It's All About the Neighborhood

by Aaron Fortner

The Church is abuzz today about reaching cities, and as a city planner, that excites me. But talking about “impacting cities” can sound like an insurmountable task. How can one person or one church shape a bustling metropolis like New York, Atlanta, or Dallas? I’ve found the secret can be summed up in one word: neighborhoods.

The governing principles of healthy cities and communities are timeless. They are timeless because who we are and what we are made for is timeless. We are creatures of soul and spirit and every ounce of our being yearns to be known and loved. There is a reason we are to love God and others and it’s not just because we ought to – it’s because we’ve been made to.

The desire for connections is laced throughout our DNA, and neighborhoods are the perfect size for making these connections meaningfully. You can really get your arms around a neighborhood – you can walk it, you can see it, you can hear it, you can feel it and you can truly know it. While the heart of the church will always be for the world, the hands of the church are the perfect length for the reach of a neighborhood.

[For a story about good neighboring, read "Who is My Neighbor" by pastor Gideon Tsang.]

You can’t fix a car with a triumphalist proclamation that you are going to “reach the automobile,” but rather through fixing its broken parts. If the car in this analogy is the city, then the broken parts are that city’s neighborhoods and the people residing therein. The city is just a function of its collage of interconnected neighborhoods – each with its own distinct character, personality and potential. You don’t meet up for coffee in Atlanta, you meet at 7th and Spring in the heart of Midtown. You don’t just live in Portland, you live in the Pearl.

So the hope for the city is the neighborhood, but what is the hope of the neighborhood? If God’s people get serious about God’s mission, it’s the Church. . A church body on mission within the fabric of a local neighborhood could be a massive force for restoration, innovation, prosperity, peace and empowerment for the betterment and lifting of that entire neighborhood. When the majority of the neighborhoods in a city are being championed in just this way then the result is a city of life, love, justice and purpose.

A church in metro-Atlanta is modeling this truth in a powerful way. First Christian Church of Decatur routinely asks the question, “How can we leverage whatever we have to help meet specific needs in the community?” The answer has led to various community groups like Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, music lessons, community organizations and even other churches using the church building every day of the week. The response to this heartfelt question has led to the church lawn being used for fireworks viewings, the transformation of rarely used property into a sorely needed neighborhood park, and the renovation of the old church gym into a proposed community recreation center.

They are making a difference, and people who live in other parts of Atlanta are beginning to talk about their work. By meeting the needs of the surrounding neighborhood, First Christian has captured the attention of many in the larger city.

Stories like this are not difficult to reproduce. The local neighborhood is the geography of essence that enables a local community of believers to be faithful with a little (“our” neighborhood), and in turn prepares them for the opportunities to be faithful with a lot (“their” neighborhood). It’s not the most we can do – it’s the least.

[For ideas on how to impact your neighborhood, check out GOOD magazine's "Guide to Better Neighborhoods: A Neighborhood Manifesto."]

This imperfect world will always be just that, but still we endeavor for good cause. In the midst of our imperfect world the church provides a glimpse of a perfect world to come. Revelation 21 describes the day when perfection will finally arrive by saying, God will “move into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women.” Until then, the Church must love its local neighborhood, knowing that the foundation is being laid for reaching an entire city.

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Do you agree with Aaron that neighborhoods are the key to reaching cities? Can you share a story of how a church or group of Christians have impacted a neighborhood and shaped a city?

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Editor's Note: The picture above is quoted from One Thousand Scientists.

Comments

Eric Hill

Reaching the neighborhood is not a new idea. It's a good idea, as long as the intent is 'KIngdom' rooted. Our neighborhood's are tired of the church and other religous entities knocking on their door and reaching out to them in the name of Christ, just to build and coddle the 'brand' of their specific church or cult. If spreading the name of Jesus in neighborhood's becomes a "new trend,' and a 'new strategy,' is it really about spreading the name of Jesus, or growing the brand name of the specific church? I'm not against having a strategy for spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, but I am definitely tired of the next 'new trend' and 'strategy' to grow the brand of specific churches and denominations, instead of becoming the kingdom minded bride of Christ. What if a part of the neighborhood strategy, was that you had to do it anonymously? Do you think it would be popular then?

DB Beem

It basically goes back to the great commission. For us, the neighborhood is our "Jerusalem."

The picture that Aaron is pointing to is the church invested in the local community. It's a very old model, but one that churches have moved away from, especially with the growth of the mega-church movement. Churches have become self contained suburban centers. All effort is poured into the church proper and into any number of programs. The church has become this organism that ministers solely to itself. It does seem that a number of churches are trying to change this idea.

