Our Approach
Strategy
Reaching North Hill
Our goal is that the current staff trains up participants to become community leaders in North Hill and staff at Urban Vision. In turn, we hope that these future staff and community leaders will facilitate new ministries within Urban Vision, create new disciples, and develop additional services to North Hill.
Being informed by the eight principles below, we believe that by focusing on multiplication through students we will create opportunities in the long run that will build up disciples who can multiply themselves, allowing a greater portion of North Hill to be reached.
Relocation
Living in the CommunityAll UV staff members and student leaders live in the North Hill neighborhood. We believe that living in the neighborhood shows commitment, creates a relational atmosphere, and allows staff personal knowledge of both the beauty and the hardships of the place we are serving.Reconciliation
Peace with God & OthersAt the center of all that we do is bringing people to Jesus. Only by having peace with God in Jesus, can we then have peace with others. This means that Urban Vision seeks to bring peace between individuals in the neighborhood.We also believe that the gospel allows for reconciliation among people groups. By inviting all to receive the gospel and its call to peace, we believe that we can be ministers of reconciliation even across cultures.Redistribution
Bringing resources to the communityNorth Hill lacks financial resources, educational options, and advancement opportunities. Urban Vision believes that we must do what we can to advocate for our community to receive adequate resources to bring about holistic change.Leadership Development
Raising leaders from the communityRaising indigenous community leaders takes center stage for Urban Vision. We believe that fostering leadership in the neighborhood is the best way to make lasting change in the North Hill area.We model leadership with our actions for students to see, we then teach about leadership in a way that casts a vision, and we empower students to lead in practical ways.Listening to the Community
Hearing through relationshipsUrban Vision learns community perspectives through informal relationships cultivated by being neighbors and listening to our multicultural staff and student body. Both feedback on current programming and research on potential ideas come through listening to those we serve.Church Based
Communities are developed through the ChurchUrban Vision believes that gospel transformation happens through the local church. As a result, we partner with local churches throughout the greater Akron area to connect God’s people to God’s work in North Hill.Holistic Needs
the whole person, the whole communityUrban Vision wants to see the captives set free, blind see, and good news preached. The Kingdom of God is demonstrated in the whole curse being reversed: physical, spiritual, economic, and emotional renewal. We work to see this renewal in North Hill and in all its cultures.Empowerment
Giving the power to own and doInstead of helping from a position of power, Urban Vision wants to give the power to the community. We hope to see the community own the businesses, land, education, and religious leadership in North Hill.
Our Impact 2050 Plan
Discover how we plan to turn our cultural values into significant community change .
Read Our Impact 2050 Plan