In a world of global franchise, what have Protestant churches and pastors lost in losing their sense of place? Enjoy this thoughtful conversation with Tim Soerens, the co-founding director of the (excellent) Parish Collective, a faith based social enterprise that convenes leaders for holistic renewal rooted in particular neighborhoods while linking collaboratively across the city and beyond. Tim's also a co-founding adviser of the Hub-Seattle and this year's "meaning" curator for SOCAP.
Paul: What have churches lost in losing their connection to their neighborhood?
Tim: The first word that comes to mind is reality, the second is possibility.
Responsibility and limitation may not be the sexiest words, but we can neither be truly human, or communally present, without naming how we will be limited, and how we will be responsible.
I don't mean for that to sound trite, but outside of presence in a neighborhood parish context that embraces some sort of limitation and accepts a healthy measure of responsibility, it's nearly impossible to discern what effect their communal life is having upon others. This is one reason we see the parish as a timely gift to the current state of the church today. Responsibility and limitation may not be the sexiest words, but we can neither be truly human, nor communally present, without naming how we will be limited, and how we will be responsible. As my friend and co-author Paul Sparks repeatedly says "The parish is an invitation to the real."
But, I actually get even more excited about the possibilities that arise when connecting to specific neighborhoods. Can you fathom what sort of collaborative ventures could arise if even 10% of Christian faith communities oriented around joining God in very particular places? Not only would they begin to see and feel the effects of their actions (reality) they would be thrust into interdependent and collaborative relationships within that area. Ironically, limitation and responsibility create nearly endless possibilities for joining God's renewal project right there. This of course is possible for whole congregations who are leaning into presence in the parish, but it can be true as well for community groups, missional communities, faith-based non-profits, etc. From where you are reading this right now, at this very moment there are probably a dozen Christians within a 5-minute walk who would love to see renewal in their neighborhood. It's just that we don't know each other, and we aren't primarily organizing for renewal from neighborhood to neighborhood.
At this very moment there are probably a dozen Christians within a 5-minute walk who would love to see renewal in their neighborhood. It's just that we don't know each other.
f "big" and "global" were the trend of the late 20th century West (and church), is "small," "local," "parish," etc. just the pendulum swinging the opposite way? A passing trend or emphasis?
Faithful presence within a particular place is not so much a strategy or model, as it is a dare.
I certainly could see how some would wonder if this is just a passing fad, and I suppose time will tell. But, I actually think that globalization and localization will always be intimately connected. We (the authors) really like the language of being both rooted and linked. By rooted we mean that we are grounded in an actual parish, seeking the peace of that definable place. By linked we mean that both within the parish and outside of it we have growing relationships with other rooted communities. To be rooted without being linked can easily lead to misconceptions, prejudices, and arrogance towards "those people over there." But, when we are linked without being rooted, we may do all sorts of unintended damage because we aren't seeing and feeling the affects of our actions. We literally are not there to see them.
If your church community, or a small group within it, picks a livable area on a map, this will instantly test if your ideals and beliefs against your actions.
This highlights another gift of the parish. Faithful presence within a particular place is not so much a strategy or model, as it is a dare. If your church community, or a small group within it, picks a livable area on a map, this will instantly test if your ideals and beliefs against your actions.
How have you seen parish ministry ground a pastor or a church?
There are so many ways.
One metaphor I love to discuss with pastors and non-pastors alike is how they are becoming a character in the story of their neighborhood. If you think about it for a moment, becoming a character could take a little while. It means you are allowing yourself to become caught up in the plot of what's happening in the place you call home. It means you belong and you matter, it means that you begin to better understand yourself through the relationships with other characters in the neighborhood. And of course, it situates you within the ongoing story of God. In some of the training the three of us have designed into a certificate program at the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, we look at the intersecting narratives of the leader, the neighborhood, and the story of God we see in the Scriptures. Each have the potential to ground us in really life-giving ways, but the setting of all three unfolds in the parish.
Is the parish movement only connecting with seminary-educated Northwest hippie-types? Like me and you?
Well yes, but they are really incredible people!
No, of course not. The Parish Collective has since the beginning, made an organizational bet. We've had a hunch proven over and over that in just about every single neighborhood in North American and perhaps the world, ordinary people of all stripes are pursuing neighborhood renewal because of their Christian faith. The problem, and reason for the Parish Collective, is that these folks often feel alone, they wonder if what they are doing "counts" and are wrestling honestly about what it means to "be the church" outside of just a gathering on Sunday.
If there is to be a movement, it will be as these courageous folks find one another. And trust me, they are everywhere. They are already present in urban, suburban, and rural areas; they span economic and ethic diversity, and come from a wide variety along the theological and denominational spectrum. There is even room for the Northwest's seminary educated, hippie types.
That's a relief. Can you tell me a story of a church transitioning into a parish model? What happened? How did the church and the neighborhood respond?
One of my favorite parish churches is up north in Vancouver, BC in the Grandview neighborhood. Many years ago, led by pastor Tim Dickau, the congregation discerned that they wanted to reclaim the parish in a sense, to focus their attention toward the neighborhood they inhabit. I'm sure there were growing pains, but now they appear to me to be an integral part of the neighborhood.
If somehow your church community magically disappeared from your neighborhood, would the people there grieve your absence? Would they even know you were gone?
It's always a powerful question to ask of any church community: If somehow your church community magically disappeared from your neighborhood, would the people there grieve your absence? Would they even know you were gone? I'm quite sure that if Grandview Baptist disappeared, plenty of people would grieve.
In fact, now that the neighborhood is gentrifying they are leading attempts to create housing for their friends and neighbors in danger of being pushed out due to escalating rental prices. They are hard at work building a really innovative low-income housing project in their parking lot right now.
What stereotypical paradigms have to shift in order to do parish ministry well?
If we shifted our imagination and primary definition of the church from people who attend liturgical gatherings to all the followers of Jesus within a particular place, I believe many of the paradigms would follow.
I understand that can come off as extraordinarily naïve, but I think we make a pretty strong case in the book via Scripture, Church history, and contemporary sociology.
Here are some implications:
Because of our literal common ground, we might move from churches competing to collaborating.
Because we hope to build a growing community, we might move from doing ministry for people to doing ministry with people.
Because our imaginations have shifted and we trust there are Christians in almost every neighborhood we might move from a scarcity of congregants to the abundance of people seeking to follow Jesus all around you.
How does the parish model connect with discipleship or vocation?
A major asset the parish offers to the task of discipleship is that journey of walking with someone into the ways Jesus plays out in the everyday realities of life. In the parish, the invitation to echo the words of the Apostle Paul who says "follow me as I follow Christ," gives way to an intentional set of practices we follow together in our shared life. I think this is an area rich for exploration.
As for vocation, the parish has the capacity to become an incredibly integrative and supportive platform for all vocations. I'm grateful for what seems like a renew ed attention of many leaders and organizations that are connecting the mission of God to vocation. This is vital. But, what is also vital is making the crucial connection between vocations.
The parish is a laboratory for how vocation plays out in real life.
The parish is a laboratory for how vocation plays out in real life. If we can keep connecting within and between parishes the capacity of people within the same vocation, to discern faithfulness and transform their organizations and industries, would be astounding. We would also see how one vocation or industry actually affects the other, and from these insights new ideas, projects, and potentially new industries could arise.
But, first we need the eyes to see each other.
