lifeasmission

10 Ideas for Living Missionally in the Suburbs

April 21, 2008

A full half year ago, I caught this over on my buddy Todd’s blog – 10 Ideas for living Missionally in the Suburbs (by Chris Smith) and have been meaning to blog about it ever since.  I now have 2 great reasons to finally do so.

First, I find myself smack dab in the middle of the affluent suburbs of Memphis, TN as a pastor on staff at a new and aspiring missional church community.  

Second, Todd will be hosting a conference with Al Hsu, author of, “The Suburban Christian,” in August, and I promised him I’d spread the word.  I can’t wait to be there and if you find yourself in a suburban context and you are wanting to really think about what it would mean to engage that context missionally, this is really something you should try to be at.

Anyway, here’s Chris’ list and a few of my thoughts at the end.

Ten Ways to be the People of God in Suburbia – by Chris Smith

1) Live with others from your church community

Whether you share your home with another person or family, or whether you have several families that have homes in close proximity or both, sharing life together is perhaps the most powerful (i.e., going against the grain of suburban culture) way to be the body of Christ in suburbia. If you can’t live together, at least find a way to share resources (power tools, lawn mowers, children’s clothes/toys, etc).

2) Work Less!

One of the major powers that enslaves suburbia is the idolization of the career. There are many ways to pay the bills that do not involve a 9-5 job, and even within a 9-5 job, there are ways to work less (turning down promotions, taking unpaid leave, etc.) Working less will free you to serve your church community, your family, your neighbors, etc. It will also spur creativity: finding a solution for working less, finding a way to “make ends meet” financially, etc.

3) Throw out the television

Another (and perhaps larger power) that enslaves suburbia is consumerism. You’ll be amazed at how your desire for things ebbs as you take the TV out of the picture. If you can’t bring yourself to kill the television, at least take steps to lessen its influence (get rid of cable, only use it for movies, put it on a cart that can be wheeled in and out of a closet, etc.) Throwing out the television will also stimulate your creativity.

4) Drive less

Suburban culture is also enslaved to the automobile. Find ways to loosen those bonds (much more difficult in suburbia than in urban areas). Share a vehicle with others in your church community (much easier if you are doing #1 above). Invest in a good bicycle. Walk. There was a segment on “60 minutes” a few weeks ago about how much we miss when we zip around in automobiles. Walking and/or biking will help you be more attentive to your surroundings

5) Have a garden / grow food

Suburban life is often very shut off from the food cycle (Food comes from the grocery store, of course!). Homegrown food is more healthy, it gives you a good excuse to be outside (see #7 below), and it provides you with a resource to share generously with your church community and your neighbors. Phil Kenneson outlines a number of horticultural lessons for the people of God in his intro to LIFE ON THE VINE that are additional benefits of this practice.

6) Get to know your neighbors / listen for their needs

To be human is to be poor. Or in other words, everyone has needs. The challenge of suburbia is that there are many more ways to conceal that poverty, and similarly that it will take more effort to get into a position where a neighbor can reveal their needs. Be intentional about building relationships. Share meals, play poker, have block parties, whatever it takes.

7) Be outside as much as possible.

Another temptation of suburbia – fueled by individualism – is that of the house as an impenetrable fortress. Dissolve this temptation by eating, playing, relaxing outside. This practice is also one avenue to interact with your neighbors.

Do not fence in your yard

All apologies to Robert Frost, but fences do not make good neighbors, and in fact they often keep us from making good human neighbors. This is a corollary to #7, the fence is a major component of the impenetrable fortress syndrome; it protects our privacy and keeps out our “evil” neighbors. It often is a statement of distrust. If you must have a fence (to corral a dog for instance) make it as low and as permeable (i.e., not blocking off the view) as you can get away with.

9) Take a stand against the greed of mega-corporations

Whenever possible, resist buying from domineering mega-corporations (e.g., Wal-mart, McDonalds, Starbucks, and others). These corporations destroy local economies and have little or no concern for the environment. Buy as much as you can from businesses that are as local as possible (family-owned businesses are preferable to local chains, local chains are preferable to regional chains, and regional chains are preferable to global corporations.)

10) Utilize and support non-commercial public spaces (parks, libraries, colleges, etc.)

This point is another corollary of #7 above. We must utilize and show our support for these public spaces, lest they be conquered by the powers of individualism (by becoming private property) or by consumerism (by becoming commercial or industrial property). This is also a wonderful way to foster relationships with our neighbors.

These are some helpful ideas and hopefully a good starting place for thinking even more creatively and specifically about whatever context you are in.  The idea is subversive, incarnational living.  It’s saying, we are going to live out an alternative reality, but we’re going to do it in this place, among these people, in a way that makes sense to them, but at the same time calls into question some of the broken systems which oppress (often without them even knowing it) the people there.  

My friend Gib, the teaching pastor at Living Hope, spoke yesterday about the need for the church, like our exiled ancestors in Babylon, to pray for, and seek the prosperity of the city in which we find ourselves.  We tend to think of “the city” as “inner-city,” “downtown,” or where the urban poor live in general.  This is a deficient notion of modern cities however. Suburbs are part and parcel of the infrastructure of cities, it’s just that they primarily consume rather than invest or replenish goods and services.  They tend to be the gluttons of the cities resources and the sins which follow gluttony flourish in the suburbs.  As such, the suburban church faces no small task when it seeks to live out its missional nature in suburban contexts.

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