Starting a Franchise

Minneapolis’ School of Urban Ministry has begun to plant franchises of its successful cross-cultural urban ministry course around the United States. Having experienced a decade of success in developing a nationally-recognized, congregation-based course, a limited number of congregations will be invited to become franchisees.

The Principles of SUM:

Teaching Christian leaders to build ministries cross-culturally in the city.
By design, SUM is a year-long evening survey course covering the breadth of issues faced by life in the city
A locally-developed course, taught by local experts, on how your city works, using the format, readings, videos and lecture outlines developed by SUM
A school year-long, one night per week, with two sixteen-week semesters
Transferable concepts can be learned from any city about every city
City learning needs to be experiential
City is best taught by its own experts
Entrepreneuring grass-roots cross-cultural ministries is the key to ministry in the city
Inexpensive
A congregation becomes a teaching hub for colleges and non-traditional learners
Aimed at a mix of four groups of students:

- Suburban people who want to help in the city

- Urban people who want to learn to entrepreneur their ministry

- College/Bible school and seminary students

Missionary candidates/those on furlough who wish to become effective in the city
Students network with existing ministries as local experts teach
The school/sponsoring congregation becomes a hub of networking for local ministries, churches, educators, community leaders, students and learning institutions and cross-pollenization happens
The congregation is strengthened by students who are drawn by its ministry
New ministries are created
Neighborhoods are strengthened, non-profits are strengthened, schools develop new programs and the city is changed.
In Minneapolis, SUM is becoming the hub of a seven-college consortium offering an Urban Ministry BA.
SUM is not A cookie-cutter video-based course- we provide the training and outline; you plug in local teachers who know your area and use our outline to teach your city
The course is taught from an evangelical perspective, that is, that bringing people into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the center of all ministries created by SUM
Students hone their own sense of personal call as they grow in their awareness and understanding of the complexity of the city, its needs, people and processes.

Requirements of Sponsoring Congregation:

A five year commitment to developing the program
Application and selection by the national SUM board as a site
A week-long training session in Minneapolis
An agreement to use the form and methods of SUM
A one-time membership fee.
A commitment of 10 hours of paid staff leadership per week by the sponsoring church
A formation of a local board of leaders, educators and sponsoring churches/ministries/institutions

Contact Information:

St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church
1901 Portland Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404 612-874-0133
www.StPaulsEvLutheran.org

Rev. Roland J. Wells, Jr. - Director and Senior Pastor:
rolandwells@juno.com