joys and the pains associated with life
in the center of the city.
I could relate to a lot of White’s experiences in urban ministry. His openness
about different situations has actually helped me tremendously in Pittsburgh. What do I
do when a prostitute or a homeless person shows up on my doorstep asking for money or
shelter from the storms of life? How does God want Christians to respond to mentally ill?
What do we do when people steal things from our front porch? I have had to deal with all
of these questions in my journey of moving to Homewood, and the experiences in this
book help to answer those questions. In fact, most of the time the “answer” is that there is
no rational answer to the toughest questions in life. Still, God has equipped all of us to be
creative and find solutions if maybe we made a wrong decision but are willing to learn
from our mistakes. The important thing is that we do not remain paralyzed by inaction or
become overwhelmed by the complexities of modern cities. “There is a reciprocal
relationship between action and understanding. God has designed us in such a way that
we don’t fully know something until we have acted on it. And when we take action,
especially in the form of service, it cements our understanding, sealing the truth in our
souls and leading us to live out God’s love.” (179) White emphasizes that transformation
occurs both personally, for the practitioner, as well as corporately in the community
where the work is being done. Urban ministry leaders have a lot to give, but God also has
a lot to teach them along the way. God may choose to change the neighborhood around
through strategic planning and vision, but it is important to understand that God’s plans
are often different than our own agendas.
I am committed to being a better steward of my experiences in Homewood. I
often hold back from sharing my personal experiences in Homewood because I do not
want to make the work that I have been called to sound heroic or even exploitative of the
relationships that God has allowed me to share with kids and their families in my
community. However, if my heart is in the right place in sharing experiences, then other
Christians might be able to take the onramps and become more involved with the
transformation that is taking place in Homewood.

CHAPTER 2
JOURNAL
Day 1: November 6, 2011
Description: We started the day off early today by taking the subway from my
sister Cameron’s house to our BGU class meeting place at the Metropolitan New York
Baptist Association. We had the opportunity to meet over 30 new classmates and friends.
Dr. Ray Bakke started the day off with a lecture about New York, and then we all divided
up to go to different churches in the city. I attended worship services at Bethel Gospel
Assembly, a church that takes up an entire city block in Harlem. The church was pretty
diverse with a strong African-American and Latino presence in the building. The songs
were many of the same songs that I am familiar with at North Way in Pittsburgh, only the
style was very different. The songs all had a strong gospel feel. I asked lots of questions
about how the church is intentional about being cross-cultural, and how they design their
worship. I have not spent much time in Pentecostal churches, so it was an enjoyable
experience. We ate lunch at a soul food restaurant in Harlem, and then we watched the
New York City Marathon for a while. All afternoon we toured around Wall Street, the
Occupy Wall Street movement, Federal Hall, NYSE, St. Paul’s Church, Trinity Church
(the second richest church in the world), and the Customs House. Ray lectured a lot along
the way. We then took a ferry ride to and from Staten Island as we watched the sun set on
a perfect day in New York. In the evening we watched a documentary about the history
of New York City back at the MNYBA.
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Analysis: Today was filled with a great deal of walking, which was fine since it
was such a beautiful day. Walking is the best way to get to know a city. That’s true in
New York City and in Pittsburgh. One of my favorite things to do in Pittsburgh is walk
around the city to get to know people and places. I really enjoy the Bakke Graduate
University learning model because what we learn in the classroom is carried over into the
streets. I picked up on couple good lines that Ray said while we were walking around the
city. He pointed out that the church has two functions: to be a sign of and an agent for the
Kingdom of God agenda. There are several different models that are effective in cities.
He used the metaphor for urban ministry that some ministries are like bicycles and some
are like 747 airplanes. Depending on the context, either approach is effective or
ineffective. Small churches can do things in cities that big churches cannot do, and vice
versa. Storefront churches can provide a family structure for people in need, while
cathedrals can speak truth to power. As Christians in the city, we should value the many
different expressions of worship in the city. The diversity in New York is amazing! I am
really enjoying getting to know so many people. I have classmates from all different parts
of the United States, and other countries such as Brazil and Thailand. I met several
campus pastors of multisite churches today, and I also met several people working with
at-risk youth. I even met a guy from Chicago who launched a faith-based mentoring
initiative with high risk youth in Chicago five years ago. We had a lot in common, and I
love having access to these types of leaders.
Application: I learned many transferable principles today. I need to continue to
walk around the East End of Pittsburgh to get to know my community better. One of the
key points we discussed today was that most churches in cities operate in silos. The
pastors and church members rarely interact with people from other churches and

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ministries. Transformational leaders are bridge builders and reconcilers, so it is my
responsibility as a pastor in Pittsburgh to build bridges with other churches and Christians
in the city. As the East End campus is launched, it will be crucial for me to continue to be
present in the East End as a reconciler while also remaining focused on the details
associated with a new North Way campus. Every church has gifts, no matter the size,
scope, or history of the mission. It is part of my job as a pastor in the city to identify those
gifts.
Description: This morning started with Ray giving a lecture about God’s
description of a healthy city in Isaiah 65. Heaven will be an urban environment, and the
cities will be characterized by happiness, healthiness, good housing, plenty of food,
strong extended families, integrity of work, and the absence of conflict. Christian leaders
in today’s cities should all be striving to work toward the heavenly standards that God
described in Isaiah 65. Modern urban churches face many challenges, however. The
challenges are sociological because cities contain so much pluralism. For instance, one
zip code in Flushing that we visited today has 130 different languages and New York
City in general has people who speak over 800 different languages. There are over 2
million Jews, 1 million Chinese, 800,000 Muslims, 400,000 Hindus, 100,000 West
Africans, and 100,000 Sikhs in New York City. All of the Chinese people who live
outside of China, nearly 140 million people, represent the tenth largest country in the
world. Church leaders must adapt in order to reach people in a pluralistic society. We
need to figure out how to connect with many different kinds of people, not become afraid
to talk to people who are different than us. The early church set an example of diversity
in church leadership in Acts 13, where we see that the church leadership in Antioch

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contained two African, two Asian, and one European pastor. The pastors were selected
intentionally to reflect the diversity in Antioch and the greater region. Churches also face
structural, denominational, financial, and personal challenges in modern cities. Chris
Clayman, a missionary in New York City, then lectured about his ministry to the large
diaspora of 100,000 West African immigrants living in New York City. He does spend
some time in the West African nation of Mali, but most of his mission lies in reaching the
Muslim population from Mali that lives in New York. Many American Christians rush to
take short term mission trips to exotic jungles overseas, but they will not reach out to the
people from many different nationalities living in their own cities and back yards. Early
Christianity spread rapidly through the Jewish Diaspora, so why can God not work
through us today to reach diaspora people groups in modern cities? Clayman suggested
that churches need to build mission into their systems and structures so that we can be
equipped to reach people groups in our own neighborhoods and cities. We took the
subway to Queens to visit an Indonesian church called Seh Moon Baptist Church, where
we took in a lecture by Tony Carnes who is a senior writer with Christianity Today and
the founder of a web magazine with 1.4 million viewers that covers religion in New
York. Ray Bakke also lectured at that church, and he pointed out that each person in our
churches has biological, geographical, vocational, and recreational spheres of influence.
If we can intentionally influence people in those spheres of influence, then a congregation
of 100 people is suddenly multiplied by four in order to reach 400 people. Than means
pastors and ministry leaders in cities should visit people where they live, work, and play
in order to advance the Kingdom of God. After that we went in one of the three
Chinatowns in New York in the Flushing neighborhood. We spent time with a Chinese
pastor who has built new seminaries in New York, Taiwan, Canada, Brazil, Paris, Italy,

