To Transform a City
Eric Swanson & Sam Williams
Session 1
The greatest migration in history
Some wandered in desert wastelands,
Finding no way to a city where they could settle.
They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives
ebbed away.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And he delivered them from their distress.
He led them by a straight way to a city where they
could settle.
Psalm 107:4-7
God is bringing the people to
cities
From one man he made every nation of men, that
they should inhabit the whole earth; and he
determined the times set for them and the exact
places where they should live. God did this so
that they would seek him and perhaps reach out
for him and find him, though he is not far from
any one of us.
Acts 17:26-27
The ends of the earth have come to the city
Cities today and tomorrow
• In 1900, 8 percent of people lived in
cities
• As of May 2007 half the world’s
population are now urban dwellers
• More than 400 cities with population
over one million
Migration to Cities
Shenzhen 1979 pop 25K
Shenzhen Today: Pop 11m
What is a city?
“A city is a walkable, shared, mixed-use diverse
area. It is a place of commerce, residence,
culture and politics.” Tim Keller
Your place in the city
“Since the earliest origins, urban areas have
performed three separate, critical functions—the
creation of sacred space, the provision of basic
security, and the host for a commercial
market…. Generally speaking, a glaring
weakness in [in any of] these three aspects of
urbanity has undermined life and leads to their
eventual decline.”
Joel Kotkin
Will you provide that sacred space?
City Transformation
Is the integration of the good news and the
good deeds of Jesus so as to bring about
spiritual and societal transformation
City Transformation
Spiritual transformation occurs when
people loving God with all their heart,
soul, mind and strength
Societal Transformation occurs when
people are loving their neighbors as
themselves
Matthew 22:37-39
City Transformation
Spiritual Transformation—Matthew 23:37
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem….”
Societal Transformation–Isaiah 65:17-25
Like personal transformation…
• I have been transformed—2 Cor 5:17
• I am being transformed—Rom 12:2, 2
Cor 3:18
• One day I will be transformed—Phil
3:21
City Transformation
Spiritual transformation begins when
believers have the same attitude towards
a community as God has
Societal transformation occurs when the
secular society begins caring about the
needs of the community as much as the
church does
Easy---------------------------------------------Hard
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY
Cultural
Transformation
Behavior
Values
Knowledge
Short---------------------------------------------------------------------------Long
LENGTH OF TIME
How Transformation Occurs
City Transformation occurs
when….
the whole church
takes the whole gospel
to the whole city
The Whole Church
Doesn’t include every church but
can’t exclude any church
Unify around purpose not program
Unity of Family
Ephesians 4:3-5
Make every effort to
keep the unity of the
spirit through the bond
of peace…one
body…one spirit…one
hope…one Lord, one
faith, one baptism, one
God and Father of all
who is over all….
Unity of
Fellowship
Romans 15:5-7
May the God…give you
a spirit of unity among
yourselves as you follow
Christ Jesus, so that
with one heart and
mouth you may glorify
God…Accept one
another then…
Unity of Function
(purpose)
John 17:23
May they be brought to
complete unity to let the world
know that you sent me and
have loved them even as you
have loved me
Purpose: to let the world know that you sent me
and have loved them even as you have loved me
Congregation #1
Congregation #2
Church
Healthcare
Education
Social Sector
Arts & Media
Government
Business
C h u r c h
Healthcare
Education
Social Sector
Arts & Media
Government
Business
They partner around concerns
“Bounded Set”
Do you believe like I believe?
“Centered Set”
Do you care about what I care
about?
People of good faith working together with people of good will
A city movement…
• …is a collection of centered sets
They unify around blessing
This is what the Lord…says to all those I
carried into exile from Jerusalem to
Babylon… “seek the peace and prosperity
of the city to which I have carried you into
exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because as it
prospers, you too will prosper.”
Jeremiah 29:4-7
They understand the power of service
Needs and
Dreams of
the City
Evangelism is our
ultimate motive, not
our ulterior motive
Common
Grace
Control
Service
Callings and
Capacities of
the Church
Salvation
Mandates
and Desires
of God
To Transform a City
Eric Swanson
eric@tangogroup.com
@ericswanson
Sam William
swilliams@visionsd.org
@willysam43
Question
From the video what applications / links can
you make to your personal life & ministry?