Frontline Ministries

Now available, The Practitioner’s Guide: Building City Gospel Movements. I feel I have captured my core life message in this book. For several years, my main, plain aim has been to help catalytic, visionary leaders grow their Psalm 133/John 17 movement to the next level of kingdom impact and fruitfulness. Here’s a “praise from Ceasar” endorsement from colleague Jim Herrington, Mission Houston:

“Tom White is the most seasoned, mature city movement leader that I know.

He thinks conceptually at a very high level, but his thinking is informed by his

‘boots-on-the-ground’ life experience that gives his writing profound clarity.”

I’m a theologian/practitioner. I take time to develop a much-needed biblical theology of “city transformation,” but then unpack the practical, working components of a healthy, fruit-bearing  John 17 kingdom community. Chapter 3 hits a core question head-on: “The City Church: Biblical? Achieveable?”

So, I can send you a copy shipped for $16 (email, text or call). You can easily pay for it using the paypal at this site. Give it a read, then pass it on to another local leader of influence keen on building John 17 unity in your city. And if you don’t yet have the 2011 revised version of my classic work, The Believer’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare (Regal), I can do that one for $14 (a biblical, practical word on a complex topic).

I’m wearing “four hats” these days:

• Coach/consultant for city and regional movements of unity, prayer and collaboration
• Serving on the Leadership Cabinet for “Movement Day” (annual gathering of city practitioners in New York)
• Designer and facilitator of the “City Advance,” a two day leadership learning community that precedes Movement Day
• Co-Coodinator of the Global Urban Leadership Learning Community (GULLC), urban theologians and practitioners who meet on the internet. We’re tracking towards a face-to-face in London in May, 2014, and a Global Congress in New York in 2016.

And here are “four words” that describe what I aim to impart to leaders of gospel city movements:

1. “cohesion”  Relational friendship described by Jesus in John 17, and Paul in Phil 2 and Eph 4
2. “infusion” of supernatural power through the regular practice of citywide corporate spiritual disciplines of worship, prayer and service. I believe a healthy city movement will engage in a rhythm of corporate spirituality
3. “theological vision”  Leaders discerning and learning how to apply the timeless principles of the Word of God to a particular people engaged in a specific cultural milieu
4. “implementation” of collaborative strategies for sharing the good news and good deeds of the gospel, with the aim of winning and discipling increased numbers of souls in your city

Here’s an “on-the-job” shot, bringing the keynote at the City Advance in New York, October 8:

The mission statement of the City Advance:

to connect, equip and coach leaders of collaborative city movements to more effectively steward transformational change that results in measurable increase of God’s reign in cities.

Check out my “Ministry Offerings.” As the Lord wills and leads, I’d love to come to your city for a “Leadership Encounter,” or to cast vision for igniting and growing a gospel movement.

“The whole church taking the whole gospel to the whole world.” So, here I was, a week ago, participating in a leadership forum focused on collaborative efforts to bring the gospel to the remaining unengaged and unreached people groups of our broken world.

High level consultations like this come and go. I’ve been a part of many of them. They inspire, stimulate and challenge. And then they are over. But when intentional, collaborative partnerships come together in a context like this, there can be strategic traction and action. The Lausanne Movement was ignited by Billy Graham and John Stott in 1974. I participated in Manila in 1989, and Pattaya, Thailand in 2004. I was invited to Bangalore because of my expertise with city movements. Our working group got traction! We birthed a global leadership learning community of theologians and practitioners working hands-on in urban environments.

In the months and years ahead, I will help to facilitate the networking and mutual learning of John 17 communities emerging in cities around the world, with a bottom line aim: to more effectively bring the gospel to yet unengaged and unreached peoples.

Mac Pier, CEO of The New York Leadership Center and Chair of “Movement Day,” took point with our working group. Over two working lunches, the Holy Spirit stirred vision and called us to action (Mac is to the left, white shirt):

So what’s next in my world with this agenda? I’ll be on-site August 7-9 at the Global Leadership Summit, hosted by Willow Creek Church. On Wednesday, I’ll have opportunity to connect with leaders from some of the global cities that host this annual simulcast. Then, October 8 & 9, with associates Glenn Barth (Good Cities) and George Ordway (Communities, INC), we lead the annual “City Advance” in New York and participate in “Movement Day” on Thursday, October 10. If anyone reading this has any interest in being a part of these back-to-back gatherings of veteran practitioners, let me know.

“The whole church, taking the whole gospel to the whole city.” What better endeavor could one hope to be a part of?

So, how are you handling the dizzying pace of today’s culture change? While I find it mostly distracting and draining, I’m glad to report that the advance of God’s eternal kingdom is also accelerating. Increasingly, we are seeing concrete answers to Jesus’ John 17 prayer for relational oneness among his followers: covenant kingdom communities, the Body of Christ getting healthier, and working together more effectively in cities and regions.

