Comments on: Suburban inferiority…

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[...] Banquet Silent Sermon A christian lifestyle The Bridge, Iowa Questions I’ve been asking Suburban inferiority Asian liberation theology? Recent dishes Ordination? Seminary – Was it worth it? What a night! [...]

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Linkage… | Solar Crash — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:04:24 +0000

[...] posts on Solar Crash from the month of May Suburban Inferiority… Watch this… Explode… Human Again Conflicted… Recent Dishes Help [...]

By: Lon

Lon — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:16:43 +0000

Thanks for the responses guys. I’ll be writing more about it all soon as well. Pete I’d love to hear the differences you’ve found in the two settings.

Jake, I love what you’re getting at, because I think loss of identity is a big part of suburban culture… we need to find ways to pull out the uniqueness of communities even in cookie cutter homes…

Tony – disturbia is right… that’s where some of the inferiority i think seeps in in terms of ministry… urban ministry/mission just seems so much more impactful sometimes… i think it’s because many of us don’t know where to start with the ‘burbs.

Russ – I’m totally down with the ‘turf’/parish mentality… church’s need to be involved with community development right where they are… what do we do with all the commuter church’s out there though?

Todd – thanks for popping by, I”ll definitely be checking out your post!

By: Todd

Todd — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:08:05 +0000

hey, good questions here. I think there is a growing interest in this whole church and suburbs thing. I’ve been thinking about that a ton and the challenges that are presented in this setting. Not sure if you are interested but I’ve even did some writing on that topic here (http://www.toddhiestand.com/the-gospel-and-the-god-forsaken-the-challenge-of-the-missional-church-in-suburbia/03/) Sorry for the shameless self-promotion but people have really responded well and helped my thoughts grow.

Al Hsu has also written a great book on the Suburbs that you may have read already. The Suburban Christian…

blessings…

By: russ

russ — Tue, 06 May 2008 00:50:22 +0000

Good points.

Sunday, I was discussing this issue with someone advising on church growth, which is not my expertise. He suggested a concept of community/neighbourhood involvement by the community church. Wherever a church is located it should concentrate on the tasks at hand.

I reason that each and every type of area has ministry needs, and the local church should meet these where possible.

By: tony sheng

tony sheng — Mon, 05 May 2008 18:13:37 +0000

i agree with you too lon – especially about those of us that live in the suburbs thinking it’s happening everywhere else but where we are – the slums or the urban cities.

i know our suburban community is far more diverse than you could imagine and it’s a prime context to get our kids thinking about relating to the world, right here at home.

and i love using the word ‘disturbia’ for fun….

By: Jake Belder

Jake Belder — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:37:42 +0000

I think you’re right, Lon, that it is important to work on building infrastructure in the suburbs. I have lived in the suburbs for most of my life, and know first hand of the lack of any sort of community or neighborhood there. That is for one why I really don’t like the mega-city idea, because the individuality of each community is subsumed into one giant whole. And then the whole loses any sort of identity or community because it’s simply just too big. We need to reclaim the idea of neighborhood in the suburbs.

By: Pete Wilson

Pete Wilson — Mon, 05 May 2008 12:59:09 +0000

I totally agree with you Lon. Having planted churches in both settings I know first hand that they are both needed and very effective. Keep living out your calling!