Commuter Churches
I have a theory about commuter churches, and how churches where a significant portion of their members come from outside of the church's immediate geographic area are hindered in their ministry to those people who live in the community around the church.
Basically my assumptions are that the culture-tone-ministry of a Church is an expression of the people contained therein and that particular culture-tone-ministries are more suited than others for reaching particular cultural group.
Therefor, if I commute outside of my geographic community I'm in effect potentially weakening the ability of both my local church and the church to which I'm commuting to minister to the people surrounding that church.
Of course, I'm assuming a somewhat Southern / Old World attitude towards geographic location and peoples senses of affiliation with what area and neighborhood in which they live. I'm also assuming that people can and do remain in a neighborhood and community long enough for it to develop a particular culture and sense of itself. I certainly feel like that's happening in areas around Chattanooga.
But anyways, those are my quick thoughts.
| By Josiah Roe | 09:17 PM
Comments
The significance of place - wasn't that one of the things that led you to start Terrablogs? I agree it's important, though I wonder if it's as important as all that.
Posted by: Evan Donovan at October 10, 2005 01:24 AM
I whole-heartedly agree with your basic concern, but have also come to see recently that, particularly in big cities, churches can minister to their communities in various ways. Ron Snider, in "Churches That Make A Difference", lays out three different basic approaches for a city to minister to its community. The first is obviously a neighborhood/geographical approach. I don't remember the second approach off hand (and the book is at home), but the third approach is a demographic or non-geographic community focus. Examples of this would be homeless ministry or HIV/AIDS ministry, etc.
I think the neighborhood/parish model is ideal, but I have also come to see that not all churches or communities can support neighborhood oriented churches. New City in Chatt is a hybrid of a neighbordhood-focus commuter church. My current church is intended to be a "center-city" church which will hopefully lead to neighborhood oriented church plants...
Okay, I only had two hours of sleep last night--discount anything that sounds crazy.
Posted by: justin at October 11, 2005 02:28 PM
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