The New Parish

How Neighborhood Churches are Transforming Mission, Discipleship, and Community

By: Paul Sparks, Tim Soerens, and Dwight Friesen

ISBN: 978-0830841158

READ: September 2019

RATING: 7/10

Summary: New parish is a call to churches and parishoners to return to an incarnational and missional lifestyle. It effectively highlights the problem that consumerism problem that many churches face and offers patterns of living that can restore much of what our culture has lost. The result is a call for the church to live out the gospel in tangible and relational ways. On a conceptual level it was wonderful. What it lacked was a deep exploration of Scripture on the topic and a clear, full-bodied picture of such a new parish. Still, for churches looking to more deeply understand what it can look like to be a more missional minded church, this book is helpful.

Chapter titles are: Introduction. Part One: Why Do We Need a New Parish? 1. Dislocated 2. Misplaced Part Two: What is the New Parish? 3. Faithful Presence 4. Ecclesial Center 5. New Commons Part Three: How Do We Practice the New Parish? 6. Presencing 7. Rooting 8. Linking 9. Leading Conclusion

Introduction:

“And the local church is a body that bears witness to this way of becoming human in Christ, through both manifesting that growing reality of our lives together and becoming those who see and proclaim the signs of this work happening in the people and places around us.” Pg. 17

Chapter 1: Dislocated

“You think because you understand ‘one’ you must also understand ‘two’, because one and one make two. But you must also understand ‘and.’” – Ancient Sufi Teaching pg. 20

“The gospel becomes so much more tangible and compelling when the local church is actually a part of the community, connected to the struggles of the people and even the land itself.” Pg. 23

“When the word parish is used in this book it refers to all the relationships (including the land) where the local church lives out its faith together.” Pg. 23

“Proximity in the parish allows you to participate in God’s reconciling and renewing vision in ways you really can’t do as an individual.” Pg. 23

“Community is the essential form of reality, the matrix of all being.” Parker Palmer pg. 24

“‘Living above place’ names the tendency to develop structures that keep cause and effect relationships far apart in space and time where we cannot have firsthand experience with them.” Pg. 24

“The local place becomes the testing ground, revealing whether you have learned to love each other and the larger community around you. In essence, the parish is a dare to your faith.” Pg. 24

“…it is easy to forget that humans need reciprocal friendships and communities of genuine care if they are to flourish.” Pg. 25

“…it’s quite likely that there are dozens upon dozens of people who are loving their neighbor as an expression of their love of God….right now there are millions more migrating toward this relational way of being the church.” Pg.28

“…the neighborhood—in all its diversity—has a voice that contributes to the form of the church.” Pg. 31

“Whereas the old parish was often dictated by a single denominational outlook that functioned as law, the new parish can include many expressions of the church living in community together in the neighborhood.” Pg. 31

Chapter 2: Misplaced

“Paul did not rush from place to place leaving a trail of sudden converts. Instead, he spent more than two years building a Christian group in Ephesus, eighteen months in Corinth, and several years in Antioch—and many historians believe his stays in some other places were considerably longer than has been assumed.” pg. 38 -Quoting from Rodney Stark

“This way of living in and among a particular place while practicing the way of Jesus together turned out to be the necessary combination for both their own deep formation and a radical demonstration of love to the world.” Pg. 39

“One of the most significant shifts in church practice was the move away from localized presence to centralized power within a hierarchical church system. This shift away from being rooted in a particular parish had the unintended consequence of church authorities living above their place and dictating how people at the local level should behave.” Pg. 40

“As such, the church was disproportionately concerned with consolidating power. This prepared the way for leveraging its growing authority toward the forced missionary expansion into the new world.” Pg. 41

“The missional movement has since taken up the relational emphasis in a more holistic way, encouraging its members to reclaim their identity as a people of God. We have been so grateful for the missional thinkers who are inviting the church to recover its active participation in God’s recreation of all things.” Pg. 45

“Faithful presence invites you to act on the belief that God is giving you what you need to be formed as disciples within your location.” Pg. 46

