Urban Jerusalem

Senior Pastor, Stacey Jones

Scripture Foundation
“…now what you worship as something unknown, I am going to proclaim…”
Acts 17:22
What is Urban Jerusalem?
Urban Jerusalem is a church with a Hip-Hop approach to worship. It is designed to reach urban youth/young adults, Hip-Hoppers (underground and mainstream) and College/High School students. Our primary target is the un-churched, but all are welcomed. We are intentional about using the “Four Elements” of Hip Hop (DJ, Breakdancers, Graffiti Artist and MC/Rapper) along with R&B and Neo Soul flavor.

Mission
“To make disciples through conversion and connecting new converts and hurting believers to discipleship resources.”

Vision
“To make disciples through conversion and connecting new converts and hurting believers to discipleship resources.”

Our Commitment
We are committed to quality, excellence and relevance in ministry. As result we will be intentional and specific about whom we have minister in music, drama, dance, and presenting the Gospel message.

The Reason Behind the Movement
The great commission states that we are to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). Society has minimized the definition of the word “nation”. When we look at the word (“nation”), the majority of us would automatically assume it means country. That is too small of a definition! Nation in this context means a group of people who share the same community, culture, economic life, and language.
One of the problems we face in ministering in the urban setting is the fact that we are not culturally sensitive. We are unaware that the urban community has a variety of sub-cultures. As a result, Hip-Hop is not accepted as a legitmate culture; therefore this group of people is neglected and never gets the chance to hear the Gospel in a way that they can relate to. It is impossible to have one approach when it comes to ministering in the urban setting. Apostle Paul states in 1 Corinthians 9:19-22 that he became all things to all men that he might save some. He adjusted to every arena he was in to the present the Gospel. Whenever I get the chance to share my faith with people who are involved in Hip-Hop, they are quick to reject it. They immediately link sincere Christians to irrelevant, traditional church attendees. I have heard people say. “It;s cool (accepting Christ as a personal savior) but it’s not for me.” My experience in evangelism has taught me that the majority of people (particularly urban youth and hip-hoppers) want to accept Christ as personal savior but they feel out of place. There is no sense of belonging and acceptance when it comes to connecting with other people in the Body of Christ. Urban youth and young adults need to experience worship that is anointed but culturally relevant without compromise.

Pastors

Stacey Jones is Senior Pastor of Urban Jerusalem-The City of Peace in Minneapolis, MN.  He attended Crown Bible College and Northwestern College where he majored in Social Studies Education and Pastoral Studies.  He is a graduate of “Live on Ministries Inc. School of Ministry” and “DeVos Urban Leadership Academy”.   He is a Hip-Hop artist and educator.    He is currently employed by Urban Ventures as a “Youth Outreach Specialist”. He served several years in different ministry capacities (Youth Worker, Youth Pastor and Worship Pastor).  Stacey is very passionate about sharing the Gospel message that is relevant to this present generation.  He lives in North Minneapolis with his beautiful wife Tryenyse and handsome son “The Priest Braxton”!

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