How the Church Can Change a City

by Q Ideas

What do a collection of evangelical Christian pastors and the openly gay Mayor of one of America’s most liberal cities have in common? You might think not much at all. Then again, you might be surprised.

At Q in Portland, Kevin Palau sat down with a panel comprised of Imago Dei’s Ken Weigel, Portland Mayor Sam Adams, and Multnomah County Commissioner Diane McKeel to talk about how this question has been answered in their city. Through Season of Service (SOS), Portland’s congregations have worked closely with city leaders to positively impact some of the area’s most urgent concerns.

Kevin Palau of the Luis Palau Association was one of the catalysts involved at the inception of SOS. Having gathered several local churches together in 2008, they approached city officials to find out what their greatest needs were. They identified six areas: hunger/poverty, homelessness, health and wellness, human trafficking, environment and public schools. The churches said they wanted to form a partnership with the city and begin working alongside them to improve these areas of need.

“We knew there wouldn’t be much opposition to cleaning up parks,” said Ken Weigel of Imago Dei, one of the congregations that led the effort. “But we wanted to be involved in the decision-making.”

Sam Adams, the proudly liberal mayor of Portland, said his initial reaction to this request was anxiety. “Would this be about missionary work?” he admits to wondering. “And could a liberal city like Portland pull it off?”

Church leaders promised the mission was not to proselytize but rather to serve the needs of the city. Though Adams admits feeling reticent, he said the needs of the city were too great to decline. Affected by the economic recession and struggling to fund social improvement projects, Portland was “desperate” for this kind of help. He agreed.

That’s when the churches mobilized, sending 26,000 volunteers to work on service projects in each of the six areas of need. They stocked and serviced the Oregon Good Bank, worked to feed children out of school for summer break, beautified public spaces through coordinated clean-up efforts, provided tutoring service to struggling school children and ran free medical and dental clinics for low income residents.

“We wanted to bless the city,” Weigel remarked. “We wanted the city to miss the church if we were to leave.”

City officials were shocked at the integrity of the churches to keep their promises and contribute so much manpower to so many projects. “It reinforced to me how much [the Church and the city] agree on,” said Adams, who has allowed the project to continue every year since.

At Q on Wednesday, Palau asked Adams how his perceptions of Christianity had changed as a result of SOS. He said he realized he’d bought into groupthink and media stereotypes about Christians.

“It’s been very humbling having the tangible experience of one’s own bias,” Adams admitted. “It’s been a lot of fun, and we’re better for it.”

In a moment in which so much tension has accumulated between the Christian church and the State, stories like these are refreshing. They illuminate the unexplored opportunities for the church to become a faithful presence in the public square.

But who gets the credit for shining this light and making such an impact? Is it people like Palau who initiated the project? The churches that worked so hard to mobilize their members? Or city officials who gave Christians a chance to prove their worth? Ken Weigel says none of these can take credit for SOS’ successes.

“Jesus showed up long before we got there,” he remarked. “Christ is unveiling his kingdom all over Portland. I’m just joining with him.”

Comments

Bob Moyers

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Kenneth Poague

SOS is a great idea. Thanks for sharing. As Paul said, "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some" (1 Cor. 9:22).

Aaron D. Taylor

This is a very inspiring article! I've been involved in a similar initiative in my home community, Farmington, New Mexico. We're calling the initiative "United to Help." I'll be sure to pass this along to the leaders in "United to Help." It's good to see what God is doing in other areas.

Cornelia Seigneur

It was refreshing to hear Mayor Sam Adams be so honest last night, that he was at first anxious when church members offered to help fix the city. And, that he admitted to his stereotypes of Christians, then say that it is “very humbling having the tangible experience of one’s own bias.” Wow. That was neat to hear. And, that he has even taken grief from some in the city for the partnership. I have lived in this city a long time and so appreciate all that is going on and being a part of it – from the heart of Portland to the suburbs, things are happening…and it is the Lord.

Russ Ware

This panel was a highlight at Q for us. It was inspiring to hear first hand how the church has changed the city of Portland. Profound for us, as expounded on by Rick McKinley at Q, was the consideration of how a city can change a church.

Clint Baldwin

I also agree that this conversation was a highpoint of Q this year.

Such partnership is a beautiful example of practicing "love of neighbor" by all involved.

I appreciate the courage and imagination it has taken to implement important societal goods above-and-beyond cultural barriers.

I pray this work continues and expands.

What a wonderful thought that these good-faith efforts in Portland might be combined with other such efforts occurring throughout the country and lead to a renaissance in respectful, engaged relationality between church and state.

I hope that this will be a relationality where neither church nor state seeks to dominate or neglect the other, but instead where each seeks a third-way of working alongside the other toward promoting a more healthy, flourishing society.

I felt a spark of that hope in listening to Diane, Sam, Kevin, and Ken.

Thanks to the Q-team for hosting this panel.

The Burner

This was the best moment of Q Portland.