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China, and Hong Kong, he planted 15 churches in New York, Taiwan, and Brazil, his
church sent mission teams to many different countries in the world, and he has led a
community care movement in New York that impacts many people every day. He
showed us pictures of a cave that was dug in China to train church leaders. One of the
great things about Bakke Graduate University is that I have the opportunity to learn from
leaders in many different urban environments in many different countries in the world,
and I get an amazing glimpse into the diversity of the body of Christ. This century that
we are currently living in will be China’s century of influence, so it is important for
Christian leaders to understand what is going on culturally around the globe in order to be
more effective at reaching people. The church we visited operates seven different church
services in different languages to different people groups. I have a lot to learn from them!
Analysis: I took in a lot of information today! I was greatly encouraged about the
possibilities of building a cross-cultural worship experience in Pittsburgh. New York is a
great place to learn about how Christians can be effective in pluralistic urban
environments, and I heard about and witnessed several successful examples today. I am
very intrigued about the possibilities of reaching diasporic people groups in cities in
America, including in my urban context in Pittsburgh. I have often wondered why people
in Pittsburgh go to such great lengths to go on mission trips to Mexico and countries in
Central America, but they completely ignore and sometimes even despise the Hispanic
people living in Pittsburgh. We can all live missionally every day of our lives. Short term
mission trips to other countries can be fine, but they should lead us to live missionally to
reach people in our own neighborhoods and cities. I was amazed at how the Chinese
church we visited today reached people in many different parts of their city and in other
countries. It is possible to be locally and globally connected, and that skill set is effective

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in our modern global society.
Application: I cannot wait to get back to Pittsburgh to continue to work cross-
culturally with LAMP and in the North Way East End community. I am being very
intentional about God’s pluralistic heart, and I hope our church can continue to be
sensitive to the Holy Spirit and live out that kind of diversity. Pittsburgh has many
different neighborhoods that are often separated from one another, but I really feel that
my role as a pastor in Pittsburgh is one of a bridge builder and reconciler across cultures.
That includes reconciliation across races and socioeconomic status. I am so thankful for
the many models of ministry that I am experiencing this week in one of the most amazing
cities on the planet. Also, with regard to application, I am hoping to visit many of the
people who are planning to be on the East End launch team at their places of work and
recreation over the months to come. That should really help me to get to know people,
because people in cities often emphasize their vocation and recreational activities. I am
really looking forward to what tomorrow will bring.
Description: Today was one of the best days I have had in a long time. I cannot
even begin to describe how the Holy Spirit ministered to me today, and how much God
opened my heart to new perspectives on his mission to advance his Kingdom. I am truly
blessed to be a part of this doctorate program at Bakke Graduate University. On this day I
had the opportunity to spend time with some of the most influential leaders in the body of
Christ. This morning Ray Bakke gave one of his classic lectures about how most money
that is intended to help poor people is actually filtered out of poor urban neighborhoods
to middle class urban or suburban neighborhoods. He provided a biblical foundation for
why Christian leaders should care about such issues as becoming engaged as

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transformational leaders and stewards. That type of thinking is a big reason why I moved
my family to Homewood in Pittsburgh. Any Christian serving the poor should go about it
in an empowering way. The gospel is good news, and it is empowering. After Ray’s
morning lecture we visited Dr. Mark Gornik, the founder of City Seminary, a training
school for urban Christian leaders that delivers a curriculum similar to Bakke Graduate
University in that cities are the labs and theory is all tied in practically. A woman named
Dr. Janice McClain, a pastor who immigrated to America from Jamaica when she was a
teenager, shared with us about how Harlem is being gentrified and pastors like her are
learning how to be effective at ministering in complex urban environments. In the
afternoon we all went to Bethel Gospel Assembly, a huge multicultural church in Harlem,
where Bishop Dr. Carlton Brown shared with us about how his church is doing amazing
things reaching many different types of people for Christ in Harlem, in the greater New
York region, and in countries all over the world. It is so amazing and inspiring to see the
fruit that God is able to bring forth from churches that are missional to the core.
Yesterday I visited a Chinese church that is reaching thousands of people all over the
world, and today I visited a church made up mostly of African-American and Latino
people who are making a huge difference in the world for the sake of Christ. Vision is a
holy discontent for the way things are, and good pastors are able to be visionary. Also,
there are many different ways to be effective at urban ministry. Much depends on the
context and vision. In the late afternoon, we visited Brooklyn Tabernacle, another huge
multiracial church with over 10,000 members that started in what was once one of the
most violent and dangerous neighborhoods in Brooklyn. The senior pastor, Jim Cymbala,
spent several hours with us describing how the church started with only a few members
and how through the power of prayer God has done some amazing things. He shared with

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us about the importance of prayer in churches. He told us that the church must be about
love, or our message will get lost in all of the craziness associated with the institutional
church. He encouraged all of us to be real, and not try to be actors as pastors. He also
mentioned that the biggest challenge facing the modern church is at-risk youth, and that
all churches should develop strategies for reaching troubled urban youth. That made me
feel good that North Way has been doing just that in our city of Pittsburgh through the
LAMP mentoring initiative.
Analysis: There is far too much that happened to me today to describe in this
journal. I will only be able to unpack it all over a good cup of coffee with lots of people
back in Pittsburgh. God is so amazing! I honestly cannot think of a better way to learn.
We learn deep theories in a classroom, and then we go out into the streets to see how that
theology and theory is being applied. I was completely surprised by how authentic and
engaged these amazing leaders were today. The Holy Spirit really worked through Jim
Cymbala in particular to encourage me that cross-cultural church is not only possible, but
essential for the growth of the church in cities in America. He also demonstrated the
importance of prayer as the foundation for living out God’s purposes.
Application: I was greatly encouraged today in the three things that I am most
passionate about in Pittsburgh: working with at-risk youth, missional church, and
multiracial church. Today I interacted with pastors who are living out profound callings
in all three of those areas, and it is so inspiring to have access to people who have been
down the road that I am only beginning to go down in Pittsburgh. My heart is to continue
to reach the at-risk young people that I am working with in Homewood, to continue to
encourage North Way to get outside the walls of our church buildings in order to build
relationships with people who are not Christians, and to remain committed to the dream