“With this in mind, the new parish movement seeks to practice with-in place.” Pg. 46

“The gospel bids us to seek a flourishing of life for all.” Pg. 47

Chapter 3: Faithful Presence

“‘Faithful presence’ is a phrase that describes the relational view of the world. It means that in each situation we are listening for what our relationships require of us and responding according to our capacity.” Pg. 59

Faithful presence helps us stand in the middle of transcending limitation and avoiding responsibilities. Pg. 59

“When your method takes the forefront, you become distracted from what the Spirit is doing in and through your particular place….Technique is superstition for the modern age.” Pg. 62

“While churches may develop programs, jobs services, orders and so forth, the fragmentation develops when these are not subservient to real people sharing life and friendship together within a particular place and history.” Pg. 63

“Perhaps we all need to ask some prophetic questions regarding our own god of technique. “Why isn’t technique bringing us the life we thought it would.” Pg. 65

“The modern church is addicted to the next technique….Technique wants your trust, even at the expense of your trust in God. It is time to own up to the addiction.” Pg. 66

“When you trade faithful presence for techniques, people can become instrumental objects, which can either aid in your mission or get in your way.” Pg. 70

“In a relationship with another person there is always the risk of doing something that doesn’t help the relationship. But love never means inaction; love means listening and caring. Love means taking the risk of action; and it is a risk, for you can never know with absolute certainty what the person or neighborhood may require.” Pg. 72

“God has given you the gift of limitation and responsibility. Limitations are a sign pointing to your need of the other, while responsibility reveals the other person’s need of you.” Pg. 73

Chapter 4: Ecclesial Center

Four common expressions of church: 1. The Seeker Mode 2. The Heritage Mode 3. The Community Mode 4. The Missional Mode pg. 78-84

Finally the Ecclesial Center …

“At the center of church practice is faithful presence in the parish. When the three of us use the word worship we are explicitly naming it as a way of life, rather than solely an event.” Pg. 85

“The dare of the new parish is that formation, community and mission can only be conceived of as Christian when integrated together as holistic worship; one worship life, three embodied practices.” Pg. 85

“Without the experience of sharing life together, formation in limited to teaching abstract ideas and principles and there are no examples for disciples to follow in real-life situations.” Pg. 87

“If your church focuses primarily on its relational life together, faithful presence can be sacrificed on the altar of community.” Pg. 87

“But without the integration of a discerning community being formed in the narrative of the Kingdom of God, the orientation of place and their personal stories, they will become increasingly issue driven.” Pg. 89

“…and because liturgy was disconnected from life, the church would end up supporting cultural accommodation more than being formed as a tangible manifestation of an alternative story.” Pg. 90

Chapter 5: New Commons

“It’s all too common when talking about the church to have Spirit-given energy (the wind) and engagement within the church community (sail), but lack a meaningful connection to the local cultural realities (the keel linking the boat to the sea).” Pg. 93-94

“As the church becomes faithfully present in the parish and becomes attuned to the wind of the Spirit, every dimension of life is going to be invited toward reconciliation and renewal.” Pg. 94

“What is meant by the word ‘commons’ is that ‘all that we share.’…So by new commons we mean all the dimensions of life for which everyone in your neighborhood shares a common concern.” Pg. 95

“As faithful presence grows in your neighborhood, it builds healthy relationships.” Pg. 95

“For this reason, faithful presence is at the center of the new commons. If your community cannot learn to fit together well, all aspects of the commons are destined to feel the effects.” Pg. 95

“Economics functions as a mirror, where the truth about your faith is reflected back.” Pg. 97

“If you are serious about joining God in the renewal of all things, then imaginative thought and action need to go into how your church supports each other in giving and receiving, and in how you interact with the economic system at large.” Pg. 98

“The gift economy in your local context is crucial for economic flourishing at every level.” Pg. 100

“But if your church is in and for the parish, everything changes. While everyone may not be able to center their vocations in the parish, here are just a few ways that this shift can make a difference:

• Everything you do, everything you give, everything you buy, everything you spend time on—it all can contribute to the mission of the church and the flourishing of the parish.

