Parish Church

Parish Collective & “Grounded Faith”

I am thrilled to see that Parish Collective is launching its new “Grounded Faith” initiative in partnership with Whitworth University’s Office of Church Engagement and the Lilly Endowment. Lauren Goldbloom, longtime friend and former fellow board member of the Parish

Dwight J. Friesen May 31, 2022December 16, 2022

A Vital Resource for Church & City

Since its creation, United Nations Habitat has been striving to put practical tools in the hands of local people and communities to equip them with the needed information, inspiration, and ideas to mobilize grassroots people to bring about real change

Dwight J. Friesen May 11, 2022December 19, 2022

Inhabit Report

Stan Dueck and a whole host of leaders – 22 leaders, to be exact – from the Church of the Brethren participated in this year’s Inhabit Conference by Parish Collective. It was so great for me to see an infusion

Dwight J. Friesen May 10, 2022December 19, 2022

Five Signs of the Parish Movement

The parish movement has been growing and spreading all over the world. The parish movement is not an academic movement nor is it driven by any one culture, tradition, Christian denomination, etc. Rather this is grassroots followers of the Jesus

Dwight J. Friesen April 26, 2022December 19, 2022

Inhabit 2022

So grateful that Parish Collective’s annual flagship conference is back… live and in person. Inhabit 2022. Get your tickets today for this presence inspiring event will be held at The Seattle School’s campus on April 29-30. Part of me feels

Dwight J. Friesen April 19, 2022April 19, 2022

Holy Week

Palm Sunday April 10th 10:00AM @ St Luke’s Holy Friday April 15th, 7:00PM @ St Luke’s Table Turning April 16th, 1:00PM @ NW Detention Center Easter Sunday April 17th, 8:30 & 10:30AM @ St Luke’s If you’re looking for some

Dwight J. Friesen April 10, 2022April 12, 2022

Co-Leading a Futuring Retreat

Tom Sine and I have the privilege and responsibility of working with a Presbyterian church in Enumclaw Washington who are seeking to prepare themselves for tomorrow. This congregation was founded in 1892, and like the majority of faith communities in

Dwight J. Friesen March 22, 2022March 22, 2022

This Sunday

This Sunday – March 20th, the third Sunday of Lent – is the 94th anniversary of the birth of Fred Rogers. Mr. Rogers wrote, produced, and hosted Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood for 33 years; an educational Public TV program focused on emotional,

Dwight J. Friesen March 18, 2022March 18, 2022

Pastoring Again!

I am thrilled to announce that I am pastoring again! For approximately the next year and a half, I will be serving as the part-time pastor at St Luke’s Lutheran Church in Bellevue. While I will still be teaching at

Dwight J. Friesen January 21, 2022May 26, 2022

More People Feeling Lonely

According to the Barna Research Group, 31% of U.S.A. adults report feeling lonely at least some of each day. Their report – posted at the end of last 2021 – highlights that even before the pandemic, loneliness has been an

Dwight J. Friesen January 7, 2022September 26, 2022

The Missionary Church After Christendom

Each year the “Gathering of Leaders” invites a theologian to spend some time thinking alongside some leaders within the Episcopal Church, this year that honor falls to me. I get to spend some time in January and again in June

Dwight J. Friesen January 6, 2022December 19, 2022

3 in 10 USA Adults Religiously Unaffiliated

According to a Pew Research study posted on December 14, 2021, approximately three in ten USA adults are now “religiously unaffiliated.” The study reveals that self-identified Christians make up 63% of U.S. population in 2021, down from 75% a decade

Dwight J. Friesen December 30, 2021December 19, 2022

How We Gather & Who We Become

I think its safe to say, that at no other time in church history has “gathering” been so contested. Do we meet in person or online? Health and safety needs bump into our traditioned liturgical practices. If online how? How

Dwight J. Friesen December 1, 2021December 2, 2021

Changing Cities & City Changers

I’m a City Changer is a worldwide campaign with the aim of sensitizing and creating awareness among citizens on urban issues to achieve better cities. It is promoted by UN-Habitat, the city agency of the United Nations, through the World

Dwight J. Friesen November 20, 2021September 26, 2022

The Future of Seattle

This is worth checking out. Peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen October 12, 2021September 26, 2022

Discovering Your Mezzo Parish

Guiding your faith community into even greater faithful presence within its parish invites discernment of the collective. Where and how to focus time and energy is a vital and ongoing journey of listening and adapting. Sometimes we get sidetracked by