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of leading a multiracial campus in the East End. All of these things are possible with
God, and today my Father blessed me with the gift of encouragement and empowerment.
I am ready for the next steps in Pittsburgh!
Description: Today was another dream day for an urban pastor! We left early this
morning and traveled by bus from Manhattan to Brooklyn to visit the largest evangelical
church in northeast America. Christian Cultural Center, led by Pastor AR Bernard, is one
of the top five largest churches in the country with over 35,000 members. The church has
a lot of diversity, and the majority of members are African-American. I learned so many
things that I will be trying to figure out how to implement at the North Way East End
campus. The church places a huge emphasis on hospitality, relationships, a welcoming
environment, arts integration, missiology, technology, and church history. Pastor Bernard
encouraged us as pastors to lead from our hearts and be ourselves (not trying to be like
some other pastor we may want to emulate). The church is diverse partially because their
worship is eclectic with classical, jazz, and hymns, and their teaching resonates with
many different types of people. They favor dynamic orthodoxy over static tradition. Their
church objectives are to effectively care for people, efficiently manage resources, and
enable real growth through discipleship. The time spent at CCC was truly an amazing
experience, and I am so thankful that I was able to learn from such a good leader in the
heart of Brooklyn. We left one of the most influential churches in the twenty-first century
to travel to a different part of Brooklyn where we spent time at the largest and most
famous church of the nineteenth century, Plymouth Church, which was the first
megachurch in America founded by Henry Ward Beecher in 1849. During the Civil War
era Beecher was widely considered to be the most famous man in America due to his

19
unique communication skills mixed with his role as an abolitionist. The current pastor of
Plymouth Church, David Fisher, was a classmate of Ray Bakke’s at Trinity Seminary
many years ago. He spoke to us about what it is like to lead a church with a rich tradition
in an affluent neighborhood in which many people are atheists in a strong secular society.
When he took over as the tenth pastor of the church several years ago there were only a
handful of people attending. The church was mostly made up of Unitarians who were
remnants from a period when the name of Jesus was forbidden to be mentioned for 99
years. Since he has come to the church, they are experiencing a revival and have grown to
several hundred people. He talked to us about the hostility that he faces from people who
worship money and are hostile toward religion. He shared several keys for modern
church leaders. It is important for Christian leaders to understand culture and context, the
best ministry is incarnational, leadership is helping people find God’s will for their lives,
we need to utilize effective theology, we must understand that we are not the Holy Spirit,
and good pastors are amateur sociologists and anthropologists.
Analysis: Over the past couple of days we went to one church that grew locally
because the pastor cast a vision to impact the world globally. We went to one church that
grew because the pastor emphasized prayer. We went to another church that grew
because the pastor emphasized organization and corporate structures that supported the
gospel message and discipleship through relationships. We visited another church that
grew because an experienced minister served as a doctor to fix the sicknesses facing the
church. The point is, there are many different effective approaches to church in the city. It
is important for pastors to contextualize what is going on in their churches and cities in
order to be effective, but there is no one right way to do church. The Holy Spirit is able to
work through many different ways to advance the Kingdom of God, and we also need to

20
celebrate his role in doing that over the past 2,000 years of Christian history. I was
completely amazed by the stark contrast between the churches we visited today.
Application: I gained many ideas about how we can be effective in the East End
of Pittsburgh. We will still have North Way’s DNA, but it will definitely be my role as
the campus pastor to contextualize the worship experience in the East End. That means I
will need to continue to spend a lot of time in the neighborhoods getting to know people
and places, including pastors, churches, restaurants, organizations, streets, and everything
in between. At this point I think I am planning to walk around the East End, beginning in
East Liberty, and visit every single church in order to find out more about the work that
God is already doing in the East End. From a more tangible perspective, I have some
great ideas about cross-cultural ministry that should be very helpful in the urban
environment where I live and work. I am so excited to get back to Pittsburgh to jump
right in!
Description: This was my last full day in New York City. I will miss the city and
the many new friendships I have made this week, but I really cannot wait to get back to
Pittsburgh to be with my friends and family. I have learned so much about God’s heart
for reaching the city from some of the most incredible urban leaders in the world. This
morning Ray Bakke lectured about how Paul went to many different kinds of cities, and
he modeled many different approaches to reaching people in those cities depending on
the culture and context. The gospel message of Jesus Christ never changes, but different
methods of carrying forth the message should be utilized. Our first site visit this morning
was to Trinity Lutheran Church in Manhattan where the congregation is led by a pastor
named Heidi Neumark. Around a third of the population of the church is Latino, a third is

21
African-American, and a third is white. In attracting a cross-cultural crowd, she has
incorporated a lot of art and diverse imagery into her teaching and the look of the church.
I gained some great ideas about how to connect with many different groups of people in
the East End of Pittsburgh. After lunch we all spent time with Tim Keller, a pastor at
Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. He shared with us about his journey in life,
and how Christian leaders can lead effectively in complex urban environments. He has
tried to create an “ecosystem” in New York that leads to sustainable church growth and
planting plus effective partnerships with specialized parachurch organizations. Keller has
been very effective at bridging the gap between personal evangelism and social justice in
evangelical churches, and it was interesting to hear his perspectives in person. In the late
afternoon we visited the studio of Makoto Fujimura, an artist who is impacting culture in
New York and around the world through the International Arts Movement. Our class had
a wonderful discussion about how Christians can impact culture in cities through the arts,
and many of us pastors had a lot of questions about how we can integrate the arts into our
churches. I heard some wonderful ideas that I just might try out in Pittsburgh. For our last
stop in the day, we visited NYU, the largest private university in the country with 50,000
students. We spoke to the Protestant chaplain about her role in providing spiritual support
for students at NYU, a door that has opened up a lot since 9/11 caused the university to
be more open to religious activity on campus. We also heard from a Muslim chaplain and
a Jewish chaplain who support students at NYU. It was very interesting to listen in on the
interfaith dialogue that these three campus leaders have opened up with one another. The
conversations between the chaplains and my classmates were fascinating.
Analysis: We have been introduced to some of the most significant leaders in all
of New York this week, and it has been a lot to take in. Today was another great day. The

22
pastor at the Lutheran Church this morning introduced some powerful ways to connect
with people from the neighborhood cross-culturally, Tim Keller provided us with some
powerful thoughts, and the rest of the speakers throughout the course of the day were full
of insight. I was surprised at how interested my classmates were in integrating the arts
into their churches, and I was equally surprised by some of the answers the artists
provided as advice to pastors. The artists suggested that instead of pastors thinking about
how to use the art in the church, that pastors should go to where the artists live and do
their work and spend time with them in order to get to know them and learn more about
their work. Interaction with artwork does not need to be transactional right out of the
gate. We do not need to try to force Christian meaning into the world of art. Art, as with
all things in the life of the church, is a gift from God.
Application: I am sure I will be trying to apply many things at North Way based
upon today’s experiences. For one, I need to continue to try to learn the context and
culture of the East End of Pittsburgh as we approach our launch date. I am really thinking
through the artwork and design of the East End ministry center. I think we could do some
innovative things to attract a more diverse group of people to the church. I am thinking
murals and different kinds of artwork that are welcoming to many different kinds of
people. Tim Keller encouraged us to build strong relationships with parachurch
organizations that specialize in certain parts of the church’s mission, and in the East End I
am going to continue to connect with organizations that can help us to reach many
different kinds of people. Partnerships can be really helpful to both churches and the
organizations. LAMP is a great example of that in Pittsburgh. Our church has much to
build on, and many areas that we can grow together.

