Welcome to The Urban Remnant

A remnant is defined as the leftover or the small part that remains after the main part no longer exists. About six years ago when my wife and I still lived in Detroit, we and our friends discussed the growing trend of the city's population drainage. This version of flight appeared to find its effect in a number of factors: increased blight, failing schools, poor city services, high property taxes, etc. As brain-drain increased, we also observed another trend, though alarming to us, that was observable for several years; that increasingly many of the local churches in the city were becoming hubs for commuter traffic. What I mean by this is that most of the members of these local churches, particular in the large historical congregations and ministries, commuted from other cities or neighborhoods to attend worship services. We saw this trend as the growing barrier to local churches effectively reaching the communities they serve with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Essentially, the people of God were not living amongst the people they serve.

Our urban communities are changing everyday. The name Urban Remnant concerns itself with the city and the people who choose to remain despite others who choose to leave. Its about the Ministry of Reconciliation lived out in the broken places. Its about making disciples, bearing fruit that remains, and positively affecting the spiritual growth of our local communities through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This blogspot acts as a forum for discussing these matters.