I believe we’re well into the “early majority” phase of the city transformation paradigm. In any authentic movement, there are early pioneers, innovators, early adopters. Well, now we’re seeing numerous evangelical congregations, organizations and denominations jumping into the city movement mix. I’m just back from a consultation hosted by the Willow Creek Association in Chicago, a blend of veteran city practitioners and leaders of national organizations. Here’s a typical working session:

So, who’s at this table? Mac Pier, Director of the New York City Leadership Center and prime mover of “Movement Day,” Jim Herrington, point man of “Mission Houston,” Cindy Kirk, representing the Luis Palau Association, and Gary Schmitz, executive team member of an emerging kingdom coalition in greater Kansas City. And here’s the main, plain topic: how do we better engage in collaborative, cross-sector partnering to more effectively reach our cities with the gospel?

FRESH OFFERINGS: WHAT FRONTLINE IS UP TO THESE DAYS

So, check out http://www.movementday.com. I believe this is the innovative edge of the city movement paradigm today, this year happening Thursday, October 10. And I also formally invite you to “city Advance,” a highly interactive leadership learning community I and other colleagues facilitate on the Tuesday-Wednesday prior to Movement Day. Check it out. Consider bringing a team from your city or region.

I’ve also just wrapped up the manuscript for a new book, current working title: The Practitioners Guide to Building City Gospel Movements. Hoping for a Winter or early Spring 2014 release. After a straight up Chapter, The “City Church:” Biblical? Achievable? we engage an in-the-trenches look at how to grow John 17 covenantal communities in your world.

I’m convinced also that we are beginning to see modern day biblical Antiochs emerge, places of learning, training, sending…from which kingdom servants will go, and to which men and women will come. And, like the works of the Spirit in the book of Acts, I see city movements today on the cutting-edge of kingdom expanse, partnering to touch both the unengaged and unreached peoples of our planet. June 17-21, I participate in a consultation of international leaders hosted by the Lausanne Movement addressing this very topic.

So, before you move on, take an extra minute and take a fresh look at “Ministry Offerings.” I’d be honored to drop into your community any time and help your movement grow to the next level.

A Strong 2012~~

In the world of Frontline Ministries, we saw a very strong end of year. A few hi-lites:

• completion of a first draft of a new book. Working title: The Practitioners Guide to Birthing and Building City Transformational Movements
• Participation in my third “Movement Day,” hosted by the New York City movement. I serve on the Leadership Cabinet for MD, a one day gathering of 1200-1500 practitioners of city movements from North America. In addition, I am partnering with colleague Glenn Barth (Good Cities) hosting a fresh leadership learning community that meets the two days prior to MD, the “City Advance.” This past September we had 80 participants from 25 city movements of varying size, complexity and stage of development.
• Significant “traction” and growth momentum in three of the cities I’m privileged to coach: Eugene, Abilene TX, and greater Kansas City. We saw major breakthrough at a retreat for leaders of influence in Kansas City: an executive team was put in place to birth a greater Kansas City Kingdom Coalition, an attempt to better collaborate on and coordinate missional endeavors in the region. Here’s one of my favorite pix of 2012, prayer for the Police Chief in the Abilene Summit (“cross-sector collaboration!”)

• An excellent, 10th annual Pacific NW Regional City Impact Roundtable for cities in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, hosted by the Luis Palau Association. Steve Sjogren (author, Conspiracy of Kindness) was our plenary speaker, sharing practical ideas for a prayer, care, share lifestyle, and Rick McKinley, Pastor of Imago Dei, in Portland. The PNW-CIR is the largest and longest-running model of this kind in North America.

In short, I am as inspired and energized as ever! Unmistakeably, the Holy Spirit is moving sovereignly in cities, bringing increased health and John 17 oneness in the Body of Christ, and stirring increased interest in collaboration on kingdom endeavors.

