Urban  Networking
Connecting the church within Boston and connecting Boston to the church in other cities is a strategic part of God's mission in our neighborhoods and in reaching the world for Christ.
Local and international urban networking is just as important today as it was in the early church in understanding and sustaining a vital expression of Christianity.
As we better understand how the vitality of Christianity in the Global South contributes to the Quiet Revival* of the church in Boston, we also sense an increasing need to explore the dynamics of the church in other cities and nations experiencing what some would consider "Major Revival."
Discovering and developing both local and international connections can strengthen strategic city-to-city learning, collaboration, and kingdom growth. Because of this, the Vitality Project is engaged in various dimensions and aspects of urban networking.
Urban Networking Objectives
- Advance the Kingdom of God holistically in cities
- Encourage and inspire urban ministry practitioners to promote the welfare of cities
- Connect urban ministries across racial, ethnic, and national barriers
- Develop sustainable learning communities of urban ministry practitioners
Urban Networking Activities
- Global Urban Ministries Network (GUMNet) is an international peer-to-peer network, learning team, and alliance of urban ministry practitioners committed to understanding and nurturing vital Christianity in their own cities and the cities of the world. GUMNet began in June of 2007 when a group of 12 people from different countries met in Boston to discern how believers could better serve God in addressing the challenges of cities around the globe. GUMNet's mission (which is based on John 17:20-23) is to connect cities around the world in order for the body of Christ to work together in unity. GUMNet has grown to approximately 35 members in over 20 countries that meet monthly by teleconference and collaborate using an online base camp. GUMNet will be having its' second international gathering in Sept of 2009 in New York City to discuss and further develop it's long term vision, mission, and outcomes around various topics including: Connecting existing regional network leaders, sharing and developing urban ministry education and training resources, developing an international urban ministry practitioner news network, and consider future international consultations in Mumbai and Cape Town in 2010.
- Ethnic Ministry Summit 2010 Boston
- The Decapolis Network is a formative learning team of New England urban ministry practitioners committed to understanding and nurturing vital ministry activity across strategic cities in the New England region in order to encourage, support, strengthen and multiply ministry through an ongoing, geographically based, peer-to-peer, learning team and consultation process.
- Intercultural Leadership Consultation (2007) which underscored the activity of various ethnic communities within the Quiet Revival in the New England region.
- The National City Impact Roundtable (2008) connected hundreds of urban ministry practitioners from over 80 denominations, 300 organizations, and 50 ministry networks from across the country in Boston.
- In addition, the Vitality Project is currently engaged in: the planning of the Global Cities Initiative conference Sept 9-11, 2009 in New York City and the Ethnic America Summit in 2010 in Boston, and has recently provided "in situ" consultation to urban ministry practitioners in India, Germany, The United Kingdom and the Czech Republic.
*Quiet Revival: the unprecedented growth of Christianity in our region in the past 40 years, characterized not only by a growing number of churches and more people in churches, but also by increased unity, prayer, community transformation, and overflow to the world.
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