Dwight J. Friesen October 6, 2021November 12, 2021

Parish Collective, Inhabit/Connect 2021

Here are two great panel discussions from Parish Collective’s, 2021 Inhabit Connect. “Inhabit Connect” is the pandemic substitute for Parish Collective’s annual flagship event in Seattle, the Inhabit Conference. By the Way tickets for the 2022 in person Inhabit are

Dwight J. Friesen October 1, 2021November 4, 2021

Learning from Recent Church History

Mike Cosper and a talented team at Christianity Today’s CT Podcasts have produced series exploring “The Rise & Fall of Mars Hill.” As you likely know, Mars Hill Church was planted in 1996 and pastored by Mark Driscoll in Seattle

Dwight J. Friesen September 23, 2021November 4, 2021

Flipping the Script on Church Owned Property

Flipping the Script on Stewardship: COVID-19 & the Shift from Church Property to Kingdom Building For more than a year, your church’s building has been unused.  Yet, not having access to it didn’t stop your faith community from being a

Dwight J. Friesen August 2, 2021November 8, 2021

“Where I’m From” by George Ella Lyon

Where I’m From By George Ella Lyon I am from clothespins, from Clorox and carbon-tetrachloride. I am from the dirt under the back porch. (Black, glistening it tasted like beets.) I am from the forsythia bush, the Dutch elm whose

Dwight J. Friesen April 6, 2021November 20, 2021

Holy Communion Online

Last week during my school’s Wednesday Holy Communion & prayer time a student shared some beautiful words at the Table. It appears these words were first used at  Mt Hollywood Church in Los Angeles, California on Palm Sunday, 2020. If anyone

Dwight J. Friesen April 5, 2021November 2, 2022

Faithful Presence in Bend Oregon

“The Spirit teaches us how to participate with God in the restoration of all things; maybe the more common term for this would be mission…[I]t’s a mission which connects our unique desires to the work of the Spirit to keep

Dwight J. Friesen March 5, 2021November 22, 2021

Today! “Interfaith Perspectives on Loving Our Neighbors”

Today The Parliament of the World’s Religions is joining organizers and community leaders in Chicago as part of the City’s Together We Heal initiative by hosting a series of virtual programs to foster conversation and share tools on healing and

Dwight J. Friesen February 23, 2021September 26, 2022

The Black Church

“This is the story and song our ancestors bequeathed to us, and it comes at a time in our country when the very things they struggled and died for — faith and freedom, justice and equality, democracy and grace —

Dwight J. Friesen February 13, 2021November 22, 2021

Leadership & First Followers

In the late 2000’s (maybe 2009?) at Washington State’s Sasquatch Festival during a performance by Santigold of her hit, “Unstoppable” a lone guy starts dancing on a hill. Derek Sivers made this video famous by using it to illustrate the

Dwight J. Friesen February 1, 2021November 24, 2021

“Little Boxes” – A Rant about Racism, Suburbs & Feeling Special

In 1962 Malvina Reynolds released her song “Little Boxes” – used as the theme for the Showtime series “Weeds” – and it’s a song capturing the fear of being ordinary, at least in part. The fear of having a ticky-tacky

Dwight J. Friesen January 28, 2021November 8, 2021

Father Greg Boyle: Widow, Orphan, & Stranger

“For unless love becomes tenderness—the connective tissue of love—it never becomes transformational. The tender doesn’t happen tomorrow . . . only now.” Gregory Boyle The Tacoma Catholic Worker newsletter which graced my mailbox yesterday referred back to some of the

Dwight J. Friesen December 1, 2020November 24, 2021

THEOS… a UK think tank needed here

My friend, Tim Soerens of Parish Collective recently introduced me to the remarkable UK think-tank, THEOS, (follow THEOS on facebook). THEOS stimulates the debate about the place of religion in society, challenging and changing ideas through research, commentary and events.

Dwight J. Friesen November 12, 2020November 14, 2022

10 Personal Parish Practices & Postures During 2020

In this pandemic era many of us find ourselves walking our neighborhoods more than ever. Many are also experiencing limitations in terms of gathering together with others. So doing things with your group or your church may not be available.

Dwight J. Friesen October 12, 2020November 2, 2022

Five Signs of New Parish Expressions

Immediately following the release of The New Parish, Paul Sparks, Tim Soerens, myself, and a number of artists who joined us for legs of the tour hit the road. Our travels – which were a purposeful blending of on the

Dwight J. Friesen October 5, 2020January 13, 2021