Down the Ladder - into the City! An Emerging Urban Mission Movement in Rotterdam
by Gea Gort-Bakker
June 1st, 2012
In Western Europe, the church is facing major changes. A century ago, this continent?was sending missionaries, but nowadays it has become a mission field, especially in her?cities where secularization has a stronghold and the church is pushed more and more to?the margin. Meanwhile, problems in society are mounting, like care becoming too?expensive, migration challenging the social cohesion, and the gap growing between the?haves and have-nots.
Christians are searching how to respond. In the evangelical world, there is an?increasing discontent about the lingering idea of being a good Christian: Bible-studying?one's way up to God, while also climbing the ladder in the aim for growth in career,?houses, and church buildings; meanwhile, supporting missionaries and projects 'out?there.' Many of these Christians are wondering if this concept is all there is, are
becoming aware that this concept won't turn the tide, and are starting to re-evaluate their?beliefs.
As a result, the idea about mission is changing. In my city - the Dutch city of?Rotterdam - an emerging and growing urban mission movement is detected. These?urbanites are going down the ladder: submerging in the different cultures in the city with?God's mission-DNA in their veins. According to many theologians, mission is the mother?of theology, so what motivates these emerging urban missionaries? What is their
theological framework?
This idea will be further fleshed out in this academic piece and the attached media?project, a book called God in the City. This project is a result of my own search over the?past twenty years of how to express faith in daily life in the context of a Western?European city.