CHAPTER 3
Launching a New Multisite Church Campus in an Urban Environment
As a pastor at North Way Christian Community in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I am
currently leading the launch of a new church location in a diverse, urban part of the city
called the East End. The grand opening of the North Way East End location will be on
January 29, 2012. The church is currently being built and designed. During this Bakke
Graduate University course in New York City, I learned about many different types of
church buildings and strategies contextualized to complex urban environments. The
purpose of this project is to implement many of the concepts discovered during my time
in New York City into the design and grand opening of the North Way East End church
location in Pittsburgh.
Churches in New York City
We visited many different types of churches during the week in New York City,
and we learned that this city is a complex place where a wide variety of churches and
ministry models are needed. There are advantages and disadvantages to every model of
advancing the kingdom of God in a city. Small churches can provide a family network for
displaced people, and large, affluent churches can influence many people and institutions
while speaking truth to power. “There is no one way to do urban ministry. There is no
one city paradigm. Theology must be rooted in communities.”1
1
Ray Bakke, lecture at Bethel Gospel Assembly on November 8, 2011.
23

24
Our class spent a significant amount of time in seven churches in New York City.
Each of the churches we visited was founded in different contexts with a wide variety of
foci depending upon the culture. Bethel Gospel Assembly grew locally based upon a
global missional strategy, as the Lord directed the church leadership to “sow abroad in
order to reap at home.”2
Faith Bible Church was founded by Chinese Americans with a
strong external and global focus on pastor training, church planting, and community care.
Brooklyn Tabernacle emphasized prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit, and the church
has reached many people. Christian Cultural Center grew to over 35,000 people by
building a Christian culture with the foundation of relationships and processes. Plymouth
Church was once the most famous church in America founded by the most famous man
in America, and after a long recent Unitarian history the old church is experiencing a
revival in the midst of an affluent, antireligious, and even hostile population because the
leadership at the church has sought to contextualize the gospel by understanding the
history, context, and culture of the neighborhood. Trinity Lutheran Church is a smaller
church in a diverse neighborhood that intentionally embraces the multiracial make up of
the people through the arts and empowering teaching. Redeemer Presbyterian Church
reaches many people in a secular Manhattan environment by intentionally reaching into
many different sectors of society through a gospel ecosystem anchored in church planting
and renewal of established churches. In order to understand the concepts that will go into
the design of the new North Way East End church in Pittsburgh, I will examine the ideas
and strengths contextualized in the different churches visited in New York.
Bethel Gospel Assembly
2
Carlton Brown, lecture at Bethel Gospel Assembly on November 8, 2011.

25
I attended a worship service at Bethel Gospel Assembly in Harlem, and I also had
the opportunity to visit the church later in the week to meet Bishop Carlton Brown. This
church of over 2,000 members was founded 93 years ago out of racial tension. Two
young African-American girls tried to attend a local church, and they were turned away.
A white woman noticed what had happened, she followed the girls home, and talked to
them about setting up a church in New York that was multiracial. The church was born
out of love, not separation. To this day, the church remains multiracial with a strong
African-American presence and also a large Latino population. The music has a strong
gospel feel, and Spanish lyrics are also integrated into many of the songs.
One of the interesting things about this church is that it has grown locally by
emphasizing global missions. The church supports many global mission efforts,
especially in South Africa. The leadership at the church believes that they have
experienced growth in attendance at the church because they have been committed to a
global worldview.
The church currently meets in an old middle school building that was purchased
from the board of education. The auditorium serves as the sanctuary, and many of the
public school classrooms and offices now serve as church classrooms, offices, and
overflow seating. The church grounds take up nearly an entire city block, and yet the
church needed some more space so the leadership has become very innovative. The
church leadership sold off a main corner piece of property to a commercial real estate
developer who planned to build a high rise mixed use apartment and retail building. The
pastor also managed to sell the air space above the new church location so that
apartments could be built several stories up that actually reach over top of the church

26
building. The church leadership also worked out a deal with the real estate developer to
build a brand new, bigger sanctuary at the street level of the building next to the retail
space. The church also has a floor for church offices, and several of the apartments higher
up in the building have been set aside for church members to live in order to build
community in the building. I thought that this was an extremely creative and savvy way
to dream of doing church in a different way when the space becomes outgrown. This is a
great example of a church working toward common grace and increasing levels of
shalom in cities by partnering with real estate developers.
Harlem has seen many new real estate developments in recent years, and Dr.
Brown pointed out that he and the church are trying to figure out how to adjust to the
forces of gentrification that have deeply impacted the neighborhood around the church.
The church wants to welcome everyone while still respecting and valuing the traditional
make up of the neighborhood. “This church is a loving church, a learning church, and a
launching church.”3
Affluent people and poor people can feel welcome here. Newcomers
and people who have been in Harlem for many years can feel welcome here. There is
intentional margin for growth.
3
Carlton Brown, lecture at Bethel Gospel Assembly in Harlem on November 8, 2011.

27
Faith Bible Church and Seminary
Faith Bible Church includes seminaries that train leaders in New York, Taiwan,
Canada, Brazil, Paris, Italy, China, and Hong Kong, fifteen churches planted in different
countries, local and global mission efforts to places like Africa and South America, and
an extensive local community care network that includes schools, summer camps, a café,
arts integration, piano lessons, English classes, and much more. One innovative seminary
in China meets in a hole that was dug in the ground in a secret location. Following Jesus
in urban environments requires tremendous creativity, and this church is a great example
of that.
Faith Bible Church has a true global and missional perspective. “John Hao draws
his strategy from Paul’s church planting methodology in Acts. Paul is seen as constantly
taking short-term missions trips across Asia and Europe. He would plant churches and
then visit them. Paul was also a part of a team. Rev. Hao and his leadership travel to the
major continents of the world to reach the rapidly expanding Chinese immigrant
population. Whether to China, Taiwan, Paris, Sao Paulo, or Johannesburg, the church at
home is strengthened as the result of its investment abroad.”4
The church also holds seven different services in different languages, and the
church buildings are used for many different purposes throughout the week in order to
reach out missionally into the community. We can learn from this church that it is good
for urban churches to have good biblical teaching and strong worship services, but it is
also important to have a focus on reaching out locally and globally while working hard to
4
John Hao, lecture at Seh Moon Baptist Church on November 7, 2011.

28
contextualize the gospel to different environments. Big vision can have a huge impact in
expanding the Kingdom of God in cities and around the world.
Brooklyn Tabernacle
Jim Cymbala has established an amazing church in Brooklyn. Famous for its
choir, I was personally blown away by how Spirit-led this church was. I also learned
many important things about leadership during the time we spent with Cymbala. In terms
of what stood out in general about this church, the focus on intentional diversity built on
a foundation of love was very strong.
This church strongly emphasizes prayer. They have prayer teams that pray around
the clock for prayer requests that pour in from around the world. There are weekly prayer
gatherings that attract thousands of people. Cymbala mentioned that one of the ways to
tell if a church is healthy or not is to examine how they collectively pray.
Cymbala mentioned that the biggest mission field facing the modern church is at-
risk kids. Brooklyn Tabernacle has developed many programs and outreach efforts
designed to reach high risk youth living in urban environments. I was greatly encouraged
by this emphasis on youth as I have dedicated a considerable amount of my life to
impacting at-risk youth, including the past six years with the LAMP mentoring initiative
in Pittsburgh. I am planning to continue to focus on LAMP even as I spend more of my
time serving as the campus pastor at the North Way East End campus. The intentionality
of reaching kids through mentoring aligns very well with the church’s goal of impacting
the community and city. Student ministries will also be a strong focus of the East End.

