• Archive of "suburban" Category

    Truth Be Told, I am Scared to Death to Live in the Suburbs

    July 12, 2008 // 6 Comments »

    Update: Just after I posted this, I happened to come across a few relevant posts on this subject.  Be sure to check out David Fitch’s – “The Middle In: The Unique Missional Opportunity,” and Joe Thorn’s, “I Love the Suburbs” on a brand new blog about the gospel in the suburban context, SubText.

    I hear people talk quite frequently about the “dangers of the city” and how unsafe certain parts of town are.  But if I were being honest, I would tell you that I am far more scared to live in the suburbs than I am to live virtually anywhere else.

    By design, suburbs are places of isolation, disconnection, and compartmentalization.  Their very existence is predicated on cultural values of materialism, consumerism , and individualism.  All of this makes it much harder (not impossible mind you) to follow the way of Jesus – a way of simplicity and interconnectedness with those on the margins of society.

    I bring this up because I will very soon need to decide on a more permanent place to live.  I have been looking in mid-town which is more urban, racially mixed, threatened by crime and violence, accessible to pedestrians, affordable, and artistic.  All of this most naturally appeals to me.

    But, I have also been looking in the Germantown/Collierville area which is suburban, predominantly white, relatively free of crime and violence, necessitates a car to go anywhere, more expensive, and culturally bland.

    Complicating these basic dynamics are factors such as these…

    – most of the folks at Living Hope are suburban people thus I feel I should live among them

    – I am a young adult pastor and mid-town is more attractive to young adults

    – we gave bought land and are discussing the potential of building a gathering place on it even further east from urban Memphis in Piperton

    – the idea of our church planting or having more of a presence in urban Memphis is something we are discussing

    – currently, the people I am aiming to really share life with live predominantly in suburban Memphis

    – it maybe the case that more of our folks would head toward mid-town if a few more folks blazed that trail

    … and I could probably list more.  I have been basically paralyzed by this decision of where to live and why.  Maybe I can just rest in the fact that no matter what, I am looking to rent and not buy, which ties me down probably for a year at the most. On top of this, where ever I wind up, I am seeking to be there with the express purpose of taking Jesus’ command to love my neighbors literally and seriously.  So, whether in mid-town or the burbs, I am sure there will be folks who are hurting and in need, and I find some solace in the primacy of this calling.

    So there ya have it – with all the transparency I can muster, the suburbs scare me.  I would much rather live in a place where I could be shot or robbed than in a place that has the potential to chip away at my soul and spiritual sensibilities every so slowly and subtlety.  I welcome your thoughts.

    Posted in consumerism, culture, decisions, individualism, living hope, memphis, spiritual formation, suburban, urban

    10 Ideas for Living Missionally in the Suburbs

    April 21, 2008 // 6 Comments »

    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.

    8) 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.

    Posted in blogging, books, church, community, consumerism, individualism, living hope, memphis, missional, suburban

    Suburban Discontent/Suburban Oppression

    November 15, 2007 // 2 Comments »

    My friend Todd Hiestand recently posted, A Holy (Suburban) Discontent.  It is partly a review of Tim Keel’s, Intuitive Leadership, and partly a reflection on the trappings of the suburban life style – something I have been feeling all too painfully since moving back from LA.
    One of the most ironic parts of the post is that Todd quotes Tim’s in his telling of a story not very unlike my own.  Tim reflects “on how he had an intense and authentic experience of spiritual community in college.  Then, post-college he entered into the world of suburban America.”  Tim says,

    “I was able to see a number of friends with whom I had live so intimately begin to lose their faith following college. That sounds dramatic, and I don’t mean it in the way you might initially read it: I don’t mean they lost the content of their belief system or became apostate doctrinally. I mean that upon leaving college and entering the world of twentieth-century suburban Christianity, they lost their way of life. They entered a way of life that was compartmentalized, disintegrated, individualistic, sub-cultured, ghettoized, programmed and purpose-driven.”

