iMonk: Why Are Evangelicals Disengaged from Urban Church Planting?
You need to read this post... AND the comments (especially the comments).
This is a subject that lights my fire like few others. It is my passion... my mission... to see evangelicals launch a massive offensive on the urban front of America. The issues are big, they are costly, and they are complex. But they cannot remain ignored. We as evangelicals have to take a hard, honest look at the reasons we are abandoning the urban context in favor of following the suburban (white) sprawl. Here are my top four reasons for this phenomenon. Let me know yours.
1. Evangelicals are results driven. They judge faithfulness on the basis of “fruitfulness”, and the fact is that trees only grow in good soil. The urban context is uncultivated soil (anyone read Tim Downs, Finding Common Ground?), and so not ready to grow trees, much less bear fruit. Evangelicals are not willing (often times hiding behind hyperCalvinistic theology) to invest in soil cultivation when they could go elsewhere and get quick “results.”
2. Evangelicals are scared to death of postmodernity—and utterly disoriented by it. The myriad problems posed by postmodernity are nauseatingly deep-rooted and complex (the exponentially growing rich-poor divide, the growing disconnectedness/independence of people, the superficial over-connectedness and busyness of people, deep-seated suspicion of absolutes and metanarratives). All the cards are stacked against evangelicals in the urban context. Several leaders have recognized the need to do something, they’ve tried, and failed, and given up.
3. Evangelicals are unwilling to give up the American dream, which is an absolute necessity if one is going to successfully plant and nurture an urban missional church. Building community is necessary for survival, but it can only happen if people surrender their isolationist lifestyle in exchange for an interdependent, covenanted one.
4. Evangelicals don’t see the big picture vision of why reaching cities is strategic to the advancement of the Kingdom. The apostles got the vision. We don’t. Evangelicals are following the boomers wherever they happen to migrate, because the boomers and older function on a Christendom paradigm. The young, urban professionals as well as ghetto dwellers do not. Cities are hostile territories for the gospel, not to mention evangelicals. So the risk is really high (not just financially).
I am holding out hope that there emerges from among the new wave of “younger evangelicals” (if not too many of them get sucked into the “neoReformed” vortex) a concerted, committed vision for and devotion to reaching cities for Christ. Count me among them.
On a related note, I'm leaving in 1 minute to attend a "huddle" in Chicago with Darrin Patrick on missional urban church planting. I'll fill you in on how it goes.
This is a subject that lights my fire like few others. It is my passion... my mission... to see evangelicals launch a massive offensive on the urban front of America. The issues are big, they are costly, and they are complex. But they cannot remain ignored. We as evangelicals have to take a hard, honest look at the reasons we are abandoning the urban context in favor of following the suburban (white) sprawl. Here are my top four reasons for this phenomenon. Let me know yours.
1. Evangelicals are results driven. They judge faithfulness on the basis of “fruitfulness”, and the fact is that trees only grow in good soil. The urban context is uncultivated soil (anyone read Tim Downs, Finding Common Ground?), and so not ready to grow trees, much less bear fruit. Evangelicals are not willing (often times hiding behind hyperCalvinistic theology) to invest in soil cultivation when they could go elsewhere and get quick “results.”
2. Evangelicals are scared to death of postmodernity—and utterly disoriented by it. The myriad problems posed by postmodernity are nauseatingly deep-rooted and complex (the exponentially growing rich-poor divide, the growing disconnectedness/independence of people, the superficial over-connectedness and busyness of people, deep-seated suspicion of absolutes and metanarratives). All the cards are stacked against evangelicals in the urban context. Several leaders have recognized the need to do something, they’ve tried, and failed, and given up.
3. Evangelicals are unwilling to give up the American dream, which is an absolute necessity if one is going to successfully plant and nurture an urban missional church. Building community is necessary for survival, but it can only happen if people surrender their isolationist lifestyle in exchange for an interdependent, covenanted one.
4. Evangelicals don’t see the big picture vision of why reaching cities is strategic to the advancement of the Kingdom. The apostles got the vision. We don’t. Evangelicals are following the boomers wherever they happen to migrate, because the boomers and older function on a Christendom paradigm. The young, urban professionals as well as ghetto dwellers do not. Cities are hostile territories for the gospel, not to mention evangelicals. So the risk is really high (not just financially).