29
Finally, Jim Cymbala encouraged pastors to be ourselves and avoid becoming an
actor. Originality, creativity, and authenticity are crucial to urban ministry and leadership
in general. The Holy Spirit works through us when we are authentic. Brooklyn
Tabernacle demonstrates the importance of contextualization when serving as a church in
complex urban environments.
Christian Cultural Center
One of the first things I noticed about our visit to Christian Cultural Center in
Brooklyn was the warm welcome and hospitality we received when we arrived. We were
greeted well and fed, and then we were invited to tour the church facility with the lead
pastor, AR Bernard. The first thing he told us was that the church places a high value on
hospitality and community because people need to feel welcomed into a church.
Hospitality has been a strong emphasis at North Way for a long time, and I was
encouraged to see that a church with 35,000 attendees still sees that as an important part
of gathering together to worship the Lord.
There are probably many reasons why the CCC has grown so much, but Pastor
Bernard shared his thoughts on some of the keys to effective growth in urban
environments. He personally is a networker, so he builds good relationships, but he is
also a former accountant who loves process, so good programs and systems are
instrumental in church growth. He mentioned that three keys to ministry are environment,
people, and programs. “Every church should have three common objectives: effectively
caring for people, efficiently managing resources, and enabling real growth.”5
5
AR Bernard, lecture at Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn on November 9, 2011.

30
CCC has attempted to design a Christian culture that values history, arts
integration, prayer, and a global perspective. One of the rooms that stood out to me was a
prayer and reflection room designed to provide a place of peace and quite for followers of
Jesus to hear from the Lord. The prayer room had quite an urban feel, with pictures of
skyscrapers painted on some walls and glass for the other walls. Another room in the
church was dedicated to global missions and the overall vision of the church to reach
culture in many different ways. An interactive wall of global maps and TVs was a
creative use of technology, and different keepsakes and photos were prominently
displayed around the space to celebrate the history of the church. The rooms are
intentionally set up to draw people into dynamic orthodoxy versus static tradition.
The Christian Cultural Center has an intentionally diverse music style. According
to AR Bernard, “The worship is not just a rock concert. We incorporate classical music,
jazz, hymns, and very eclectic songs into the mix.”6
There is no one style of music that is
appropriate for urban environments, and with neighborhoods changing so frequently in
cities, it would make sense to embrace many music genres when leading people to
worship the Lord. Diverse worship is a big part of developing a strong Christian culture.
Plymouth Church
Our class had an enjoyable transition from a modern megachurch to America’s
first megachurch founded by Henry Ward Beecher. Plymouth Church was founded by
Beecher, a pastor who led his church in the fight against slavery, “calling for its abolition
in the pulpit, on the public platform, and in newspaper columns. At a time when many
churches were silent on the subject, and prominent ministers cited Scripture as evidence
6
AR Bernard, lecture at Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn on November 9, 2011.

31
that God approved of slave owning, Henry Ward Beecher convinced many thousands of
Americans that slavery was ungodly and unchristian. The nation’s soul, he warned,
would be destroyed if it did not purge itself of this monstrous sin.”7
While the original
church congregation was big and influential, over the years much of that influence was
lost as the church declined and Unitarians insisted that the name of Jesus not be
mentioned in the church for 99 years. The current pastor, David Fisher, has done some
amazing work in bringing revival into the church and reaching into the community in
very creative ways. He has experience as a “doctor” of sorts who can bring about
transformation and restoration in struggling urban churches. Most of the current members
of Plymouth Church have tons of money and a worldview that is often secular. One of the
things Fisher has been able to do effectively is develop an understanding for culture and
context. “Culture is sovereign. You’ve got to bend toward it and subvert it. Every
culture’s values are worldly. Churches exist in and are cultures. The church is a culture.”8
Not only do urban church leaders need to understand and develop cultures, ministry
always involves crossing cultures. We need to become familiar with the concept of
displacement in order to reach deeply across cultures with the gospel message.
Plymouth Church celebrates their unique, rich history. However, they are also
committed to change and looking forward to what God might have in store for the future.
David Fisher is working hard to translate theology into the life of the church and the
people, and he refers to the process of looking forward with churches that have a strong
7
Debby Applegate, The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher
(New York: Doubleday, 2006), 5.
8
David Fisher, lecture at Plymouth Church on November 9, 2011.

32
past as “writing chapters in the life of the church.”9
Many urban church leaders will be
called to do this with the churches they are shepherding.
Trinity Lutheran Church
Trinity Lutheran Church may not have been a huge church in terms of current
attendance, but Heidi Neumark is leading the church in some amazing ways in order to
impact the community. This multicultural church attracts a diverse group of members by
celebrating differences and embracing an empowering view of theology. The artwork that
is prominently displayed throughout the old church building shows many different types
of people worshipping in many different kinds of ways. I loved the murals that showed
the history of the various people groups from the local neighborhood, and the
neighborhood often changes so the artwork changes as well. The pastor works hard to
connect with the congregation and the neighborhood.
Neumark is also very creative with how she came to understand how to impact the
community around the church. When the church doors kept getting tagged by local
gangs, she finally got sick of painting over the graffiti so she started having the children
in the church paint creatively on the front doors of the church every week for Sunday
school. Soon, the tagging from gangs stopped and a thing of beauty and creativity
emerged in the neighborhood. Many programs at the church have been designed to equip
the diverse population that is a third white, a third black, and a third Latino, to reach out
missionally into the community. This church was a great example of how historical
churches can still thrive through such methods as arts integration, empowerment, cross-
cultural ministry, and a missional focus.
9
David Fisher, lecture at Plymouth Church on November 9, 2011.

33
Redeemer Presbyterian Church
Our group of Bakke Graduate University students had high hopes for our time
with Pastor Tim Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church when we arrived at the church
offices in high rise office building in Manhattan. I had heard many things about this
church over the years, and I was also familiar with many of Keller’s books. One of the
biggest takeaways from this time together was his concept of what is needed for
Christians to engage the city. He told us, “If you want to reach a city, you must help each
other across denominations and organizations by developing a layered gospel
ecosystem.”10
There should be no solo missions or silos in urban ministry. The problems
facing cities are too complex for solo missions, and difficult issues must be met with
strong, intelligent responses that are multilayered with Christians working together.
“Molded often by sin and sometimes by righteousness, cities form a totality of
interweaving systems and subsystems, sometimes self-correcting, sometimes self-
destructing. They are provisions of God’s common grace. Through them God restrains
the development of evil, blesses his fallen creatures and works out his sovereign purposes
in both judgment and grace. The city is an instrument of God’s preserving and
preventative grace and an exhibition of our creaturely response to that grace.”11
The gospel ecosystem requires partnerships between church plants and
established churches. The next ring of the ecosystem involves parachurch organizations
that focus on prayer, specialty evangelism, justice and mercy initiatives, faith and work
initiatives, institutions helping families stay in cities such as schools, theological training
10
Tim Keller, lecture at Redeemer Presbyterian Church offices on November 10, 2011.
11
Harvie Conn and Manuel Ortiz, Urban Ministry: The Kingdom, the City, & the People of God
(Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2001), 192.

