Serving the World's Cities: An Andrews University Response

Cities have been interwoven in human experience from the beginning of time. Some will argue that humans prefer the gentle pastoral beauty and pace of life familiar to uncrowded rural settings, but the reality tells us otherwise. For whatever reason, we gather in cities. Today’s cities are larger, more creative, diverse and global than ever. In the mid-19th century less than 10 percent of the world’s population lived in a metropolis of 100,000 or more. By 1900 the urban population in the world had increased to 14 percent. Today, 60 percent of the human population is in the city, and in developed nations like Canada and America it is an astounding 75 percent. And the pace of migration to urban life is quickening. Today’s cities are the center of power, culture, economy and spirituality.

Christians bring their influence into the life of the city as they live there, work there, play there and socialize there. Most young adults leaving our colleges and universities establish careers in one of our world’s urban centers. They need support as they bring the presence of Christ into those cultures.

Recognizing this challenge, the Andrews University Doctor of Ministry program offers an Urban Ministry Concentration. The next cohort in this concentration will begin in March 2015 in Chicago. Skip Bell, professor of Christian leadership, leads the concentration.

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