Luke 10, 2X2, Persons of Peace, and Urban Villages
What is the best way to apply Jesus commands in Luke 10 to an American context?
Most (all?) Church Planting Movements (CPMs) around the world take place in rural contexts—small towns and villages. As I’ve discussed in recent posts, this is because rural environments have strong relational networks that allow the gospel to spread and multiply naturally. In contrast, the highly individualistic and isolated culture of the United States is the biggest obstacle to starting CPMs here, as it prevents the gospel from flowing through organic relational lines. (Check out my previous posts for more on this topic.)
One of the key shifts most international missionaries make to see multiplication in CPMs is to seek out persons of peace. This follows Jesus’ instructions in Luke 101, where He sends out 70 disciples in pairs to proclaim the kingdom, heal the sick, and stay with a “son of peace” (where we get the term “person of peace”). Jesus didn’t just teach this principle—He modeled it Himself by engaging with persons of peace, like the Samaritan woman in John 4. She was clearly prepared by God to receive the gospel, and after hearing it, she immediately went and shared it with her entire town. The result? Many came to faith.
Similarly, movement practitioners around the world have seen the same pattern. They go into villages, share the gospel, and find a person of peace who then spreads the message to their family, friends, and neighbors, often leading to new churches. When I and others have been trained to start CPMs in America, finding persons of peace is one of the first things we’re taught.
But here’s the problem—it doesn’t seem to work the same way in the U.S. as it does in the Bible or overseas.
Why Doesn’t It Work Here?
Traveling to South Asia helped me understand the biblical context more deeply. In one village, my translator and I were sharing the gospel and got invited to a man’s house. As we walked past hundreds of people in this densely packed community, I asked, “Do you know these people?”
He turned his head, looked at me incredulously, and said, “Of course! I grew up here!”—as if I should have already known that.
This interaction highlighted just how different America is from villages in Asia and in biblical times. If this man came to Christ, he could share the gospel with hundreds of people without ever talking to a stranger. The message could spread freely through natural relationships.
In contrast, most Americans go from their house to their car, drive to work, then come home and go right back inside. The only time they might interact with their neighbors is while walking their dog. If you try to apply the Luke 10 model here—going out two-by-two, sharing the gospel, and looking for persons of peace—you might find someone open to Jesus, but chances are they don’t have many meaningful relationships through which to spread the message. The gospel stops with them.
I know this because I’ve seen it firsthand—hundreds of times. My team and I went out two-by-two like it says in Luke 10 and saw people get baptized. We started Discovery Bible Studies. Some new believers even wanted to share their faith. But despite our best efforts, there was no multiplication. Within a few months, people either ghosted us or moved away. Again and again, we hit a dead end.
Eventually, I stopped actively looking for persons of peace. But I kept praying: Lord, how do we apply Luke 10 in America?
The Breakthrough: Urban Villages
I don’t exactly remember when or how this happened, but at some point, God showed me that the two-by-two principles of Luke 10 could still work—but not in the way I had originally thought. Instead of focusing on geographic communities, we needed to focus on interest-based communities.
These are what I call urban villages—American equivalents of the villages I visited in South Asia.
To identify an urban village, use the acronym BLT:
An urban village is a place where you can…
Build relationships naturally with…
Lots of lost people and…
Tell them the gospel.
People gather in all sorts of urban villages: sports leagues, book clubs, volunteer groups, parenting circles, and more. Each of these can be a strategic place to build relationships and share the gospel. Take a moment to think of a few communities you’re already part of—do they meet the BLT criteria? If they don’t what places do?
The Most Important Urban Village
But the most important urban village? Your workplace.
The workplace is the most untapped mission field in America. You spend 40+ hours a week with your co-workers, but do you have a plan to reach them? Reaching out at your job also doesn’t require adding anything new to your busy schedule—you’re already there! If you want to be a disciple-maker, start by considering how you can reach your co-workers and customers.
Begin with prayer. Think like an ambassador for Christ in your workplace. Look for simple ways to transition conversations toward spiritual topics—offering to pray for someone or sharing a short personal testimony can be great starting points.
If workplace rules limit religious discussions, invite a colleague to lunch or for a get-together outside of work. Keep sharing until you find someone God has prepared to receive the gospel.
The principles of Luke 10 do work in America—we just have to recognize that our villages look different. The key is finding the right communities where relationships naturally form, and then being intentional about sharing the gospel within them.
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And Matt. 10, Mark 6, and Luke 9