PCA Conversations

This post will be the last in our conversation on parish ministry, at least for now. We will follow up soon, however, with a related post sharing resources and new ministry paradigms for parish ministry. To catch up on the prior discussion, read the following: Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4. The final word in this conversation (in its former incarnation) was had by Shayne Wheeler, planter and pastor of All Souls Fellowship in Decatur, Georgia. We present his contribution below. Feel free to disallow him that honor this time by chiming in.

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I have been thinking a bit lately about this conversation, about the importance of having a “Theology of Place”, and its connection to the Church’s responsibility to a particular parish (neighborhood, city, etc).  This may get a bit long, but I would be interested in your thoughts.

In 2006, 19.8 million Americans moved.  Each year 14% of the population moves.  Applying stats woodenly that means a whole neighborhood turns over every 7 years. Our cities and neighborhoods are in constant relational upheaval.  It is no wonder, then, that most people have a void of connection and community.

The serial mobility of our culture mitigates against this idea of place and belonging and, I think, limits our humanness (in as much as we are created for relationship and communal identity).  And (dare we say it?!) the serial mobility of pastors and members of our churches limits our potential for redemption in our city.  So, vital to doing effective parish ministry is pastors STAYING PUT FOR A LONG TIME and ENCOURAGING YOUR PEOPLE TO STAY PUT AS WELL.

You guys are way more theologically astute than me and can probably flesh out a “Theology of Place” better than I can.  But doesn’t it seem that there is a pattern in Scripture for the valuing of place? Think about three areas:

1) Creation
In Genesis, the Hebrew word used for “humankind” is “Adam”.  The word for “land” is “adamah”.  God could have called the first human being anything he wanted.  But he called him “Adam” and in so doing, could be communicating something about humanity’s connection to the land they are responsible for and the physical place they inhabit.  I think this is further evidenced in what we call the Creation Mandate for humanity to nurture and cultivate the portion of Creation in which God has placed us.

2) Covenant
God’s command to Abraham in Genesis 15:18, “On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I give this land.’”  The land is always a part of the covenant promises to Abraham and the Israelites. c.f. Lev. 26, “I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.”  The Covenant promises and blessings seem to extend not just to the people, but to the place they inhabit.  I could be reading too much into it, but then again, maybe not.

3) Consummation
Consider all of  the “creation groaning in expectation” stuff in Romans 8, waiting for the coming redemption.  And the promises that “all things” will be brought under the rule and reign of Christ (for example, Eph. 1:10).  The Bible seems to indicate that the final consummation includes the redemption of all creation, including the physical “places” we currently inhabit.  The implication being, therefore, that we are to work for “redemption of place” in our ministries in the same way we work for spiritual redemption of people. Also, the whole New Jerusalem stuff in Revelation 21. My understanding is that eternity will not be spent floating on clouds, but that God is bringing to fruition his perfect plan for Creation - this place.

Further, and more pastorally, there is a connection between “Place” and the human longing for “Belonging”. In The Land, Walter Brueggemann writes, “The yearning to belong somewhere, to have a home, to be in a safe place, is a deep and moving pursuit, . . . It is experienced by people from all sectors of society and even those who appear to be well rooted and belonging can experience profound dislocation…This, of course, is not a new struggle,” he continues, “but it is more widespread and visible than it has ever been. Nor is this sense alien to the biblical promise of faith. The Bible itself is primarily concerned with the issue of being displaced and yearning for a place. Indeed, the Bible promises precisely what the modern world denies.”

The Bible tells us that we are all built for relationship (with God and others); we are made for joy and unity. We are called to love–to seek healing and redemption of all that is broken in our lives–in our relationships and in our community. The promise of the gospel is that these things will come to fruition.  The gospel is not just about getting into heaven, but about seeing the full fruition of healing in the world that God has made. In this Place. The gospel is not about “You becoming the best human being you can be.”  Rather it is about “God putting the world –this place- to rights.”  The whole world, including your neighborhood.

Simone Weil said, “To be rooted is perhaps the most important need of the human soul.  Beyond things like ‘self-actualization’ or ‘attaining goals’ or ‘making a difference’, there is a more foundational human longing:  to BELONG.”  Both human nature and Biblical Theology tell us that we are built for relationships.  Our hunger to belong–our hunger for place–is good and God-given.  Doesn’t it follow that Belonging has as a prerequisite a sense of place?  In other words, we are built to belong.  And in order to belong, we need a place.

So, what does this idea of “place” look like? French Anthropologist Marc Augé distinguishes between “place”–which engages with our identity, which is filled with historical monuments and creative of social life–and what he calls “non-place”, where no meaningful social life is possible; non-places where we spend increasing time: supermarkets, department stores, airports, hotels, motorways, cinemas, sitting in front of a TV or a computer. For Augé place is significant for communities of peoples; non-place is insignificant, trivialized locations and landscapes. Auge points out that place is connected with our identity.  It is hard to fully know who we are apart from the place we inhabit and the people with whom we inhabit it.

On a related note, I have recently been made aware of the idea of “The Third Place”.  According to Wikipedia: “It is a term used in the concept of community building to refer to social surroundings separate from the two usual social environments of home and the workplace.” In his influential book The Great Good Place, Ray Oldenburg argues that third places are important for civil society, democracy, civic engagement, and establishing feelings of a sense of place.  In other words, they are vital to a person having a sense of “belonging”. Oldenburg coins “First Place” as our home and those we live with. Our Second Place is the workplace — where we may actually spend most of our time. Third places, then are “anchors” of community life and facilitate and foster broader, more creative interaction. All societies already have informal meeting places; what is new in our day is the intentionality of seeking them out as vital to our current societal needs. Oldbenburg suggests these hallmarks of a true “Third Place”: free or inexpensive; food and drink, while not essential, are important; highly accessible: proximate for many (walking distance); involve regulars - those who habitually congregate there; welcoming and comfortable; both new friends and old should be found there.”

Sounds a lot like what a church should be, doesn’t it?

Finally, Brueggemann observes, “Place is space that has historical meanings, where some things have happened that are now remembered and that provide continuity and identity across generations. Place is space in which important words have been spoken that have established identity, defined vocation, and envisioned destiny. Place is space in which vows have been exchanged, promises have been made, and demands have been issued . . . It is a declaration that our humanness cannot be found in escape, detachment, absence of commitment, and undefined freedom.”

Our humanity and God’s redemption do not occur in a vacuum.  They happen in a place, in real neighborhoods, among real people.  Therefore, our calling to be conduits of God’s redemption is lived out in the place in which we live.  If God’s redemption and grace matters, then our place matters.  I think vital to doing effective Parish ministry is helping our people to develop a vision and a passion for their neighborhoods - their place - seeing them as valuable to God, as places for redemption with a glorious future and hope.

Your thoughts?