Continuing on the theme introduced in my first blog, I will retain the analogy of the cave. Read the blog posted on Jan 1, 2010 to get the full story of the church and the cave.
As claimed on Jan 1, I believe the church got caught in a blinding storm of rapid and drastic cultural change. This change caused the church to lose the privileged and influential position it once held in society and culture. As the church tried to navigate the way down the mountain through the storm, many factors and failures caused the church in the west to lose focus and direction. Eventually, the church took shelter in a cave for survival. It is time for the church to leave the cave.
Part of the storm that took the church off guard was urbanization. In the late 19th century and throughout the 20th century, people across the world moved out of the rural areas and into urban populations--first into the cities, and then into the new suburbs of the crowded cities. Consider the United States. In 1800, about 5% of the population lived in cities. By 1920, 50% of people in the USA lived in cities. Today, it is estimated that some 82% of Americans live in cities and suburbs (I'm still trying to determine the populations of urban areas in the US, leaving out suburban areas).
While the people migrated to cities in droves, the church stayed behind. Used to being in the center of social and public life--literally in the town square, right next to the court house (think Church St. and Main St.)--the church stayed in its cave of comfort instead of following the population. Today, suburbs are filled with lots of nice churches and congregations, but the cities (large population centers) often go largely ignored. The failure of the church to move into the cities in vast numbers, is in my mind a tragedy that needs to quickly be fixed.
If the church is to live the mission of God in the United States, it might just be we need to leave the cave and head into the city. Over the next few weeks, I'll try to strengthen this argument with data collected from respected researchers.
Bloggers Note: Throughout this missional conversation, I will try hard to present balanced, researched, and truthful facts. Also, I will attempt to keep my opinions even-keeled and refrain from simply being reactionary and hot-headed. If ever I fail to support claims or present a balanced perspective, please feel free to instruct and correct me.
For now, if you want to think missionally, think cities. Major cities in the U.S. represent a huge opportunity for the mission of God to be revealed to millions.
Are you including the suburbs ub your definition of "City" or are you referring to the basci large city itself. Areas like Naperville with Chicago ro just Chicago?
ReplyDeleteI am anxious to see the step / steps you feel will accomplish the task.
Speaking mainly of the urban area here. More Chicago-esque than Naperville. I would still classify Naperville a suburb "filled with nice churches." The church has actually flourished in Naperville (as it has in many other suburbs), which is great.
ReplyDeleteI think the steps that will accomplish that task are many and varied. Mainly, I think Christian leaders need to step up and see themselves as missionaries to our cities, serving and reaching those who work there and those who live there. Not that I won't offer suggestions, steps or models, but I believe strongly that God will call people in each context and show them unique ways to live out his mission where they are.
I look forward to reading more about this. I'll confess, my initial reaction was this: "But I don't *want* to go to the cities! I live in the 'burbs because I don't *like* cities. They're crowded, dirty and full of people I probably wouldn't like."
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, Abigail! This is exactly where Jesus teaches us from his example. I think all of us feel like you do at times. If not about the city, another demographic. The challenge for us is to be willing to go wherever God asks! As Jesus said, it is not the healthy who need a doctor. I hope you continue to read and share your thoughts!
ReplyDeletehaha! I love Abigail's comment. I know Abigail though, and while they may be crowded and dirty, I doubt she would last very long before finding people that she really likes. :-)
ReplyDeleteMost of my friends who moved into a city following graduation seem to have found churches they like in the city, but I think they would agree that the ratio of solid churches to population is much smaller in the cities than in the suburbs. (Speaking here of Chicago, NY, and DC).