Comments on: Planting Churches in the ‘Hood

By: Twitted by waynepark

Twitted by waynepark — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:48:45 +0000

[...] This post was Twitted by waynepark [...]

By: Wayne

Wayne — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:08:26 +0000

@Matt I think you hit a nerve there Matt - that seems to be exactly it

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:41:39 +0000

Seems like the suburbs need more hood missionaries than the other way around.

By: Wayne

Wayne — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:38:49 +0000

well said @elderj oftentimes the presumption is we're bringing in a better brand of faith, which is entirely imperialistic in tone. I wonder if there are any examples of this merging of communities that is done well, w/o imperializing / condescending overtones - thus the incarnation but also ascension dialectic.

By: elderj

elderj — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 03:17:38 +0000

i live in one of these areas though it is gentrifying and I grew up in the city and though not in the hood, many folks from the suburbs assumed it was just because it was urban. ONe of the interesting things I felt about suburban (usually white) types coming into the city was that the assumptions they carried with them about life in my neighborhood were usually very wrong and that included assumptions about church life and spirituality. Last year speaking to a church planter who started a church in my old (and now entirely gentrified) neighborhood, he expressed surprise at the extent to which many of the kids and families involved in the community center where they had service were actively churched or already Christian. For me his surprise was amusing and annoying at the same time and reminded me of the feeling we used to have as kids when what we called “rich white people” decided to come into our neighborhood to “save us.” They were interested in telling us about a Jesus we already worshipped and we listened politely and took advantage of whatever programs they offered. Now of course my experience is not necessarily normative, but I suspect that very many folks in the hood are far more christian than those who come to evangelize them.