This past Sunday Andy had the opportunity to share the vision of Renovate Church with two different churches who are partnering with the plant. He shared from Ephesians 2, which paints a vivid picture of the renovating power of the gospel. Andy shared 4 truths from this text: 1) the need for renovation, 2) the agent of renovation, 3) the goal of renovation, and 4) our role in renovation. Watch or listen to Andy’s sermon here.

The east side of Birmingham is an old and diverse area of the city that contains a multifaceted cross section of people ranging from the urban poor, to college students, to young professionals, to blue and white collar families, to the elderly. The 35212 and 35210 zip codes are areas that represent huge opportunities to reach all kinds of people with the gospel.

• The estimate population of this area is 23,057
• 51% African-American
• 42% White
• 4% Hispanic
• 3% Other
• The Median age is 36 years old
• The average income of this area is $31,735
• The percentage of those in poverty is 26%
• The percentage of single parent households is 11%

Our vision is to plant a church that results in unity amidst diversity – where walls of hostility and division are broken down by the gospel and a body made up of various ethnicities, social classes, and socio-economic statuses are all joined together in Christ. We desire to be a community of Christ followers who are are consistently growing in the gospel, living in community with one another, and pursuing the lost in Woodlawn, Crestwood and Eastwood. We believe that through Christ, the hearts and lives of many people in this area will be changed, and that it will begin to holistically impact these neighborhoods.  We envision our church and this area becoming a hub for gospel renovation in the city of Birmingham.

I recently had the opportunity to hear Jerome Gay, lead pastor of Vision Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, teach on doing ministry in the inner city. Here are some of the major points from his talk that I think have immediate application to Renovate’s mission.

• Love for dudes > Love for doctrine

“Missions and church planting must not simply be birthed out of a passion for doctrine, but out of a passion for people.” If we aren’t compelled into urban missions out of a love for God and a love for the people in the inner city, we will not be effective in ministry, no matter how concise our theology, or how finely tuned our structure and philosophy. Love must prevail as the motivating factor for our mission.

• Myths about doing inner city ministry

Myth #1 – The inner city is an area, not a people group

Many people view the inner city as a geographical place, and not an area full of people who bear the image of God.

People distance themselves from the inner city because of the stigmas and stereotypes associated with it, failing to see that the inner city represents real human beings who need the gospel.

Myth #2 – You can understand the issues of the inner city from a distance

Often times judgments about the inner city are made without knowing anything about it. Solutions for problems in the inner city are derived without ever having set foot in it. But to truly address the issues of the city you must enter it. This is the model of Jesus. He took on flesh and became a human being and dwelled among men. He entered into the city of man. It was because he did so that he could be our merciful and faithful priest who sympathizes with us. To reach the inner city we must inter into it and “incarnate” ourselves among the people.

Myth #3 – Theological Ineptitude is accepted

When most people think of churches in the inner city, they think of pastors and individuals who have weak doctrine and who do not know or value “good theology.” While this is certainly true of some people (in the same way it is true of some people in every culture), that is not the case for many. The fact is that some have never been fed good doctrine. Others simply don’t know or use the same terms as “us”, but they believe many of the same things. Historically, African Americans were not allowed access into most of the conservative seminaries until the last few decades. The schools who did let them in were predominantly liberal. Much of the theological ineptitude within the inner city, specifically among African Americans, is the doing of our own tradition’s racism and prejudice. All that said, people in the inner city want truth. And we can give it to them. But we must not enter onto their turf as imperialists or “saviors” who have all the right answers. We must take a posture that communicates a genuine calling to the city and to the context, and speak to them in a real, relevant way about the truth.

 Myth #4 – Inner city ministry is not worth the investment

Jerome shared that the first church he talked to after God called him to south Raleigh told him that what he was doing wasn’t worth their investment. Sadly, many feel this way. The inner city is messy, and it takes time to do effective ministry there. Some  people want instant results, and inner city ministry rarely affords quick change. Few people are wiling to invest the time and energy it takes to truly reach the inner city. But for those are willing, it is worth the investment. God is seeking for all people groups to worship HIm, including those from the inner city. God told the people of Israel, while they were in exile in Babylon, to seek the welfare of the city while they lived there. We too should seek to see the gospel advance in a holistic way to the people of the city. God cares about the inner city. He has many people for himself from the inner city. To see that promise realized, we must invest in urban ministry.