I am holding out hope that there emerges from among the new wave of “younger evangelicals” (if not too many of them get sucked into the “neoReformed” vortex) a concerted, committed vision for and devotion to reaching cities for Christ. Count me among them.
On a related note, I'm leaving in 1 minute to attend a "huddle" in Chicago with Darrin Patrick on missional urban church planting. I'll fill you in on how it goes.
matt-
ReplyDeletemy name is luke and i was really interested by your comment on this post on the imonk site. i appreciated what you said and the spirit that seemed to lie behind it. i would be interested in hearing more about your experience with urban church planting. i am part of a group that is pursuing a plant/community in urban kansas city.
if you are interested in conversing a little more at all, i would enjoy that. my email is healy1710@hotmail.com. thanks.
Interesting response. I share your passion, but I am not sure I completely agree with your (apparent) premise that suburban environments do not have many of the same attitudes and needs as the urban do. I live in Des Plaines, Illinois. There is an unincorporated area near here that shares many of the urban issues: density, economic disadvantage, drugs, crime, gangs (and probably homeless). There is very little evangelical ministry reaching out to them, if any. A new church is planning to start there, but appears to be embracing a white, suburban model with all the bells and whistles. Their stated objective is to get involved in the community and serve the needs, but the leaders have been in the general area for years without any prior action. One wonders what 'needs' are being targeted. We hope and pray that this work does get a broken heart for a more 'urban' perspective.
ReplyDeleteYour points are interesting. Evangelicals are largely results or numbers driven. We structure our churches to provide the most polished and professional 'ministries' to attract the lost based on a consumer paradigm. Though I agree that hyper-Clavinsitic views tend to shut us in, I would argue that the overriding issue is a misunderstanding, or partial understanding, of the great commission. Sure, we are to win converts. But what we do before and afterward is 'making disciples'; ministering to real needs and transforming the heart to be passionate about making an impact in others lives, emotional, spiritual and physical.
You cite some great insights into the post-modern (can we even call it that any longer?) situation, especially superficial connections. Facebook, though a great tool, makes keeping in touch easy but fails to actually cost us anything substantive, such as our time. Email essentially does the same thing, we can 'talk' without breaking step in our haste. Jesus took time with people. We develop methods to avoid such commitment and argue that we are 'producing more fruit.' The evangelical church paradigm is not about community and relationship. Small groups rarely (in my experience) would count as 'quality time.' Sure, we pray, discuss Scripture and share tidbits of life together. But do we spend time together, do we help one another in needs? Urban, or disenfranchised, ministry requires this investment of time. Something we do not have as we bear 'fruitful' superficial, consumer-oriented ministry.
Can you clarify "because the boomers and older function on a Christendom paradigm"? I have a feeling I know what you are talking about, but am not sure. Also, is it fair to paint such a broad and sweeping stroke across a demographic? I doubt age really has any significant impact on ministry passion, though getting older will - due to physical limitations. Just don't discount the wisdom of older persons, they have actually been through a lot of turns in the economy and culture that are being repeated.
Anyway, interesting OP and response.
Anon,
ReplyDeletedid you happen to notice in my profile where i live? right here in the same town. we live in unincorporated des plaines, though apparently not the ghettoized portion (we really like it over here by the river).
i'm curious about this church plant you're talking about, because i haven't heard anything about it. are you involved in it in any way? what church do you call 'home'? we're presently at Harvest in Niles. unlike many, i don't see a necessary dichotomy between missional and attractional ministry. now, once you decide to be attractional (in the loose sense) there is a temptation to overemphasize (and overfund) that aspect of the ministry, but it doesn't have to be that way. my vision is to see church leaders bring together disciples of a variety of socio-economic conditions and ethnicities, to love one another, and together work to impact the community holistically (thereby providing a "sign of the kingdom"). more than that, i have a passion to engage and mobilize people with very high potential to surrender and devote their lives to the advancement of God's kingdom in the various capacities and callings which He has given them. by inspiring those well-educated, highly-skilled, well-to-do people to offer their whole selves in service to God and man, we are in fact loving those with the least education, lowest skill, and least wealth, for we are mobilizing those who have been given much to use what they have been given to help those who have been given little. that's "kingdom economics."
in a perfect church, everyone who calls themselves a disciple would be following Philippians 2:3-4 and "[counting] others more significant than [themselves], [looking] not only to [their] own interests, but also to the interests of others." as it is, the church is living in gross, widespread disobedience. those who have been blessed but are not considering the needs of others as equally (if not more) important than their own need to have their hearts opened by the Spirit of God, and to repent. Those college students who are on their way to becoming the future leaders and entrepreneurs of America need to catch a vision of how God could use the competencies and resources He has given them to advance the Kingdom in the future.
