The return of the parish appears to be an ecclesial movement sweeping Western Christ-communities. I’ve been thinking of it as the parish corrective. I would characterize this corrective as a local church move to embody “full life” or embody the gospel in there unique culture/subculture and local context. It is a subversive move, indigenizing church to a location more than to a targeted/generational people grouping and refusing to simply adopt programs. In most cases the communities engaging this way take “listening” to their neighbors very seriously. Church leaders live, and work within the neighborhood. And if the Christ-community owns a building, they see their facility as a physical means by which to bless their neighborhood.
Clergy in such communities assume the role of “Pastor to the Neighborhood,” (by neighborhood I would say any home for work place within walking distance of the church). They often make the choice to walk to their church’s building, talking with people they meet and playing with local kids. They involve themselves in civic responsibilities as they can, make the church building available for weddings, funerals etc. for the people within that walking radius. Often the pastors are even wearing clergy-collars during the week so that local residents know who he or she is.
Historically, the parish has always assumed that it was there to serve the entire community not just its members or regular attenders. And the services, and ministries the parish engage in extend beyond the “spiritual.”
I describe this as a corrective because of its sharp contrast to commuter churches or any large destination church or preaching/worship center. The parish is not concerned as much about numerical growth as it is about embodying the gospel, in its very specific neighborhood. These Christ-communities often look very particular.
The parish corrective may be one of the more useful, relationally focused correctives the postmodern context is nudging our ecclesiology back to.
Peace, dwight
great comment Dwight! I\\ve held this view for quite some time now, and it\\s refreshing to see its return.
these are great thoughts. ill be back. by the way, a lot of your blog names are familliar: geoff holsclaw, tim keel to name two. are you at princeton?
I would love to earn a PhD from princeton – just not in the cards at the moment. Im finishing up a DMin and looking at some phd options. But I am not ready to leave Seattle. There are no PhD options that fit me, in the Pacific Northwest.