For myself, I cannot help but think that we should forget for a moment about ministering to our neighborhood with ambitious programs, and instead going to an even more base level. After all, and I'm calling myself out here as well, how many of us actually know our neighbors by name? Ministering to your neigborhood begins with ministering to your neighbors. Too often, I think that we as Christians depend on the church to come up with a new program for doing ministery, forgetting the role that we have as individuals who filled with and empowered with the Holy Spirit.

Jim Moynihan

The Communities First Association is all about transforming neighborhoods using the ABCD model (Asset Based Community Development). This organization helps us to get our hands around this effective process. You can check it out at: communtiesfirstassociation.org

Eric Hill

"Too often, I think that we as Christians depend on the church to come up with a new program for doing ministery, forgetting the role that we have as individuals who filled with and empowered with the Holy Spirit."

I think your point above is right on, and it's what I was trying to communicate. I am not against programs that are intended to truly minister to people. I'm not against churches investing in their local communities. I just don't think we want to do it anonymously. I think we tend to ask ourselves the question, "How will this benefit our brand and bring more people to our church?" Maybe the focus should turn to a new trend of measuring success by equipping people to effectively make disciples.

Mike Yaconelli wrote this in (July of 1999)

"The modern senior pastor operates like a CEO instead of a spiritual director, mentor, or fellow struggler. Numbers, activities, and programs dominate our agendas, and church mission statements, strategies, and results matter most. Efficiency and control rule. The bottom line is tangible g...rowth."

(It's February of 2011, has anything changed?)

Mike Yaconelli went on to say, "But when you blow the whistle on the workaholic or rebel against the Gospel of Growth or suggest that God might be calling you to stop adding more activities and people and start growing the ones you have, your very commitment to Christ is questioned. Then you're isolated, criticized, told you're not a 'team player'--and finally condemned."

I am against "new cool church trends" that have a hidden agenda of building up the brand of the cool local church on the street corner.

It's very simple. Be my disciple. Make disciples. That's not a trend, it's who we are suppose to be in and through EVERY part of our lives.

Eric Hill

Thanks Jim, I will check that out.

David Lively

This is a great article. I enjoy the perspective of the different community leaders and the pastors. Earlier today my wife's ministry was featured in the newsletter from www.womensministry.net. Their newsletter delivers to over 50,000 women around the country. Today was the 2nd part of a two-part series titled God of this City. I believe it is the perfect dovetail to this article.

Check it out. You will not be disappointed.

Elliot Stockstad

The article was a page out of my mind and experience the past 10 years working in various urban ministries. Though I agree with some of the comments: This is not a new idea, and it’s dangerous for churches to think their “brand” of mission will make a better impact than another. In my city there are more churches than businesses in certain areas of town; one on every corner it seems. If the answer is the church then the problem is the church as well. As my friend likes to say, “Gangs can learn a lot about turf wars from the church.” The hard part is that neighborhood focus requires staying put and even living in a place where the neighbors might not look like you or where the neighbor has 7 cars on the lawn and no intention of talking to you. Will we raise our kids there? We will sacrifice comfort?

Good article. I wish it would have been more of a historical review of how the church has functioned in neighborhoods. I get nervous when Aaron writes, “This imperfect world will always be just that, but still we endeavor for good cause. In the midst of our imperfect world the church provides a glimpse of a perfect world to come.” Not that I don’t think this world is imperfect or that the church doesn’t endeavor for good cause, but it seems clear that when the church sees itself (and it’s people) as “other” then we feel—even subconsciously-- like we can be perfect, which is the ultimate human mistake. If we embody a spirituality of imperfection then our power and purpose begins with our recovery from our need to be perfect. Daily. I’m not big on the whole self effacing part of Christianity, but I do think that I am often just as guilty of trying to be completely self sufficient. The church doesn’t bring the good news to the neighborhood. The Word is already there (which is why the ABCD model is helpful). The good news is that the neighborhood can force us to see Christ in new ways and constantly unpack our notion of “we the church” as heroes. We are merely participants that have experienced a level of freedom. The specific charge: Stay put, pay attention, listen well.

Caleb Anderson

I, too, always cringe a bit when leaders say, "the Church is the hope of the world." Jesus is and has always been the hope of human-kind. Yes, the Church is the Body; yes, the Church should prove that and embody that to the world; but the idea of Church - especially as it creates an us-versus-them mentality - is so broken in our culture. This is not the time to come off as "heroes," as Elliot points out.

Thanks for your fresh perspective, Elliot. And thanks for living this out faithfully in Tacoma, WA.

Clark

Interesting discussion started here. I'm thinking and learning about these ideas so I’ll throw in a couple thoughts.

I agree in large part with the article. “The hope for the city is the neighborhood.” But the answer to the follow up question does come off a bit triumphal and separatist. Thanks to Elliot and Caleb for your comments to balance here.

