Conversations with Dhati Lewis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dhati Lewis.

Hi Dhati, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I began my journey over 25 years ago with a deep conviction to be the last generation to leave the urban context for sound discipleship. What started as a local college ministry at the University of North Texas in Denton with grassroots discipleship grew into church planting, leadership development, and national influence.

Today, I serve as Visionary Pastor of Blueprint Church in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward and as the founder and President of MyBLVD, a family of urban missionaries seeking to make an impact where we live, work, and worship. We equip and support these everyday missionaries—pastors, poets, practitioners, and polymaths—who are committed to living on mission in their cities. Our work sits at the intersection of theology, culture, leadership, and mission, helping urban leaders reject passivity and accept responsibility in their boulevards.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road. Urban ministry exposes you to complexity—limited resources, burnout, shifting cultural dynamics, and the temptation to confuse platform growth with faithfulness.

There were seasons of financial uncertainty, leadership fatigue, and hard decisions about staying rooted in places others were leaving. But those challenges refined the mission. They taught me that sustainability matters, formation precedes impact, and obedience is more important than visibility.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I lead and build ecosystems that equip people to live on mission where they live, work, and worship. As an urban missionary organization, we recruit and strengthen urban missionaries. We currently have 73 missionaries in 42 cities. Our goal is to strengthen their walk with Jesus, their bond with other urban missionaries, and their impact locally.

We strengthen them in four core ways (Our Core Four):
– Gatherings: Monthly webinars and in-person gatherings
– Coaching: Monthly Online Coaching groups
– Training: Cohort-based training groups delivered in-person, online, or hybrid
– Resources: Online curriculum, access to trusted partners, and grants

Through MyBLVD, we train and support urban missionaries across North America. Blueprint Church is an example in Atlanta,Georgia. We model what an integrated, disciple-making local church can look like in a multiethnic urban context.

What sets us apart is an integrated and holistic approach, we don’t separate theology from practice, or calling from community. We don’t just inspire people. We care, equip, and mobilize to be the family of God in cities across North America.

What does success mean to you?
Success is faithful obedience over time, seeing people formed into disciples who love God deeply, love their neighbors tangibly, and take responsibility for the places God has sent them.

If the city is better because the church or our missionaries stayed present, we’ve succeeded.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://myblvd.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dhati.lewis
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dhati.lewis/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhati-lewis-770a7311/
• Twitter: https://x.com/dhati
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MyBLVDCo