“TUMI Equips Urban Christian Leaders for the Urban Church”
Pastors Roger Alford and Kurt Lutjens call our attention to “The Urban Ministry Institute” (www.tumi.org), meeting a need for those called of God to prepare for their call to ministry … but find some very high barriers to doing so, especially for those in the urban world.
From www.tumi.org:
“In 1995 World Impact (www.worldimpact.org) established TUMI in order to provide urban Christian leaders with quality Biblical training at an affordable price, and relevant to urban ministry and missions.
We help urban churches and ministries establish training centers in their neighborhoods to equip pastors and laymen for Christian service.
We supply support, curricula, and personal consultation.
TUMI is like a ‘seminary in a box’: 16 courses – each course includes a Mentor’s Guide, a Student Workbook, four hours of video teaching, quizzes, exams and practical-learning projects.
This not only benefits a local church, but helps that church raise up potential pastors to plant other churches. For many such potential pastors, traditional seminary is virtually impossible because:
Too expensive – TUMI costs about $10 per hour
Too far away – TUMI can be taught in your neighborhood
Academically restrictive – TUMI does not even require a high school diploma
Culturally irrelevant – TUMI is applicable to urban cultural experiences “
More of the expressed worldview from TUMI …
“… … since half of the people alive today live in cities, and with this number constantly growing, TUMI believes that Christian leadership education calls for a special focus on urban ministry. Believing, too, that God has chosen the poor to be rich in faith and to inherit the Kingdom which he promised to those who love him (James 2:5), TUMI unequivocally holds that no one should be excluded for training merely because they cannot afford it, or lack the academic background to qualify for traditional seminary training. In light of this, we believe that God is raising up dynamic leaders from among the urban poor who deserve access to quality theological education.”
For information on TUMI in the St Louis area, contact Roger Alford at rgralford@yahoo.com or call him 620-285-1102
Kurt Lutjens since 1996 as served as pastor of Grace & Peace Fellowship on Delmar and Clara in the city of St. Louis, MO.
Roger Alford has been a pastor for 42 years, now serving as a minister-at-large. He recently wrote a book for pastors titled: Pastoring Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up to Be….It’s More!:
A “thank you” to Ricky Webb for first making me aware of TUMI, “The Urban Ministry Institute” that led to this brief description on radio.
Now hear Pastors Alford and Lutjens in their own words …
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