The majority of students in Urban Youth Ministries come from a single-parent or guardian household that is low income (78%). 90% are from minority cultures (a risk marker) and attend urban schools that have a 50% graduation rate, putting these kids at risk of becoming societal statistics. They face challenges that are prevalent in the inner city such as hopelessness, dysfunctional relationships, peer pressure and a lack of support.

Urban kids also face a lack of spiritual direction. Most do not have a personal relationship with Christ, and those that do struggle with their faith due to negative influences in the inner city. Often kids turn to gangs and drug cultures to find acceptance and love, but these solutions often have deadly outcomes.

It is our passion at Urban Youth Ministries to meet these challenges head on by providing spiritual mentors to meet with kids, introduce them to Christ, build them in their faith and turn them into leaders who will help others become leaders and role models in their community. The dysfunction and instability of the urban environment are merely symptoms of the grave spiritual crisis gripping the Inner City. Social programs merely wipe the wound but do not transform the injury.