Urban Mission Development Project 2004-2010 Archive

History of the Project

The Project grew out of conversations during the early 2000s about what was needed to increase the support available to local urban mission practitioners across the Christian community.
In September 2004 an Urban Mission Development Advisor, Erica Dunmow, began work jointly funded by the Evangelical Coalition for Urban Mission and the Methodist Church.
The five main outcomes planned for the first three years of the Project were:

1. linked databases of projects and denominational officers active in urban mission, for most of the major urban/metropolitan areas
2. self-sustaining networks of practitioners at the urban/metropolitan level in those areas, supported by a coalition of such networks
3. help for churches in interpreting relevant government policies
4. better access to information on funding for urban mission
5. the identification of the key issues for urban mission and theology and the training needs that come out of that.

The broad development goals were re-evaluated at the end of the first three years of the project and a new set of goals for 2007-10 were seen as:

1. To use the Evaluation of the experience gained in Yorkshire and Humberside and Wales, and of networking with Black-led churches to learn about viability of the model for other regions to adapt to their own contexts.

2. To help bring into being networks of networks in urban mission and ministry exploring the basis, forms, means, methods involved, towards the formation of some kind of UK-wide Christian urban mission grouping, in order to strengthen the Christian presence in urban areas as in Faithful Cities Report Recommendation 2.

3. To pay particular attention to Black-led congregations, churches and parishes and wherever possible to undertake the necessary proactive work to link them appropriately with general sources of support and networks.

4. To promote shared endeavours in recruitment, training and education for urban mission and ministry, both lay and ordained, with appropriate forms of recognition and accreditation, and to further the outworking of the Faithful Cities report’s recommendations on training, especially for lay people on a wide and inclusive basis, in close communication and appropriate collaboration with the Church of England’s Bishop for Urban Life and Faith and its ongoing ‘reception’ process.

5. To provide support for networks for Urban Mission practitioners (See Section 7 for these), especially those whose denominations that do not have their own urban officer and those that are supporting the Project financially (currently the Methodist Church).

6. To further partnership in urban mission and ministry between the four nations of the UK.

7. To contribute to the follow up for the UK Urban Mission Congress in 2007 and promote and develop that in 2010 as the focus for the practitioners from all four nations of the UK.

These developmental goals were pursued in partnership with the wide range of agencies and bodies already associated with the Project and with others with whom relationships were being established including Pentecostal and Black-led churches.

Each year the Project's work was reported to the Project's sponsors and endorsers at an annual reporting event. To view these reports please click on the links below.

Download Next Steps Report 2005

Download Further Steps Report 2006

Download Evaluation Reports for 2004-2007:
            Networking Evaluation – UM Networks Evaluation 2004-07
            Summary Evaluation of UM Information Outcomes – 1, 4, 5 2004-2007
            Summary Evaluation of UM Training Work Outcome 3 2004-2007

Download Stepping Up Report 2008

Download Seeking a Way Forward Report 2009

See subsequent History pages for further reports:

2005-2006; 2006-2007

You can read more Project archive pages:

Partners
Events
Conference Papers
Training for Urban Mission