• Every gift, passion and skill that contributes to the reconciliation and renewal of the neighborhood is of major value. Just being there can be a gift.

• Starting a small business or finding a way to live out your vocation in the parish usually helps every aspect of the commons—relationships, environment, civic life, economy, education—at the same time.

• Perhaps best of all, because you are in proximity it is easier to collaborate on these things in ways that end up making the whole far greater than the sum of the parts.” Pg. 102

-My comment—Yes, but these all must be rooted in a disciple making context!

“If you have the courage to take responsibility for the growth of the people in your neighborhood and accepts a measure of responsibility for them as an extended family, it immediately changes the posture of how you interact.” Pg. 109

“This is because the church is about all of life, not just ‘spirituality,’ and we should exist as connective tissue between every issue….we need to be listeners, integrators, and relational bridge builders.” Pg. 111

Chapter 6: Presencing

“The complexity and confusion of this time creates what British author Ann Morisy describes as an age of chronic anxiety. People desperately want the quick fix, the prepackaged solution. If you achieve some vision of success, you can bet that your story will be consolidated, copied, scaled and sold as the next thing to do. In times of change people are desperate for a new technique, but this is not what is needed.” Pg. 119

“The leadership task is first one of drawing people together for mutual listening, discerning and experimenting—not fixing. If ever there was a time to experiment your way into a fresh contextual expression of the church, this is it, not only because we are living in an adaptive era but because experiments of faithful and communal presence are the best way to truly learn how to be the church in the everyday of life.” Pg. 120

Three postures are present in becoming a neighborhood presence: 1. Listening to the story of Scripture. 2. Listening to your own narrative. 3. Listening to the narrative of your place. Pg. 122-126

“One great gift of the Gospel is that it enables us to de-idolize, de-sacralize, de-divinize those elements of the technological milieu that begin unduly to take primary place in our lives and thereby fetter our hope.” Marva Dawn pg. 122

“You come to know yourself by discovering what the Creator knows of you.” Pg. 122

“When you see yourself as a character in this story, one who has been given the ministry of reconciliation to bring hope and healing to broken relationships, it can become a lens for your everyday engagement in the world.” Pg. 123

“Faithful presence is impossible if you are forever trying to cover up your addictions or the abuses you suffered at the hand of someone who was meant to love you.” Pg. 124

“The only way you can come to know your story well is in community with others. No one can develop true self-understanding outside of relationship.” Pg. 124

“To be patient in an emergency is a terrible trial.” Wendall Berry pg. 125

Listening to your neighborhood involves getting to know it deeply by praying through the neighborhood and walking it, meeting business owners, and understanding city governance. Pg. 127

“Probing your feelings in community allows you to begin naming the real condition of your own heart and to begin nudging one another towards God’s desires.” Pg. 128

“The Jesuit discernment process highlights four postures that members of the community live out in order to discern wisely as a collective. A person must be:

• Ready to move in any direction that God wants, therefore radically free.

• Open to sharing all that God has given him, therefore radically generous.

• Willing to suffer if God’s will requires it, therefore radically patient.

• Question for union with God in prayer, therefore radically spiritual.” Pg. 128

“While there are scores of books written about how asset-based development contrasts to needs-based development, the central idea is to approach transformation in our neighborhoods by identifying and connecting the dreams and assets of the people, associations, and institutions already there.” Pg. 130

“Consider these practical ideas:

• Find out what people love about the neighborhood, and nurture that affection.

• Ask your neighbors about one thing they wish existed in the neighborhood. Then ask if they would be willing to help make it happen if they had help.

