The Bronx Household of Faith is an urban church whose primary purpose is to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the streets of New York.

Since its beginnings in 1971, it has firmly held to the conviction that the inner city as much as the remote rain forest village is included in the Great Commission. Refusing to join the middle class in its flight to the suburbs, the Bronx Household of Faith was established amidst the crumbling ruins of the southwest Bronx.

The spiritual vacuum in the inner city from the 1970's on, uncovered the sobering reality that Christians had been part of an urban exodus that had begun in the previous decade. This was followed by many a disillusioned community activist whose efforts were unwittingly undermined by their own humanistic presuppositions.

Demographic trends at the end of the 20th century have shown population shifts toward the great urban centers of our world. The scene of world evangelism in the 21st century will be an urban setting.

New York is a world class city. Far from being the habitat of society's lunatic fringe or the fraternity of the fast lane, it is more precisely the staging area for future trends in our country. It is strategically important for the Gospel. As New York goes, so goes the rest of the nation. From music to fashion to HIV, what is established here seems to find its way into our nation's hinterland. A spiritual awakening in this city would have a profound effect on the rest of our nation.

The strategic importance of New York is also apparent in its ethnic diversity. The mission field is coming to us. Every major nationality and language group is represented here. The presense of Eastern religions are no longer transparent to American society. Mosques and temples have been springing up throughout the city and its surrounding environs.

The colossal need, however, remains the primary motivation to bring the Gospel to New York. A generation after the idealism of Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy and millions of dollars spent in entitlement programs, our society, especially in its urban expression, is still attempting to bandage its deep running sores. The problem is not privation but the promugation of lawlessness due, in large part, to the breakdown of the family, which itself is symptomatic of the repudiation of God's authority.

The traditional family has all but disappeared in the inner city with government subsidies readily available for the inevitable consequences of sexual promiscuity. Basic moral and ethical training is glaringly absent. The result? Well--to quote one drug dealer, "I don't give a _ _ _ _ what the law says!" People in many neighborhoods throughout the city are afraid. So are the police. Parents are afraid to let their children walk to school by themselves even if it is just two blocks away.

The Bronx Household of Faith's response is simple. It's a matter of obeying both halves of the Great Commission: to make disciples and teaching them to observe all things. Periodic evangelistic forays into the city are not enough. Lifestyle evangelism, living and working among those to whom we minister is the order of the day.

This goes beyond telling someone how to be saved, as important as that is. It involves paying the price and running the risks of living in the city. It means being available to respond to various needs as they arise, things like crisis intervention, emergency relief, providing food and clothing or participating in a block clean-up. It also means spending time with an individual opening "closet doors," identifying areas of that persons life, which need to be brought under the rule of Christ.

The Bronx Household of Faith sees the life-transforming, self-governing effects of the Gospel as the only hope for the city.