Movement Day Equips Leaders to Transform Cities With Gospel

New York City is preparing for a movement. Movement Day, that is.

A gospel leadership movement best known as “Movement Day” is making its way to the Big Apple on Sept. 27. The program aims to help leaders change cities with the power of the gospel.

Movement Day organizers are gathering city leaders to collaborate on best practices and models they can replicate and adapt in major U.S. cities. And there’s plenty of collaboration. The likes of Richard Stearns of World Vision, Luis Palau of the Luis Palau Association, and Ajith Fernando are on board.

“The vision we have had for Movement Day is that the gathering would be a space for the body to meet to see how the gospel, as it is lived out, can overcome the challenges we face in our cities,” says Mac Pier, president of The New York City Leadership Center and founder of Movement Day. “We know that the needs are great, but we believe our God is greater and that when we work together as the body of Christ, we will have significant impact.”

The New York City Leadership Center has identified spiritual and social issues cities all over the U.S. are facing. These issues include vast populations unreached by the gospel, profound poverty and an emerging youth population that is struggling to surpass the 50 percent high school graduation rate.

“The most recent stats about the health of our cities give those of us who live in major urban areas a diagnosis we probably know all too well: our cities are not well,” Pier says. “It doesn’t take a Ph.D. in urban studies to see it. The average graduation rate in the nation’s 50 biggest cities is a dismal 53 percent, while it hovers around 70 percent in the suburbs. The disparity between rich and poor continues to accelerate as our jails continue to be maxed out.”

The New York City Leadership Center hosted the inaugural Movement Day in September 2010. More than 800 leaders attended from 34 cities and 14 nations. More than 1,000 leaders attended the second annual Movement Day in 2011. The New York City Leadership Center is hosting The Movement Day Congress with Redeemer City to City and American Bible Society, along with 20 national and local Christian organizations.

“A movement is afoot. Those of us living in the city and working to make a kingdom-sized impact, believe that God is bigger than these challenges,” Pier says. “The number of faith-based education, social and spiritual agencies in our nation’s cities continues to climb. Sector by sector, city by city, leaders and agencies are praying intensely and are hard at work, believing that with God all things are indeed possible.”