I had the chance to meet Keith Bower at Awaken 2008 last week where he was getting energized for his new project after leaving his senior pastor position of 17 years. His courage to take a step away from the comfort of his suburban church is driven by his desire to bring community transformation to urban Houston.

After returning home from Awaken, we took some time to learn more about Keith’s newest plans - plus a little about how he started using Kindle for his urban ministry.

What do you like about Kindle? How do you see it helping?
Prayer is vital. This is God’s work, not ours, and the only way He will unleash His power is in response to the prayers of His people. Kindle facilitates that, and not just locally as in traditional prayer meetings, but globally in a virtual prayer meeting that runs 24/7 worldwide. Kindle allows us to stay connected in both public and private prayer forums in a way that really supports the communal and collaborative culture we envision. We’re very excited about Kindle…and very grateful to you and your team, Robert, for creating it.

Can you tell us a bit more about what you’re doing?
I am working to ignite a new multi-ethnic, multi-denominational movement driven by young adults to create communities of spiritual and social transformation all across urban Houston. Previous generations would have called this “church planting,” and in a sense that’s what it is. But the KIND of “churches” we want to start are very different - simple churches that are more like lifeboats than cruise ships; churches focused on being disciples, on living the way the disciples lived, loving the way that Jesus loved, and doing the things that Jesus did; Bible-believing, Gospel-teaching churches with compassion, inclusion, and social justice built into their DNA; churches that can replicate virally to address the limitless needs of the city. That’s what we’re trying to unleash in Houston.

Why did you leave your pastor position?
I love my church with all my heart. I was there for over 17 years as senior pastor and they will always be my spiritual family. But over a period of a year it became clear that God was calling me out of the suburbs and into the city. I like the way Kim McManus put it at Awaken 2008: “My world, my city, is calling my name.” That really resonated with me. I am a Houstonian through and through, and Houston is one of the most diverse cities in America with over 300 people groups and 200 languages. 70% of the population under age 30 is non-Anglo. It’s an amazing place! As much as I love my church, the call of God to the city was unmistakable. I had to go.

Where do you see God leading you for the future?
I believe that God wants to use me as a catalyst for young adult leaders - encouraging them, mentoring them, empowering them, resourcing them. In many ways this vision is their vision. I caught it from them. Now I want to get behind them and bring a whole bunch of “50-somethings” along to support the work. My role will probably be volunteer. I’ve applied to teach philosophy at a university here in Houston. I would love that! Making my living among young adults on a college campus - a very global place - seems like the perfect way to stay connected and inspired.

What do you like about Kindle? How do you see it helping?
Prayer is vital. This is God’s work, not ours, and the only way He will unleash His power is in response to the prayers of His people. Kindle facilitates that, and not just locally as in traditional prayer meetings, but globally in a virtual prayer meeting that runs 24/7 worldwide. Kindle allows us to stay connected in both public and private prayer forums in a way that really supports the communal and collaborative culture we envision. We’re very excited about Kindle…and very grateful to you and your team, Robert, for creating it.

Kindle Tip - How Keith is Using Kindle
Keith is using Kindle as his prayer channel in many ways - first creating his “Keith Bower’s Urban Church Planting Team” prayer group, then adding the Kindle prayer widget to his personal blog at www.keithbower.org.

Want a Kindle prayer widget for your website or blog? Contact us at info [at] kindlejoy.com.