Urban Discipleship Articles
Practical, field-tested thinking and experience on discipleship, mission, and what it means to partner with God in the city. Written by practitioners from across the global learning community focussed on the unique challenges of the urban harvest field.
The Fields Are Dead Because We Stopped Planting
A young man stranded in Kabul told the missionary who'd spent weeks with him: "I really like your Jesus, but I can't stand you."
That line has stayed with Marko for years — and it gets at a potentially uncomfortable reality. The lack of harvest in our cities may not be from a lack of care or vision. It may be because we never stopped to ask what we needed to become.
Field Notes From Asian Cities: Patterns in the Harvest
The same Spirit, working across wildly different cities. Practitioners from East Asia to Central Asia keep reporting the same patterns — brokenness opening doors, simple obedience producing fruit, youth moving without waiting for permission.
These aren't coincidences, and they aren't models to copy. They're fingerprints. What does it mean when God's methods look this consistent across such diverse contexts?
Evaluate It
What else is left to do?
In the final article of this current series, David shares a critical step that sets up his team to keep learning and growing in effectiveness.
What If You Don't Need to Start Something New?
I need to tell you about something that shook me during our last gathering in our city.
What shook me was not someone sharing a revolutionary new strategy, but because I finally saw what was already there.
Coaching Keys to Developing Urban Leaders & Disciple-Makers
In the last blog we talked about adopting a coaching posture to empower urban mission. In this article we’ll dive into some practical ways our team is learning to do this.
“We Don't Want Your Baton”: Rethinking How We Release Workers & Leaders for Urban Mission
How can we best serve across contexts and between generations?
Here are three powerful principles that are catalytic and collaborative.
What's Your Mission Assignment? 17 Questions to Help You Discern
We’re surrounded by infinite possibilities to join in what God is doing. So what is that unique assignment that God has given us for this season?
Here are some questions that will give you greater clarity as you discern.
Multiply Disciples by Serving in their Love Language
The idea of ‘love languages” could apply to those whom we serve.
See how we can imitate Jesus who spoke to unique groups of people and individuals about God’s kingdom in a way that they understood.
A Simple Way to Lead So that Everyone Grows
“Why don’t people grow up?”
As pastor of a church, David often found himself asking this question in frustration. His congregation members seemed unmotivated and apathetic.
Feeding More With 5 Loaves and 2 Fishes: Urban Villages Can Help Your Team Focus
The urban harvest can seem overwhelming.
Where do we start? How do we offer our 2 fish and 5 loaves in a way that can have a meaningful impact on the brokenness and lostness we see in our cities?
More Indian Insights - 5 Walls That Block God's Peace in Cities
In today’s post we’ll take a look at some of the key urban challenges Indian movement leaders identified - the invisible "walls" they believe prevent the fullness of God's peace touching and blessing their cities.
Who Is Qualified? An Ordinary Person's Guide To Kingdom Impact
God has an army. The army is not made up of pastors, professors or theologians, but it is filled with ordinary people … like every single one of us.
What’s It Going To Take?
David Broodryk has been on a long journey into discipleship movements and seeking to see cities impacted by and for Jesus. He recently spent time with several Asian city teams as part of the Urban Wheat Project. Over a series of blog posts I will share some key highlights and reflections from our time together.
Indian Insights - How Does DMM Need To Change In Cities?
Books like 'Bhojpuri Breakthrough’ record the successes of these leaders and others like them.
The Indian leader of this movement reported being challenged recently while he was praying… now he and his team are looking at the cities in his country with fresh eyes.
What are they noticing about the differences and similarities between rural areas and cities?
Barren but Alive: When “Nothing” is Happening
God’s work of character building was being accomplished in Joseph, even when he might have thought nothing was happening.
Transparent Spirituality: Being Found By Kingdom Hunger
Engaging Urban Affinities - Part 8
Today we're going to dig a little deeper into a powerful concept - being found BY spiritual hunger. This dynamic can transform how we engage with our urban villages.
5 Questions to Ask as We Serve Hunger for Wholeness
Engaging Urban Affinities - Part 7
There are many ways to serve hunger for wholeness in an urban village. However, it's easy to create barriers to lasting spiritual fruit.
Here are five crucial questions for us to consider.
Finding Spiritual Hunger: The Art of Being Found
Engaging Urban Affinities - Part 6
In this article we will talk about looking for spiritual hunger in an urban village.
By “spiritual hunger” I mean a desire that relates specifically to spiritual life. It might be a desire to know God, to walk with Him more closely, to understand the Bible, to grow spiritually, or a desire for greater inner peace or self-control.