 Myth #5 – You must be color and culture blind to be effective

Color blindness is impossible and unhelpful. Instead of blindness, we need color and culture embrace. We must embrace the ethnicities and cultures of the inner city. Wouldn’t it be great to be part of a church that embraced numerous cultures, such that the expression of our worship was multifaceted and eclectic. Wouldn’t be awesome to be a part of a church that was diverse yet unified…unified in what truly matters. Wouldn’t it be great to be part of a church that lived out the reality of Ephesians 4:4-6, “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

•  Consistent investment, not ‘one and done’ ministry

What many people think of when they hear “inner city ministry” is doing a Thanksgiving meal or donating toys to give kids at Christmas. While there is nothing necessarily wrong with these type ministries, inner city ministry demands much more. It must involve real relationships and long term commitments. “Inner city folks are used to people coming and dropping off turkeys in November, but what they need is life investment. It takes time to earn trust.”

• Are you ready to get uncomfortable?

The bottom line is that doing inner city and multiethnic ministry is not comfortable – if it was, everybody would do it. Most people are unwilling to forego their comforts and preferences in order to reach a sector of people who are very unlike themselves, but who desperately need the gospel. What we are going to do will not be easy. It will be quite hard. We must have the mind of Christ. We must pursue our joy through fellowshipping with Christ in suffering.

May the Lord grant us favor as we seek to penetrate the inner city with the gospel. May we be compelled to go, driven by a consistent love for people that supersedes our comfort and takes us into a place of uncomfortableness where we suffer with Christ for the sake of His name and kingdom among all nations, including those who are called to believe in Birmingham.

Jesus described the kingdom of God as being like a mustard seed. It begins very small but results in a very large tree. This is how the church began – with 120 believers gathered in a small upper room waiting for the Holy Spirit to come.Yet today the church is advancing all over the world, just as Jesus promised it would.

This is also how we envision the gospel having impact through our church plant. It will begin small, as a small team of us spread the message of Christ and hearts’ of individuals are transformed through the gospel message. This heart change will initiate a process of life renovation as new disciples are progressively conformed into the image of Christ. Transformed lives will begin to impact neighbors, communities, and the city. We believe the gospel will massively impact East Birmingham. Our ultimate vision is to reproduce this process over and over in Birmingham and in other cities as we send out teams to plant new churches. As Mark Driscoll days, “The mission of the church is nothing less than bringing the entire world to Christian faith and maturity.”

Heart Renovation happens as individuals’ hearts are made new through the work of the Holy Spirit, and they are born again through faith in Jesus Christ (Titus 3:5-7; 2 Cor. 5:17). Hearts of stone are replaced with hearts of flesh that now obey God out of love (Ezek. 36:26-27). Hearing and believing the gospel message is how hearts are changed. We are committed to proclaiming the gospel.

Life Renovation happens as God works to progressively transform lives more and more into the image of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18). The work of sanctification (being made holy) is a lifelong process for the believer that happens through interaction with the Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17; Rom. 12:2; Acts 20:32), The Spirit of God (2 Thes. 2:13, Rom. 8:9-11), and the people of God (1 Thes. 5:11, 14; Col. 3:16-17; Eph 4:11-15). We desire every member of our church to be a mature follower of Jesus. We are committed to discipleship.

City Renovation happens as the body of Christ advances the message of the cross through gospel proclamation and gospel living to friends, enemies, neighbors, co-workers, local leaders and civil institutions (1 Cor. 15:3-4; Matt. 28:19-20; Matt. 22:37-40), and caring for the welfare of the city (Matt. 28:18; Jer. 29:4-8). We are committed to missional living.