34
in the city, and getting together with churches to grow together. According to Keller, one
of the byproducts of this approach is that you will kick up the dirt in urban neighborhoods
and other churches and organizations will begin to move in. Redeemer does focus heavily
on church planting, but they are also a multisite church. I was encouraged to see a church
that emphasizes church planting and the multisite movement at the same time, as those
strategies do not necessarily need to be opposed to one another.
North Way East End
The place where a church meets is very important, and North Way East End has a
very strategic location right in the midst of one of the busiest intersections in the city of
Pittsburgh. “At a time of unprecedented global urbanization, the issue of where we live
out our witness has enormous consequences. Grand strategies to evangelize the world via
megagatherings and satellite and other state-of-the-art communication methods may have
their place. But the task of redeeming our cities will be accomplished on the ground, one
block at a time, by courageous people who take the daily risks that bring life to their
corner of the world.”12
There are plenty of places in Pittsburgh that may have been easier
to establish a church, since the East Liberty neighborhood where the church is located is a
complex, diverse area.
East Liberty was once the third largest urban area in the state of Pennsylvania
after downtown Philadelphia and downtown Pittsburgh. In the 1960s and 1970s, a
busway was built that separated East Liberty from other key neighborhoods in the city.
Also, the streets were rerouted, which cut off a flow of transportation to East Liberty.
12
Robert Lupton, Renewing the City: Reflections on Community Development and Urban Renewal

35
These logistical moves, which were intended by political officials to bring growth to East
Liberty, actually had the opposite effect as nearly 1,000,000 square feet of commercial
space was lost over the course of couple decades. A massive residential decline came as
the jobs left, and the decline was furthered by urban blight and white flight during the
1970s and 1980s. After a long period of decline, East Liberty has started to make a
significant transformation in the past ten to fifteen years. Much of the transformation has
been controversial, however, as gentrification from bordering affluent urban
neighborhoods and suburban people have moved back into the neighborhood. New
national retail chains have begun to move into the neighborhood, while historical
buildings that have been boarded up for many years have been purchased and are being
restored. North Way East End will be gathering to worship in one such building called
the Kelly-Strayhorn Theatre, which had been a performing arts theater built in the early
1900s. It was closed for many years but reopened within the past decade after an
expensive restoration. The busway and layout of the streets, once a detriment to the
neighborhood, are being redesigned to welcome traffic into the neighborhood. Hundreds
of millions of dollars has been, and is being, invested into East Liberty. Many long time
residents of East Liberty are not happy about the changes, and some people living in
poverty have been forced out of parts of the neighborhood because they cannot afford to
live or own a business there anymore.
Nine other city neighborhoods surround East Liberty, including four traditionally
African-American neighborhoods, several affluent neighborhoods, and a couple middle
class neighborhoods with diverse, blue collar and artist populations. If you stand in the
middle of East Liberty, you will see people walking and driving around in East Liberty

36
who reflect the diversity of the surrounding neighborhoods. My vision for the church is
that we are able to connect with people across cultures. There are also several other
churches in the heart of East Liberty and in the surrounding neighborhoods, and I have
been doing my best to introduce myself to each of the pastors.
Contextualization will be crucial to the health of North Way East End. “The
scandal of the Christian faith is that Jesus became a real person and spoke with a local
accent. As Jesus takes up residence in our lives, our most intimate communion with him
always takes on local color, language, values and lifestyle. The universality of Jesus
Christ is real, of course, but so are our precious enculturated ‘habits of the heart’ in our
devotion and service.”13
It will be important to understand the history and the culture of
East Liberty in order to follow Jesus’ model of ministry. The following general concepts
of urban ministry are being considered and implemented in the North Way East End
campus.
Arts Integration
Many artists live and work in the East End of Pittsburgh, and as a church
leadership team we should prepare to reach them with the gospel message of Jesus Christ.
Part of the process of doing that involves integrating the arts into many different aspects
of the church location. The performing arts theater where we will be gathering to worship
already attracts many different types of artists. The North Way East End ministry center
that is located right next to the theater contains nearly 6,000 square feet of space that can
be used by the church for programs such as kids church, student ministries, small groups,
and counseling. The ministry center space can also be used by the community where
13
Ray Bakke, A Theology as Big as the City (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1997), 153.

37
various artists will be welcomed to use it as creative space. When people enter the
ministry center on Penn Avenue, the first thing they will see is a skyline painted on the
walls and the landing leading down a set of stairs to the entrance lobby. I selected a
skyline to give the immediate entrance an urban feel, avoiding the temptation to paint all
of the waterfalls, trees, or sunsets that one sees on the covers of most of the books at the
local Christian book store. Local artwork will be prominently displayed in the main lobby
at the entrance to the ministry center, along the hallway to the church offices, and into a
large multipurpose room that will serve as an art studio and creative space for local
artists. An artist night has been planned for February, where local artists will be invited to
the space and fed a gourmet dinner from our worship director who happens to also be a
chef. We will provide the artists with materials such as canvases and paints, and we will
ask them to create some works of art that we can display in the ministry center. We will
invite local artists that represent the diversity in the neighborhood so that we can include
a wide variety of perspectives. I am also hoping the fill different parts with the kinds of
murals that were prominently displayed in the Trinity Lutheran Church building in New
York.
Arts integration will be a strong emphasis of the church campus in order to
embrace the context of the community. “Art is a means of engaging our culture. It is
important to create space that brings beauty and healing in the world.”14
For many, the
arts are a deeply ingrained part of the Christian faith experience. “Artists often struggle
with what it means to be a Christian and an artist. They are often outcast from both
spaces. It is helpful to create a space in the middle where faith can also be sensory.”15
The
14
Bryan Horvath, lecture at International Arts Movement on November 10, 2011.
15
Bryan Horvath, lecture at International Arts Movement on November 10, 2011.

38
North Way East End church presents an opportunity to create the space that is needed for
local artistically inclined residents to be able to connect with the Lord.
Global Missional Perspective
People from many different cultures and countries live in the East End of
Pittsburgh, partially because the new Pittsburgh economy has intentionally embraced a
global worldview. The G-20 summit was held in Pittsburgh a couple years ago.
Companies like Google and Westinghouse attract employees from all over the world.
Local universities in the East End like the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon
University attract many international students, many of whom are settling into jobs as
young professionals in Pittsburgh. The North Way East End launch team, which currently
consists of over 125 people, represents people from many different nationalities. I noticed
in New York City that the Christian Cultural Center painted the word “Welcome” in
many different languages around the main entrance to the sanctuary. In the North Way
East End ministry center, we are painting the main entrance in the lobby with “Welcome”
in many different languages. When people first step foot into the ministry center they
may truly feel welcomed into a diverse environment. Similar to many of the churches that
I visited in New York, the East End ministry center will have its own global room with an
interactive map of the world focused on the many partnerships that North Way has
developed with global missionaries and organizations over the past thirty years.
Communication is a good component of any global missions strategy, and right now
many of the people attending North Way church locations seem to be somewhat
disconnected with the global missions strategy because they do not know who we are