• Convene neighbors with common gifts and desires and ask one another what could be accomplished together.” Pg. 131

“The adaptive presencing process is an integrative one that brings the postures of learning, discerning and acting together with one goal: faithful presence in your neighborhood.” Pg. 132

Chapter 7: Rooting

“Rooting is staying put and paying attention.” Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove pg. 136

“You can’t lead people unless you love people.” Pg. 136

“Most people are longing for a more integrated and connected life.” Pg. 136

“This is the beginning of a very different conversation:

• What do you see God doing in your neighborhood?

• What efforts are already underway to engage injustice?

• What gifts have you seen being leveraged in the community for the common good?

• What do you love about the neighborhood that you want to see grow?” pg. 144-145

“…the majority of today’s structures generate more competition than collaboration.” Pg. 145

“Recovering a faithful reciprocal relationship with the created world is more encompassing than a typical understanding of creational stewardship.” Pg. 146

“If the body of Christ is going to experience a movement of unity then it desperately needs a new imagination for how the church can be rooted in the neighborhood in such a way that includes the particularity of all our difference and the universality of our common faith.” Pg. 147

Chapter 8: Linking

“Archer was ‘open-minded’ and understood the world from multiple perspectives. But he was never rooted in one place long enough to learn the deeply relational wisdom that comes from caring for a common geography together over the course of time. Therefore, Archer lived above place in a way that perpetuated his loneliness, blindness and fragmentation.” Pg. 154

“The problem starts when a society develops the habit of using their context (or tools int aht context) as a medium to be somewhere else.” Pg. 156

“Everything has been constructed to capitalize on her attention. All the things she might have found within the context of community she must now find elsewhere.” Pg. 156

“Every community should hope to live into a practice of both rooting and linking.” Pg. 157

“The cultural biases and blind spots that all humans naturally develop over the course of generations are confronted by experiencing other ways of doing things.” Pg. 162

“It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between.” C. S. Lewis pg. 162

Chapter 9: Leading

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” Albert Einstein pg. 165

“If we allow the broader culture to predetermine the qualities of a leader, we can easily overlook the very gifts, skills, and character qualities that God desires for us to discover.” Pg. 166

“Quite simply there is no way to lead well if we have not developed a personal practice in the neighborhood…In the neighborhood character is king.” Pg. 167

“…it’s too easy to elevate people as leaders who are not really skilled in the very basic practice of being human, let along the task of leadership.” Pg. 167

“We cannot talk about a crisis in leadership and then say leadership is value-free.” Pg. 170

“This is an important note. It’s simply not fair to equate leadership with influence. In fact, allowing leadership to be synonymous with influence in such a celebrity-driven and self-obsessed culture as ours is downright dangerous…” pg. 170

“As you shift your attention to the question, ‘what is worth following?’ not only do new leaders become visible, but you find new metaphors for leadership emerging as well.” Pg. 171

“We do not think of ourselves into a new kind of living. We live ourselves into a new kind of thinking.” Richard Rohr Pg. 172

“It’s not surprising to us that so many of our most inspiring models of leading as designers are women…Women, however, have excelled for centuries at creating and designing environments for deeper shared life, performing cosmetic repairs to the shape of homes, storefronts and community centers so they might be more hospitable for flourishing together.” Pg. 173

“If the designer is a shaper of environments and the conductor draws multiple voices into harmonious action, then the next metaphor for leadership within the new parish is the player-coach.” Pg. 178

“The player-coach is a critical leadership metaphor because it signifies that any coaching offered comes from someone who not only has played many games before but is in the game right now. Jesus’ interactions with the religious leaders of his day underscore the importance of being wary of those who claim mastery of theory but can only offer instructions from the sidelines.” Pg. 179

The player coach is always a practitioner, inspires both head and heart, and can play the game while also holding a larger field of vision. Pg. 180-181

Conclusion

“Once you believe that change happens by learning how to be faithfully present to each other, then you need a place where you can practice trusting God to make it real at an everyday level.” Pg. 185

“When your mindset is oriented around scaling and exponential growth, local communities are treated more like an outpost for a global brand than as an intricate part of the whole. As a result, indigenous, incarnational and truly relational ways of working together are viewed as too slow and cumbersome.” Pg. 187