I think for many, when they hear of a new church being planted in Birmingham, their initial thought is, “Is there really a need for another church in Birmingham? Aren’t there enough already?” Birmingham sits in the heart of the so called “Bible Belt.” It is one of the most “religious” cities in the nation with over 60% of its residents claiming an affiliation with a congregation. On the surface the city seems to have little need for a new church…

Upon closer look, however, Birmingham is in desperate need for new churches. One would expect that in a city with so many churches that the crime rate and divorce rate would be much lower. Quite the opposite. The divorce rate is no different than anywhere else, and the crime rate is 2.82 times higher than the national average. Birmingham is the 10th worst city in the nation in terms of crime. Something is amiss. Either the churches we see on every corner are empty, or many of them have become ineffective in proclaiming the gospel. George Ross, a pastor in Mississippi, had this to say about the church situation in the south,

“People in [the South] are just doing religion…We have perpetuated a lot of religion…but not a lot of conversions. Just because you have a lot of churches…doesn’t mean most people are attending. And some traditional churches, not all, have drifted away from the gospel message, what it means to be saved, what being born again or regeneration looks like. This is largely true of the entire South.”

There are two major trends with the church in the South:

1) Many people have a form of religion, but it is devoid of power and the Holy Spirit. These people are dead on the inside and need regeneration.

2) There are a growing number of de-churched and un-churched, especially in urban environments. In major cities, it is less and less of a cultural stigma to not attend church. More and more children are born into homes that have no church affiliation. In fact, one study found that less than have of those who claim to affiliate with a congregation in Birmingham actually do so, which means that at best, only one-quarter to three-tenths of the people are actually gathered with a congregation on a given Sunday.

The situation in the South demands a unique response to this trend. We need churches that are aware of the problem of dead religion and the growing issue of the unchurched. And the best option for addressing these problems are new churches. Ross explains,

“A new work that is started doesn’t have the baggage. There’s no reputation. All you bring in is who you are and what you believe. This gives you a healthier and freer environment to preach, teach and not be constrained. You don’t have the hindrances of an existing church, especially one in missional drift. We can reach a lot of the people who are de-churched and un-churched. A new church plant can change a community and we can see more conversions faster.”

The city of Birmingham is desperate for a movement of planting churches committed to living for God’s glory, submitting to Christ’s kingship, and acting with Spirit-filled power to reach the lost. By God’s grace, may Renovate Church be a catalyst for such a movement.

“Missions exists because worship doesn’t.” We are planting a new church to reach people who, right now, are living their lives worshipping something other than Jesus. Maybe they are worshipping sex, or comfort, or a career, or a status, or family, or a drug, or a lifestyle, but the reality is that they should be worshipping Christ. He deserves the praise of all people. That is why we are going to the heart of Birmingham, because in this city there are thousands of people who are failing to live for God’s glory. We are going to announce the fame of Jesus, and to draw many into the joy of living for him.

This short video by John Piper helps explain the reason for missions and why we endeavor to plant Renovate Church:

“And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became captain over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.” (1 Samuel 22:2)

Here is David in a time of trial. He’s on the run from King Saul, literally hiding for fear of his life. Yet despite his own worries, he is a source of help and comfort to others. People flock to David - People who are hurting, bitter in soul, and in trouble are all gathering to him.

What a picture of Jesus! His entire earthly ministry was a time of trial and testing. He often faced the threat of death (and ultimately gave his life as a ransom!!), he didn’t have a place to lay his head, he was slandered against and reviled; and yet, he welcomed the poor and the weak and sick to come to him. He loved the tax collector and the sinner. And he became captain over their souls!

I want Renovate Church to be like this. I want our church to be a place where people in distress, people with troubles, and who are bitter in soul can come and be welcomed. I desire that our church be a place where hurting people find comfort and healing in Jesus, and he becomes the captain of their souls. I want our lives to be modeled after Christ’s, who had mercy on the crowds and was compassionate towards them, despite his own trials (that we would not be so distracted by our own worries that we aren’t available to care for those in need).

And what if, by God’s grace, He began to add to our number and Renovate Church grew to about four hundred men! Father, let your gospel at work in us and through us make us like David and the greater King David. May Christ in us be a source of refuge for those in need, and may you add to our number for your name’s sake!

G.O.S.P.E.L. from Humble Beast Records on Vimeo.

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