39
partnered with. Part of the advantage of launching a new campus is that we will be small
and nimble enough to be able to communicate effectively about our global mission
partners. Utilizing technology, a computer will be connected to a flat screen television
that will have interactive information about the global partners.
God’s global mission will be an important part of the North Way East End
church. Randy White points out that “the implications of globalization are more than
economic. They are also cultural. Globalization facilitates religious and cultural pluralism
in cities through migration, trade and increased interaction via technology.”16
We have
the opportunity to reach many people with the gospel message who have come to
Pittsburgh from many different cities and countries, and we have the opportunity to travel
to other places to join the work that the Holy Spirit is doing globally. “We need to create
a missions culture in our cities by creating structures and systems to reach unreached
people groups.”17
The missional strategy is important for the people globally who may be
impacted, but the missional church also goes a long way toward increasing the process of
transformation in the people attending the North Way East End church. “If the fullness of
the gospel is to have redemptive impact on the city, it must penetrate into every strata of
urban life. Strange, isn’t it, how we feel called to a mission of saving others, only to
discover that the calling ends up being at least as much about our own salvation?”18
Prayer and Reflection
16
Randy White, Encounter God in the City: Onramps to Personal and Community
Transformation (Downers Grove: IVP Books, 2006), 171.
17
Chris Clayman, lecture at MNYBA on November 7, 2011.
18
Robert Lupton, Renewing the City: Reflections on Community Development and Urban Renewal

40
Several of the churches we visited in New York created space and margin for
prayer and reflection. These components of the Christian faith are often overlooked by
modern churches, but they should not be neglected as expressions of worship and a
means of connecting with God. “As pastors, we need to lead people to pray. Prayer is
absolutely crucial to the church. A pastor can gage the success of a church by who shows
up to pray.”19
A prayer and reflection area will be established in the far end of the North
Way East End ministry center. This quiet space will be available to members of the
church or community who are looking for a quiet space to connect with the Lord. My
hope is that it will be utilized as I follow Jim Cymbala’s example in the leading the
church to pray.
Reflection involves taking the time to be quiet and listen. “Listening is the key to
transformation.”20
All of the leaders in the East End community will be encouraged to use
the quiet space regularly. The elders will gather to pray frequently. The North Way East
End prayer team may not be as large as the 400 people that pray around the clock in the
Brooklyn Tabernacle, but we do have a group of nearly 100 people from across the North
Way campuses who have committed to pray for the East End and the new church location
throughout the launch season and into the coming year. “True hope for the future of the
inner city is grounded in prayer.”21
Embracing Innovation and Technology
Many of the churches we visited in New York worked hard to integrate
19
Jim Cymbala, lecture at Brooklyn Tabernacle on November 8, 2011.
20
Heidi Neumark, lecture at Trinity Lutheran Church on November 10, 2011.
21
Mark Gornik, To Live in Peace: Biblical Faith and the Changing Inner City (Grand Rapids:
W.B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2002), 118.

41
technology and innovation into driving the kingdom vision. North Way East End has a
launch budget of just over $500,000, and nearly $200,000 of that budget is being spent on
innovative technology that will help to spread the gospel. Christians do not need to shy
away from innovating. “There is an elitist trend among evangelicals, and we should be
focusing on innovators instead of elites.”22
In the performing arts theater, we are installing three video projection machines, a
state of the art sound system, and amazing lighting, and new technology will be utilized
throughout the ministry center, as well. The interesting thing about this approach is that
we are partnering with the performing arts theater to help them advance their mission to
increase local arts in the community. We are leasing the space, and we are dramatically
upgrading the technology in the theater along the way. If the partnership develops
effectively, this could be a big win for both North Way and the performing arts theater in
terms of reaching the community and being assets in the city working together toward
increasing levels of shalom.
Intentional Diversity
As part of this project, I hired a diverse staff to lead the North Way East End
campus. My associate pastor is a strong African-American pastor and leader in the
Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh, the predominantly African-American
neighborhood where I live and have worked for the past six years with the LAMP
mentoring program. He and I had known each other from our work with kids in
Homewood, and I am excited to see how God is going to work through us to reach many
people across cultures in Pittsburgh. Several other members of the leadership team are
22
Tony Carnes, lecture at Seh Moon Baptist Church in Woodside on November 7, 2011.

42
African-American, as well. I am committed to having a leadership team that reflects the
diversity in the East End. “Churches in the city must figure out how to authentically
connect with many different kinds of people. This especially includes intentional
multicultural leadership development. A great example is the church in Antioch in Acts
13:1, which had an international pastor team consisting of two Africans, two Asians, and
a European. This was the first multicultural church that we know of, and it was also the
church that invented foreign missions.”23
We are also developing a cross-cultural worship experience at North Way East
End. I brought in a worship director who is committed to moving us past the
contemporary Christian music style that has been traditionally done at North Way in
order to bring gospel, jazz, soul, indie rock, classical music, and hymns into the worship
experience in the East End. Many different people are speaking into the process of
developing the music style that will reach many different kinds of people. One challenge
has been identifying singers and musicians who are able to perform the different music
styles, including shifts in music genres within the same Sunday morning music set.
Hospitality
In New York I was greeted warmly while worshipping at Bethel Gospel
Assembly, and our entire class was blown away by the hospitality we experienced at
Christian Cultural Center. Both pastors mentioned that they paid considerable attention to
warmly welcoming people to church. I left New York determined to develop a culture of
hospitality in the East End that would be truly welcoming to any person that happens to
set foot at our church. After all, we should be excited to welcome people to church. “The
23
Ray Bakke, lecture at MNYBA on November 7, 2011.

43
gospel is not advice. The gospel is news. Good news. The gospel empowers!”24
The hospitality team at North Way East End has been trained to serve as
ambassadors who greet people as soon as they arrive at the church. This is especially
important considering that we are a new church meeting in an old, historic performing
arts theater with adjacent ministry center space that at one time was used as retail space.
The church does not necessarily look like a traditional church building. Our hospitality
team will be developing relationships, answering questions, and helping with the process
of getting people connected and building community right from the first impression. We
will be serving coffee and feeding people in the lobby of the theater as well. The point is
to welcome people effectively into the church, and little details matter. That concept
really stood out to me from my time visiting churches in New York City.
24

44
Emphasize Relationships
It will be crucial in the North Way East End campus, with so much going on in
the midst of the launch, that we maintain our emphasis on relationships. “Ninety percent
of people in cities come to Christ through relationships, not programs.”25
Programs can be
helpful, but at the end of the day programs seem to get lost in the sea of activity that goes
on in cities. During strategic planning meetings, I have taken the opportunity to focus on
the importance of getting away from our computer screens and getting out into the
community to walk around and get to know people. We have done tons of prayer
walking, with a lens on building relationships with people that we meet as we prayer
walk in the city. It has been challenging to relationally connect with all of the people on
the North Way East End launch team, so we set up five home meetings throughout the
month of January with no other agenda than to simply build relationships with one
another as we prepare to launch the new church campus.
The goals behind relationship-building are rooted in the Bible and ministry of
Jesus Christ. “Effective urban ministry practitioners are able to look beyond statistics into
the lives of people. Theory must be married with street engagement. This is difficult
because the issues are real and generational.”26
When building a new church, it is
important to understand what the people are seeking in an urban environment with many
different churches. “Everyone is searching for love, not doctrinal positions.”27
People do
not usually experience the love of Christ through programs. They experience the love of
25
26
Janice McLain, lecture at City Seminary in Harlem on November 8, 2011.
27
Jim Cymbala, lecture at Brooklyn Tabernacle on November 8, 2011.