    This was as true for me as it has ever been for any of my friends.  Having had the freedom to remove myself from this for a time, to study and reflect, has, I beleive, given me a unique perspective on just how subtle this sort of co-option can be.  With Todd, I feel a discontent deep within – wanting the rhythm and course of my life to be determined by the power of the gospel and not the power of the culture in which I live.  Todd offers a few good suggestions at the end of his post regarding some of the personal implications.  My longing, however (not that Todd doesn’t have this longing, check out his church community, The Well), pushes this beyond this to the desire to align myself with a community which feels this discontent and stands convicted that they most embody an alternative lifestyle, to be an alternative community.

    On a related note, an article I wrote for Fuller’s Center for Youth and Family Ministry, The Other Side of At-Risk: Freeing Youth from Suburban Oppression, was selected to appear in Fuller’s global publicaltion, Theology News & Notes.  You can check it out here.

    Posted in articles, church, community, culture, midwest, spiritual formation, suburban, youth ministry

    Midwest Missionary

    October 23, 2007 // 1 Comment »

    Dear Friends,

    As most of you probably know, I returned to Ohio toward the beginning of September to offer some family support and to explore what a missional engagement of the suburban Midwest might look like.

    It has been extremely rewarding to be around for my family and I have been having tons of great conversations with friends new and old as I try to patiently relearn what makes the Midwest the Midwest and what a missional (and therefore incarnational) life and community might entail.

    God has provided an opportunity to partner with a long-time friend and partner in ministry who, along with others, is breaking some ground in the area I feel called to invest in – the formation of more organic (and hopefully missional) communities, through a ministry called Repeat. The central aim of Repeat is the formation of communities who endeavor to allow Christ to “repeat” his life through ours (more here). We have been praying about my being able to serve in a part-time, volunteer capacity for a period of about three months. Neither of us is quite sure where God might lead from there, but it does seem like God has provided this as a beginning place and we are both pleased to explore it.

    As a part-time missionary, I will help with the creation and cultivation of communities, the planning of monthly events, and the resourcing and equipping of leaders. I will also continue do cultural and contextual analysis, especially as we do our best to engage college-age students on secular campuses. Because Repeat is a relationally structured ministry, there is tremendous freedom and opportunity to engage people in a variety of exciting ways.

    So, to cut to the chase, I am trying to raise $3,500 to support myself for the next three months (Nov. – Jan.). If this happens, then I will have the freedom to devote my time and attention to serving alongside others in this ministry. If not, I will simply need to take whatever job I can find, but won’t have the freedom to explore this opportunity as intentionally and passionately as I would like.

    If you would like to support me, please visit my blog (lifeasmission.com) where you can make a donation in any amount through paypal. I will take this down as soon as the goal has been reached. This is the first and only time that I have asked for support like this outside of some short-term missions opportunities and it is quite humbling. Thanks in advance for any and all prayer and financial support. I am happy to answer any questions you might have. I will of course be sharing stories of what God over these months on my blog!!

    To God be the glory,
    JR Rozko

    PS – In the event that I reach my goal, but unforeseen circumstances prevent my serving out the whole three months, all donations will go to supporting the ministry of Repeat.

    Posted in blogging, midwest, missional, suburban

    Suburbia

    October 18, 2007 // 2 Comments »

    Saw this quote on my iGoogle page today and laughed out loud (then wondered why I wasn’t crying instead).

    Posted in quotes, suburban

    Choosing Mission Over Affinity

    July 14, 2007 // 4 Comments »

    As someone who is constantly thinking about what what radical (or perhaps just faithful) missional life in the midst of suburban affluence looks like, I really appreciated this post from David Fitch.

    Basically, he’s talking about what it looks like to missional communities to navigate a communal life without defaulting to consumer-oriented affinity. 

    I have but one point to add.  I am not inclined to advocate (not that he is doing this) individual engagement with those it’s hard or unnatural relate to.  To be sure, this is what local expressions of the Church ought to be doing, but doing together.  There’s nothing wrong with cultivating relationships and growing in love with those to whom it’s easier or more natural to relate.  However, if those clusters of disciples aren’t moving out together and seeking to engage people unlike themselves – those it’s more difficult to love, then there’s probably something lacking in terms of their Christcenterdness. 

    Affinity may indeed be one the hardest obstacles to overcome in suburban contexts, but if we are to embody the Kingdom of God for the sake of the world, it’s something we must grapple with together.

    Posted in community, consumerism, kingdom, missional, suburban

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