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2013

Here’s what the first half of 2013 is looking like:

• Jan 7-9  Good Cities Leadership Learning Community, Phoenix, AZ. A gathering of some 50 leaders of major city movements in the US.
• Jan 28-30  Leaders Prayer Summit for Eugene-Springfield, Cannon Beach OR (Terri and I help to co-facilitate this vibrant gathering. The movement in Lane County OR is the “One Hope Network.”
• Feb 4-7  Leaders Prayer Summit, “Church of the Valley,” OR (this is our 23rd annual Summit, always a huge blessing. Terri and I lead facilitation teams for parallel men’s and women’s Summits)
• Feb 22-24  City-Wide ministry in Roseburg, OR
• March 26-29   First-Ever Leaders Prayer Summit for leaders of influence in the Chinese Church (Frontline is financing and facilitating this, with invitations being extended to high level leaders in many of China’s Provinces)
• April 21-27   Leaders Prayer Summit & City Transformation consultation, Northern Wisconsin
• April 29-30   Leaders Summit, Abilene, TX (fourth in two years)
• May 1-2   Retreat with Middle Tennessee Leadership Team (a regional movement with a vision to engage collaboratively in outreach and discipleship)
• May 15-16   Leadership Consultation, Willow Creek Association, Chicago
• May 20-31   Terri and I will be on the East Coast. Our son Josh formally receives his Ph.D. with high distinction, from Johns-Hopkins Univ. He is an expert on Pakistani politics and South Asian Affairs.
• June 16-22  High level leadership consultation, Bangalore, INDIA, sponsored by the Lausanne Committee, discussion on the progress of world evangelism. I have been asked to bring inputs on city transformational movements.

That’s just the first half of 2013! Stay tuned for breaking news and developments!

So…multitudinous apologies to Frontline followers for having such an active Winter/Spring itinerary, we did not keep our schedule updated!

In Jan-Feb, Terri and I co-facilitated our Annual Leaders Prayer Summits for Eugene-Springfield, and Church of the Valley (mid-Willamette Valley). As regional movements of unity, prayer and kingdom collaboration, we’ve been on this “long obedience in the same direction” for 22 years. The favor of the Lord’s “commanded blessing” (Ps. 133) just seems to keep increasing.

In March and April I led Summits and city leadership consultations for Kansas City, Nashville and Abilene. What a joy watching a city movement grow and develop! April brought my third teaching itinerary in three venues in China, training leaders in spiritual warfare and prayer evangelism. On every trip, I have felt deeply God’s heart for reconciliation between leaders of the Registered and House church movements. My thoughts read something like this: “Lord…maybe three years down the road…” Well, the door has opened for me to facilitate a first-ever Prayer Summit for around 60 leaders of influence October 16-19 of this year! (so much for my thoughts and presumed timetable!).

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Sign up for Frontline “CONNECTION”

Connection is an e-bulletin we send out monthly, sharing stories, schedule and prayer points. It’s the best way to keep current with our calling. If you want to receive this, just send an e-mail to tntwhite07@gmail.com with “Add to Connection” in the subject line.

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WEBSITES to Check Out

I’m now serving on the Leadership Cabinet for an annual gathering of practitioners of city movements and leaders of national organizations every Fall in New York City, “Movement Day.” This is clearly an innovative edge of the city transformation paradigm. Check it out at http://www.movementday.com and consider joining the journey.

Also, the Luis Palau Association is now hosting our annual Pacific NW Regional City Impact Roundtable the first Monday-Tuesday or December, a decade-long gathering of around 25 city movements in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and British Colombia. Kevin Palau also serves with me on the Leadership Cabinet for Movement Day. The LPA has launched a dynamic site, providing stories and resources, http://www.gospelmovements.com

FALL SCHEDULE

Aug 8-10     Filming @ Luis Palau Association, for posting on http://www.gospelmovements.com site

Sept 10       Frontline Ministries Vision-Casting Dessert, 7 PM

                    — anyone in mid-Willamette Valley welcome!

                    — The Courtyard, 2435 NW Harrison, Corvallis (RSVP to tntwhite07@gmail.com)

Sept 24-28  “Movement Day” (preceded by “City Advance” Tues & Wed)

Sept 29       City-Reaching Consultation, Spartanburg, SC

Oct 15-19   Leaders Prayer Summit, CHINA

Oct 25-26   Leadership Retreat, Kansas City

Oct 29-31   “Village Fire” Consultations, Middle Tennessee (Nashville region)

Nov 12-13  Leaders Prayer Summit, Abilene, TX

Nov 26-28  “CitiCoach” training cohort, Nashville (training prospective city coaches)

Dec 3 & 4   Pacific NW City Impact Roundtable, Beaverton, OR

This biblical, balanced work on a complex topic has been a classic best-seller since 1990. Tom has updated the material, and added 35% new content, with a Foreward by Bruce Wilkinson, author of The Prayer of Jabez.  There are two strengths of the revised version: 1) a discernment assessment grid, “How do I know if I truly am oppressed?” and 2) a whole new chapter, “Understanding and Practicing Intercessory Prayer Warfare,” practical tips on how to pray in the context of a city or region. Every mature kingdom worker needs this book on your shelf.

Order The Believers Guide to Spiritual Warfare directly from Frontline Ministries: tntwhite07@gmail.com, $12 for one, $22 for two, $30 for three.