45
God through relationships.
Authentic Community
A main wall by the café in the Christian Cultural Center in New York City
prominently displayed a hand-painted section of Bible verses from Acts 2:42-47. The
verses were displayed in order to remind everyone about the mission and vision of the
early church, and how that same mission and vision can inspire us today to truly live out
authentic Christian community. “The great gift of Jewish culture was community. The
great gift of Greek culture was the individual. Christianity bridges the Old Testament and
the New Testament so that communities and individuals are brought together. That is
corporate solidarity.”28
From a biblical perspective, authentic community involves such
things as strong teaching, fellowship, communion, prayer, generosity, worshipping
together, sharing meals, praising God, and enjoying each other’s goodwill.
The East End campus embraces the biblical values of authentic community, and
that will be important because we will draw people from affluent urban and suburban
neighborhoods and also people from low income urban and suburban neighborhoods. It
can be challenging to build authentic community across socioeconomic people groups
and across races, but that is just what we are setting out to do at North Way East End.
There is no reason why the church attendees should not be able to build authentic
community together if we plan. “Corporate solidarity means the rich suburbs are a part of
our family, and poor inner city residents are a part of our family.”29
The Holy Spirit is
able to accomplish this type of authentic community that transcends many of the
28
29

46
traditional boundaries that separate people in Pittsburgh. My goal as a pastor in the East
End is to be a bridge builder and reconciler across cultures, even when then process is
especially difficult. The church should be leading the way in building community, not
dragging behind while only choosing to spend time with people in our own silos.
Conclusion
God is on mission to redeem the world, and our purpose in developing the North
Way East End campus in an urban environment in Pittsburgh is to join that mission.
Beyond the basics of the mission, this course in New York City has taught me that there
are many different ways to contextualize the gospel message of Jesus Christ depending
on the uniqueness of cities and neighborhoods. The context of the church in the East End
will involve arts integration, a global missional perspective, prayer and reflection,
embracing innovation and technology, intentional diversity, hospitality, relationships, and
authentic community. All of these ideas are being designed and will be implemented in
order to help people connect with God.
I have shared the vision for the East End campus with many people, and there is a
growing excitement and anticipation going on. The executive leadership team and elder
council at North Way Christian Community have fully supported the East End campus
launch and the mission and vision. Solid, biblical teaching, strong worship, and healthy
small groups will always be a consistent part of North Way regardless of the church
location. Yet, there is plenty of room for campus pastors to shape each location according
to the needs of the community. The East End location will be the fourth North Way
campus, and a fifth campus is planned to open in 2014. Beyond that, the leadership team
at North Way has set a goal to open at least one new church campus every year. Within

47
five to ten years, there may be many more North Way urban church campuses. This
North Way East End launch may go a long way toward opening up doors into other
communities in the city.
On a personal level, this course in New York City has helped me to be a more
effective pastor in Pittsburgh. Upon returning to Pittsburgh, I was rejuvenated to continue
to build the relationships that I have been working for the past six years in Homewood.
Also, I am being very intentional about being led by the Holy Spirit on a daily basis. I am
looking forward to an exciting year of urban ministry in 2012.

CHAPTER 4
SELF-EVALUATION
I am so glad that I selected this New York City Urban Immersion course as my
last class at Bakke Graduate University in the Doctor of Ministry program. I had been
greatly anticipating spending time with Ray Bakke and new friends in one of the most
amazing cities in the world, and the actual experience exceeded the expectations. All of
the foundational components of urban ministry and transformational leadership that I
learned about in the overture courses provided a great context for the learning that took
place in the streets and neighborhoods of New York. Each new city brings new
perspectives and new challenges, and still I learned many transferable principles and
unique insights along the journey.
One of the learning outcomes listed in the syllabus for this course involved
understanding the strengths and limitations of entrepreneurial urban church models. That
topic appealed greatly to me as I have anticipated the launch of the North Way East End
campus in the city of Pittsburgh. The church launch is a challenge that involves bridging
history and something new. I was able to learn so much from the many different models
of church that we experienced during this course. The Christian Cultural Center and
Brooklyn Tabernacle experiences were particularly helpful, as we had the opportunity to
spend time with the entrepreneurial founding pastors who remained committed to
innovation while leading many people to connect with Christ.
As always, the emphasis on transformational relationships between urban
churches and public and private institutions was a highlight of the course. Partnerships
48

49
between churches and institutions can be very difficult. I know that first hand with the
LAMP mentoring initiative in Pittsburgh. I was encouraged to hear about the many
organizations that the churches we visited in New York were partnering with around a
whole range of issues such as at-risk youth, employment, and housing. I always enjoy the
opportunity to glimpse into the unique workings of institutions and partnerships in cities.
I loved learning about the role of the arts in communicating Gospel truth and
transformation, and what better place to learn about that subject than New York City? It
seemed as though every place we went seemed to integrate the arts into the mission in
one way or another. I enjoyed the murals in Trinity Lutheran Church just as much as I
loved the amazing artwork that was prominently displayed throughout the Christian
Cultural Center. Makoto Fujimura’s studio was a fascinating place to learn, and I gained
some incredible insight from the staff about how to support artists and encourage people
in their more sensory expressions of faith.
The time spent with Jim Cymbala represented well the innovative perspectives
and strategies on leadership that most appropriately and contextually equip the Church to
function with missional and incarnational integrity in an urbanizing society. I will never
forget how Spirit-led he was, and how he encouraged us to be ourselves and lead well in
complex urban environments. In his own way, AR Bernard profoundly impacted me as a
pastor and leader. His vision for urban ministry was contagious, and he is an example of
someone who God has uniquely designed for his calling.
I really enjoyed Ray Bakke’s lectures, and will miss being able to hear his fresh
perspectives and thoughts on a consistent basis. The lecture about Paul’s urban
adventures in Acts was particularly helpful for me as I seek to contextualize the Gospel

50
message in Pittsburgh in the urban environment where God has called me. Ray’s insight
was a joy at each of the places we visited.
It was great getting to know so many new friends who attended this class with me.
The pastors from the multisite church in Chicago were particularly fun to be around, and
I learned a lot from each of them about multisite ministry, community outreach, working
with at-risk youth, and big vision for cities. They were just so encouraging. I would have
loved to have the entire pastoral staff at North Way in Pittsburgh go through some of
these urban immersion courses with me. That would have led to a lot of transformation
over time.
Since I need to assign myself a grade for this course, I would give myself an “A”
because I completed each of the assignments and I participated well in the course. I was
engaged with the material, and even though I have had a lot of experience with classes at
Bakke Graduate University I went away from the course with much new material. The
reading was enjoyable, I was disciplined to do the journal while I was in New York each
evening, and the project was fun because it applied directly to what I was doing in
leading North Way East End. I also learned many new things that will be helping the
work that is going on with LAMP and incarnationally with families in Homewood. I am
so grateful for this culminating experience in the doctorate program.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Applegate, Debby. The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward
Beecher. New York: Doubleday, 2006.
Bakke, Ray. A Theology as Big as the City. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1997.
Conn, Harvie and Manuel Ortiz. Urban Ministry: The Kingdom, the City, and the People
of God. Downer’s Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2001.
Gornik, Mark. To Live in Peace: Biblical Faith and the Changing Inner City. Grand
Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2002.
Lupton, Robert. Renewing the City: Reflections on Community Development and Urban
Renewal. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2005.
White, Randy. Encounter God in the City: Onramps to Personal and Community
Transformation. Downers Grove: IVP Books, 2006.
51

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