|
The Power of Partnership
Identifying and recruiting partners, therefore, is the only option for anyone who truly intends to fulfill the Great Commission in the inner city. Partnership is a time-tested principle in many endeavors, and, when done properly, always leads to dramatic results. Its power has been seen in every endeavor where God’s people have sought to expand the Kingdom of God. The Lord God has made us partners together with him as we serve him as his very own ambassadors (2 Cor. 5.20). Rather than competing with each other, or even worse, ignoring the efforts of one another altogether, God desires that we join forces together in unity in order to mobilize his Church for evangelism, discipleship, and growing healthy congregations among the unreached urban poor (Phil. 1.27ff.). What an exciting, transforming vision!
TUMI Satellites: A New Way to Equip Leaders
 You can join our vision by starting a training center, a TUMI satellite, in your church or ministry. A “satellite” of the Institute is a sister ministry, whether located in a church, Christian organization, or mission that meets our requirements to equip leaders for the urban church, especially among the poor, in order to advance the Kingdom of God in the city. A satellite is a partner, a group of Christians who have committed themselves to train leaders for the urban church, maintaining their own identity and independence, while at the same time taking advantage of our staff, curricula, and experience as we strive together to raise up faithful laborers for the harvest (Matt. 9.35-38). Our desire is to provide each satellite with the most affordable and excellent theological resources that we can. We believe that making such resources available will enable you to create your own unique training program that best suits your students and ministry situation.
Many urban churches and ministries suffer with discouragement because there is little lasting fruit. Often there is no plan for leadership development. The biggest obstacle to successfully planting churches is training indigenous leaders to be pastors, to be able to rightly divide the Word of Truth without losing their cultural distinctive. For decades the Church in America has told the urban poor, “If you want a theological education, you have to change cultures and know someone who is rich.” We have basically said, “Do not bother to apply to get Bible training.” Consequently, biblically sound, evangelical urban leadership is uncommon.
The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI) overcomes four barriers that urban leaders face in their efforts to receive theological education:
- Cost: Many urban pastors could never afford to attend a traditional seminary.
- Academic requirements: Many of God's chosen leaders in the inner city have little more than a high school education and would not be admitted to most seminaries.
- Proximity: Most urban leaders have a full-time ministry, a family, and a full-time job, so uprooting their family and abandoning their ministry to go away to Bible college is out of the question.
- Cultural relevance: Most of what is taught in traditional seminaries does not equip an urban pastor to lead a flock in the inner city, so even if he/she could afford to go to Bible school, what is taught there is not relevant to daily life.
In 1995 we launched TUMI in Wichita, Kansas, and have trained over 100 pastors there. In 2000 we began establishing satellite Bible Institutes in other inner cities around the country. We have a host of satellites in the United States, as well as several other partners in other countries.
We offer a variety of training materials, but the core seminary-level curriculum is called The Capstone Curriculum, comprised of 16 modules in four subject areas.
Because of a grant we have received, we are able to help with some of the start-up expenses you may face including curriculum purchases or computer hardware. If you are interested in establishing a TUMI satellite in your ministry, the first step is for you to buy our guidebook entitled, "Multiplying Laborers for the Urban Harvest." This guidebook explains everything that is involved with launching a TUMI satellite, including the application and references forms in Appendix 21.
Steps to Form Your Own Satellite
Follow these eight easy steps to become a satellite of The Urban Ministry Institute.
 Step One
Purchase a copy of our Multiplying Laborers for the Urban Harvest guidebook to obtain the necessary materials to begin the process.
Step Two
Complete the Site Coordinator and Site Application for (Appendix 21.1 in the Multiplying Laborers for the Urban Harvest guidebook). Please mail this form to The Urban Ministry Institute, Satellite Director, 2001. S. Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90007 or Fax it to (323) 735-2576.
Step Three
Give a Satellite Coordinator Reference Form to three individuals who can help us to know you better (see Appendix 21.2 in your Multiplying Laborers for the Urban Harvest guidebook). Please instruct your references to mail their completed form to The Urban Ministry Institute, Satellite Director, 2001. S. Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90007 or Fax it to (323) 735-2576.
Step Four
Once we receive your application and references forms, we will email you a pre-interview quiz. Complete the quiz and return it to us (you may fax, email, or mail your answers). Watch our Satellite pre-interview video "Your Institute: 12 Key Principles". We will then contact you in order to set up an appropriate time for a phone interview.
Step Five
After the phone interview, we will immediately contact you regarding your acceptance as a satellite of TUMI.
Step Six
Upon acceptance, send a photo of yourself, along with your Satellite Site License Fee of $1,500 to the Satellite Director.
Step Seven
Please use the Project Checklist (Appendix 21.3) to cover all necessary steps in creating your satellite.
Step Eight
Submit your Site Finalization Form (Appendix 21.4) to The Urban Ministry Institute, Satellite Director, 2001. S. Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90007 or Fax it to (323) 735-2576, and begin to employ the resources and support of our staff as you equip leaders in your city!
Core Texts for Capstone Courses and Your Theological Library
TUMI’s Core Texts Bibliography
As theologians and research scholars, TUMI's faculty had a wide range of excellent text from which to choose in selecting those texts which would become the staple of its training program for urban church leadership development. Do you want to know what we settled on to be must-have-and-own list of books for an emerging urban Christian leader? Here it is in printable form!
TUMI's core texts represent an representative core of evangelically orthodox texbooks which emphasize a Nicene creedal theology. They confess the essential beliefs represented broadly in an evangelical consensus by various denominations and traditions, and provide a well-rounded introduction to the major issues of faith and practice for Christian leadership. Texts were chosen not only on the basis of scholarly acumen and breadth, but also on our more fundamental criteria for urban leadereship training, i.e., accessibility and usuability, readability level, clarity and practicality, along with historic orthodox content consistent with Nicene theology. To keep the student textbook collection affordable, we use these books again and again in our various department areas, referred to them throughout the course of our instruction. We regularly employ these texts in all the various classes and workshops we sponsor.
Recommended Books to Start Your Own Theological Library
We strongly recomend that every satellite do all it can to establish a theological libary collection in connection to its leadership education, both for the sake of faculty studies and student preparation. Such a limited but helpful collection can enhance your training opportunities greatly, and enable you to better serve your students at your satellite, Here is a starter list to help you begin to consider the kinds of texts you should obtain for your satellite and/or personal library collection.
Forum Dialogue and Help
Register on our forums, and see what insights and questions our site coordinators, mentors, students, and guests have been discussing lately.
|