by doing this, we will love the disenfranchised of the world in an even more substantial and sustainable way. some are called to minister to immediate needs here and now. that is a definite need. but others, like myself, are called to work for longer-term, broader reaching impact through mobilizing the haves to be reconciled to the have nots.
as far as boomers and Christendom, it's not a criticism, and yes, it's an overgeneralization. there's a certain segment of the population, which happens to be largely rural and suburban, who have a basic trust in the Bible and the church. they at least grew up in church and maintain a relatively "Christian" worldview, even if they are not "into religion". but by and large, if you built a "seeker friendly" enough church in a suburban area, and market it well enough, you will attract a considerable number more attendees than following a similar strategy in the city. urban people are skeptical of Christianity and the church, especially evangelical churches. frankly, a greater percentage of them are liberal, and very liberal at that. an evangelical church planter is not likely to attract large numbers of these liberally oriented people, for obvious reasons. churches that defy typical evangelical stereotypes (teetotalers, judgmental, narrow minded, fanatical) win an open door for sharing the gospel, such as churches like Mars Hill in Seattle (Driscoll), The Journey in St. Louis (D. Patrick), and Redeemer Pres. in NY (Keller).
maybe instead of "boomers", i should say, white, rural and suburban (and largely Republican) people age 45-50 and up. again, nothing wrong (IMO) with these people (i share certain characteristics with them). they are just the people who are the most open to the gospel, moving into new suburban developments in larger numbers, and so the biggest "target" of most evangelical church planting efforts.
hope all that makes sense.
regards,
matt
Hey Matt;
ReplyDeleteNo, I am not involved in the plant. If you would like to, their website is impactc.org I think. It's just starting out with prelaunch meetings over near OHare. They have great intentions I think. Just methodology they have employed in recent ministry is pretty "boomer" like, that's all.
The church I call home is ? In other words, we have been at a church for a while and are looking to go to another one with like-minded passionate people, such as Harvest Niles! (Visited there last Sunday, and we were at Harvest when it was started) I know Cornelius from Moody, and my wife and I have been members at Harvest but left to do another church plant and inner-city church ministry. We got distracted from our passion for addictions recovery ministry and the disenfranchized and pretty much what you talk about on your blog. But we're looking to correct that ASAP! Is Niles focused on such ministry? I know Corn (and you) are but is there church support for such initiatives as those? Any works going on now to those ends?
As far as the "boomer" thing. I know what you are getting at, and totally agree. I just am not sure I'd go as far as attaching an age/race thing to it. I can understand why we would, but don't think that targets the mindset. But that's cause I'm 43 and nearly in the demographic you cite! Really, its a mindset birthed from complacency and comfort that, as you cite, looks at anything that challenges the status quo with skepticism. However, I don't think there is any difference between suburban and urban in that regard. But that's superfluous really. I think what you are getting at is a cultural Christianity thing, and that needs to be corrected in the haves. Agreed, and amen. I would suggest though that focusing on the younger, while extremely important, is not enough. We must engage the haves at mid-life when they are in the midst of their pursuits, in the midst of Christendom. I don't think we have time to wait for the youth to come into their own, though I think that is an important thing. We need to engage the 45-50 plus crowd some how, some way if this mission of connecting the haves and have nots is going to happen. Youth are the have yets, so to speak.
Anyway, I could go on, and probably muddy the conversation in the process! I think we are very much on the same page and I thank you for blogging. It has reignited my passions at a time when I need it. Perhaps we can connect at Harvest Niles sometime. We may visit this weekend, probably the 8am service, but have a family funeral to attend out of town so that may or may not happen. It would be great to continue this conversation in person sometime.
Blessings,
Tim
Tim,
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty crazy, man. I know Harvest has addiction recovery ministry (F.O.C.I.S.), but don't have any experience with it. Guess there are different philosophies, and i know Harvest follows a "biblical counseling" approach to most such issues. I know it takes place in a small group format (most of the ministries do).
Go to my Profile and email me, and we'll get together to chat. We live much too close not to do so. :)
My wife and i actually may not be around this weekend, but we usually attend the 5pm Sat. or 8am Sun. service.
Looking forward to connecting.