Joel and Marilyn Van Dyke

Vision

Currently, more than half of the world’s population live in cities. In 2030, it’s projected to reach 66%. The implications are enormous, especially for the most vulnerable.

The most powerful assets in under-resourced urban communities are the leaders who already live and serve there. Unfortunately many faith leaders are not equipped to face the challenges or leverage the opportunities of an urbanizing world. Even fewer have an incarnational vision of mission to ground them.

Cities are healed the same level they are created. They are healed relationally. The incarnation of Christ provides the spiritual technology necessary for human flourishing and shows us how to activate, leverage and steward the power of relationships for the sake of Gospel transformation in the city.

Mission

Joel serves as the Mission Innovation Leader for Urban Mission Engagement with Resonate Global Mission. He fulfills this role as the Director of the Urban Training Collaborative (UTC) which is an initiative serving the global networks of Resonate Global Mission, Street Psalms and Leadership Foundations as well as many others.

The UTC exists to equip the head (Reflection), heart (Discernment) and the hands (Action) of urban community leaders, churches and organizations seeking to love their cities into greatness and seek 
their peace.

The shared networks represent nearly 100 cities worldwide. This vision is drawn from Jesus’s first 
public address in Luke 4:18-19, which speaks of good news and liberation for the poor. Our dream is to see cities become playgrounds of God’s grace for all people. We envision a dynamic global network of training hubs equipping incarnational leaders to make this dream a reality.

The training methodology of the UTC is designed around the MESSAGE, METHOD and MANNER of Jesus’ mission that frees messengers to become peacemakers who love and serve their cities.

Together, along with our daughter Sofia and son Joel who is a full-time student atCornerstone University, we serve as a family in mission.