Indian Insights - How Does DMM Need To Change From Villages to Cities?
By S. Crawley
Photo by Shubham Rath on Unsplash
Recently, I had the privilege of listening as Indian movement leaders shared their perspectives and experiences on movement discipleship in cities.
Books like 'Bhojpuri Breakthrough' record the successes of these leaders and others like them. Early practitioners started in rural contexts, where they developed what became known as Disciple-Making Movements (DMM).
The Indian leader of this movement reported being challenged recently while he was praying.
It was as if God was saying to him, "What about cities?"
"But I'm working in cities, Lord!" he replied.
"You're working IN cities, but you're not really looking AT cities,” came the reply. “You're not looking at the whole population."
God’s response to our Indian brother speaks to much of the DMM-oriented work that has taken place over the last few decades. A growing number of leaders in cities are wrestling with that same question: how do we sow the seeds of the Kingdom of God and sustain discipleship in a way that can bless the entire city?
That response got the movement leader’s attention, and now he and his team are looking at the cities in his country with fresh eyes.
What are they noticing about the differences and similarities between rural areas and cities?
What’s Different?
1. Cities Require Multiple Strategies and Approaches
In villages, whole families and communities can be served and reached through a single individual or group. However, cities are more fragmented.
These leaders are recognising the need to view the city as a diverse collection of segments that each have specific needs. Youths need connection and purpose. Women at different life stages share common concerns that can be addressed. The same story applies to young professional groups and a range of cultural groups.
It’s very difficult, if not impossible, for a single team to address all the unique needs of different groups in urban spaces.
Diverse teams and strategies are needed to impact the city.
Practical questions: Are you or your team spread too thinly across different affinity groups? Where can you consolidate your efforts to achieve a greater impact?
2. Cities Are Full of Communities That Are Displaced and in Transition
As people move into cities for work, power structures change, creating new opportunities for loving our neighbours.
People who were influential in the village and resistant to the gospel experience changes in their situation after moving to the city for work. They leave their relationships and influence behind, and they often find themselves on the margins in their new environment. This often makes them open and hungry for relationships, particularly with people who share their culture, values, and language.
Their openness to relationships creates the opportunity for Jesus-followers to come alongside and identify with them. They are not just looking for programs that address their needs - they are looking for relationships with authentic people they identify with and can show them how to do life in the city.
Migrant communities in cities are diverse and require a diverse harvest force.
Practical questions: Which significant groups in your city is your team unlikely to connect deeply with? Who is God raising to engage and serve other groups? How can you help them?
3. Cities Make Natural Access More Difficult
In rural areas, natural access to the community can open up easily - people often invite others into their households with little more than a warm conversation.
However, these leaders recognise that natural community access in cities is significantly more challenging without pre-existing relationships, particularly with families and households. This challenge forces them to innovate and find new ways to connect.
For example, trade workers and cleaners have natural (and paid) access to the households of middle-class professionals, so they are experimenting with training disciples in these trades and sending them out to engage households in specific “gated communities” in their city.
New and creative access strategies are needed in the city.
Practical questions: Which group(s) in your city are least connected with followers of Jesus? What are the obstacles and barriers? Who could help you discern new approaches?
What’s The Same?
Spoiler Alert: There are no surprises on this list! It's still worth mentioning them.
1. In Cities, We Need To Understand Our Harvest Field
We need to do our homework!
These Indian leaders emphasise the value of the "KYA (Know Your Area) Approach." Faced with the inherent complexity of the urban environment, digging in and gaining a deeper understanding becomes even more critical - for both discerning which group(s) in the city to prioritise and how to serve them.
What infrastructure is already in place (physical and social)? What is working in the community? What changes do they hope to see? What is God doing? Who is already leaning and leading towards His Kingdom?
These questions are important in both rural and urban areas.
2. Prayer Mobilisation Is Critical In Cities
The leader looked straight into my eyes and, with a quiet intensity, said, "We have to pray. We have to mobilise prayer."
This call to pray and mobilise prayer refers to more than just the intimate abiding that God invites us into. The importance of seeking God for discernment, guidance, and His specific plans for each community cannot be overemphasised. In addition, intercession is key to dealing with spiritual opposition and systems that suppress the knowledge of Jesus.
If anything, with the extreme density of human relationships and brokenness in cities, the importance of prayer increases!
3. Training Local leaders
“Natural members” are the best people to lead those around them.
They easily relate to those around them. They enjoy the food. They get the jokes, and they like the music. They are at home in the language and culture - every tiny facial expression or gesture is intuitively understood. Gaining this understanding takes an outsider months or years of immersion.
It is much easier for an insider to connect with the broader community and empower disciples and leaders if they are a natural member of it.
The fact that natural members connect more easily applies equally in both rural and urban settings, challenging us to empower and multiply diverse leadership in cities with numerous groups and affinities.
Getting Practical
These are reflections and insights from Indian movement leaders. Your context may be very different, but there are principles here that are just as relevant elsewhere.
Which difference most challenges you? How will you move forward? Who can help?
Which similarity most challenges you? How will you move forward? Who can help?
Discipling the Urban Harvest provides practical insights and encouragement to walk with God in multiplying discipleship in an increasingly urban world - growing as children of the Father, serving the communities He has called us to, and discipling those hungry to know Him.