Neighborhood or place-based missiology is not new as someone else pointed out, but it needs to be returned to a central focus of the local church (not to the neglect of global). We have some great historical examples in the Anglican and Catholic churches who have consistently taken responsibility to shepherd the neighborhood in which the local church gathers. Think Parish. On this topic you can go back to the formation of the church by looking at the etymology of the word “parish.” The word, pariokos, is often rendered “neighbor”. But I love the break down of the word: para = “near” and oikos = “house”. "House" elevates the significance of geography. It’s not just the bloody Samaritan lying on the highway, but our neighbor is also the single parent next door, at 9214 SE Harold.

Our mobile culture has presented significant challenge to the parish (or good neighboring) understanding of ecclesial responsibility. In Portland, with our well-defined neighborhood system, I can travel 15 minutes down the freeway to go to church and pass through 5 distinct neighborhoods on the way. Mobility creates a centrifugal force out of neighborhood engagement and into a consumerist modality. It also feeds attractional (or church growth) models.

As a pastor and community developer training churches and community organizations in ABCD strategies, I am excited to hear people musing on these themes. Elliot said it well; “The church doesn’t bring the good news to the neighborhood. The Word is already there (which is why the ABCD model is helpful). The good news is that the neighborhood can force us to see Christ in new ways and constantly unpack our notion of “we the church” as heroes. We are merely participants that have experienced a level of freedom.” Love it!

Place becomes, well, the place where the good news is discovered, demonstrated and explained. And in a neighborhood it’s more unavoidably done in relationships of mutuality; each player is simply neighbor. Rather than one is the elevated minister and one is the needy “ministee” we get to play more equitable roles. (Now we’re into Trinitarian theology)

I'm hopeful as church leaders, planters, and theologians take up a rigorous and thoughtful examination of our theology of place (or lack thereof). We should ask some dangerous questions. How would Jesus have us love well, the people in this place? How could we express a greater value toward this place? How can we inhabit (incarnate) our neighborhood more and travel out of it less? Can we discover the existing beauty of the Kingdom of God in this place? Can we participate with what God is already doing in this neighborhood? How can we lead our congregants to inhabit the church’s neighborhood more? Is there a theology of place that could help us with a sustainable neighborhood engagement?

Maybe you need to move. Maybe your church needs to move. Maybe the church needs to refocus it’s missional thrust. A good starting point is John Inge’s book A Christian Theology of Place. And we could learn a lot from Intentional Communities such as those being made noticeable by Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, David Fitch, and other new monastics.

Finally, I’d encourage any left-coasters, to check out a developing network of people in the Northwest (Seattle, Tacoma, Portland) who are really wrestling with these questions. We call ourselves the Parish Collective; www.parishcollective.org.

Shalom.

Ben

Thank you, Aaron, for this post. And thanks, Clark, for your thoughts - my thoughts exactly.

For anyone interested in continuing this conversation face to face, the Parish Collective (along with Transform Network and Mars HIll Graduate School) are hosting the Inhabit Conference on April 29-30 in Seattle (http://www.inhabitconference.com/). I know, I know, it's the same weekend as the Q Conference in Portland, but it will be specifically focused on practice/presence/place and is significantly more affordable than Q;-)

howard Lawrence

Great conversation.

May I recommend Al Roxburgh's new book "Missional, Joining God In The Neighbourhood"

and John Mckinight's and Peter Block's book "Abundant Community"

See you at the Inhabit Conference!

Howard

Rob Stewart

Hello all!

Great great great discussion here. All of your posts have some deep and extremely profound thinking within. I appreciate your thoughts and thanks for the literature references! A follower of Jesus myself, I'm currently in pursuit of a Master of Arts degree in Urban Sustainability at the Antioch University of Los Angeles. I couldn't understand why the Lord was leading me down this path in the beginning, but He is now revealing great and mighty things I did not know as my current semester (3rd) looms on. And after much prayer and research, I'm now grasping the overlap between the type of education I'm receiving and Christ's mission. Moreover, how much more God wants our communities to be sustainable. Proverbs 3:5,6 all the way! ;-) One of my professors sent me this article today and has brought me inspiration with regard to my current capstone project, the culminating work of my graduate program (like a thesis). When you have a chance please read it: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-trinity-united-church-20120122,0,6077630.story . And so I humbly solicit your prayers as the Lord develops the work He has for me to do for this project. Lastly, @ Ben - I would like to attend the Inhabit Conference, but the website says, April 20-21. You said it was April 29 - 30. Is the website correct? Please let me know. I have a school residency in L.A. during the week of the 29th but could make it if it was the 20th and 21st...

God Bless,

Rob S.

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