Our Mission
Shalom Ministries equips leaders to empower the church to embrace God's global urban mission.
Guiding Principals
"Mission begins with an explosion of joy..." (Leslie Newbigin) The worship of God launches us into becoming missional people. Shalom Ministries seeks to promote and encourage joyful and authentic celebration of the God who calls us into mission.
The Congregation is God's Missionary Agency. Shalom Ministries is not a parachurch organization in the sense that we stand apart from the church, critical about her ineffectiveness in mission. Rather, we stand alongside (as in the New Testament notion of the "para-cleat") the church as an equipper, mobilizer, and encourager of the congregation in mission.
The World is going to the City, the Church of Jesus Christ is already there... The world is urbanizing. More than ½ of the world's population live in cities of over 1 million people. Shalom Ministries is unique in that it is the only Mennonite-related entity in North America with a primary focus on building the faithful church in the city. We work from within an urban context, not toward an urban context.
Anabaptism is our missionary theology. In a world that is becoming postmodern and is already discovering the contours of post-Christendom, it is the Anabaptist movement with its historic and continuing vision for radical discipleship, authentic community, and just nonviolence that gives our work a theological center and direction. While we are thoroughly committed to an Anabaptist point of view, and receive the Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective as a faithful summary of our faith, we also recognize that other historic renewing movements in the history of the church, especially Pentecostal-charismatic perspectives, offer us a wider frame of reference for missiological conversations in a global-urban environment.
What We Value
Congregations that are equipped to be God's Missionary Agency through our work of grassroots training, leadership coaching, and strategic consulting.
Congregations that are empowered for God's Mission through our work of creating environments of renewing worship - Mission begins with an explosion of joy.
Congregations that are embracing God's Mission that is both Urban and Global through our work of forming missional partnerships and coalitions.
Congregations that are espousing a missiology and theology formed by an appreciation for and commitment to Anabaptist themes of Jesus-centered discipleship, Jesus-led community, and Jesus-shaped nonviolence.
