Recently
Hamo posted the Ten Ways to be the People of God in Suburbiaby Chris Smith. I thought I'd respond to the ten points.
In response, to Brian McLaren’s call for urban churches at the Mayhem gathering last weekend [in Cincinnati], my friend Mike Bishop has been stirring up some conversation on "suburban ministry." Here's my response to that conversation, ten ways for those called to suburban ministry to be in the people of God in radical ways in suburbia. This list is meant for people to chew on and not all of its points may be applicable for all suburban missional church communities.
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).
This is not happening. There is no one who lives in close proximity to me apart from my daughter and my wife. I assume this is not a unique struggle for people of my age who have decide to buy a house and have had to move from the inner city to the edges of suburbs where they have found struggling mainline churches, Hill Song wannabe churches and not much else. Having done a fair bit of church surfing we decided to go to a church half an hours drive away. We are yet to convince anyone to move from there nice leafy middle class suburb to join us next to what is often referred to as Perth's most bogan and industrial suburb.
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.
This is great in principle and I'd love to work four days a week or less but only when my mortgage, food and bills to salary ratio is a bit smaller than 80%. As a family we will soon be working less when my wife who is currently working one day a week stops work at the end of the year. Besides I kind of consider my work a ministry but it does mean working full time, odd hours and occasionally away from home making time to spend with those in my suburb far more limited than if I was working 9-5 somewhere.
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.
This I'd like to cut a TV more. TV is so power full
Chuck Paulanick's Lullaby says some great things about the power of TV including this great quote.
Old George Orwell got it backward. Big Brother isn't watching. He's singing and dancing. He's pulling rabbits out of a hat. Big brother's busy holding your attention every moment you're awake. He's making sure you're always distracted. He's making sure you're fully absorbed. He's making sure you're imagination withers. Until it's as useful as your appendix. He's making sure your attention is always filled. And this being fed it's worse than being watched with the world always filling you, no one has to worry about what's in your mind. With everyone's imagination atrophied, no one will ever be a threat to the world.
Nobodies life is complete until they've read Chuck.
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
After my recent accident my disdain for the car has only been renewed. I have fond memories of life with just a bike and rail ticket. But at the moment life without a car is impossible, the only shop in walking distance apart from a chemist is the petrol station. It's ironic that the only thing in walking distance is the one shop that I have to take my car to to use. None the less, soon I will have a train station within walking distance so I can't wait to see how that changes things for me.
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.
Yes! This is something we are doing. The veggie garden will have it's most productive year this year and the nectarine tree already has about 50 baby nectarines on it. Out the front we have planted a lime and couple of mandarin trees that the neighbours can help themselves to. Eventually we will hang a sign on them saying "Yes you can, just take what you can eat and leave the rest to someone else".
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.
I'm trying and it's hard. The culture of my neighbourhood is so foreign to me. Having previously reveled in a left leaning, spiritually aware, liberal suburb I once rented in, I know that it's not all down to my own social awkwardness. Beer, cars, football, ACDC, beer and spirits is a the neatest summary of the interests of those in my suburb. A light beer is a heavy night for me, the coolest car I have ever owned is a ford laser, I got married on the Grand Final weekend and would rather listen to Bjork than ACDC. Quite a few neighbours get together every couple of weeks to get pissed together. I haven't been invited most likely due to my inability to talk about what is important to them (beer, footy and cars) when we have chatted in the street or when we had the last impromptu street bbq and that I don't drink.
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.
Yes! We deliberately got a smaller than average house (which is still pretty big) so we woudl live outside more. We have also started walking again regularly and taking our daughter to visit the ducks at the local park or go to the local swings. Only problem is we don't meet many people on our journeys.
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.
Yes! In fact I deliberately built a fence to our backyard that you can see through to see if any one is in the backyard.
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.)
Our Local Pizza shop is great, but most of the shops are dominated by mega corporations most of whom are franchises owned by locals I assume.
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.
The local (a drive away) Library is great but our parks are pretty crap. Badly maintained with little or know play equipment. Only a few months ago I had to call the council contact the developer to mow it. Hence it's a space that I rarely see used an not by anyone over 15.
This has been an interesting exercise. The ten points are great ideas but not ones I always find easy to implement. It feels like some of the biggest hurdles include having and having to support a family buying a house (an affordable one being on the edges of suburbia) and the difference between me and my neighbours about what we are passionate about.
Perhaps one of the greatest obstacles is the desire or lack of desire to be missional or to be a missionary. I know there is often a fine line of difference between the two but I'm keen to share not to tell. I'm also keen to live out an authentic human or Xn life which is why I have a veggie patch, not as a missionary tool. To share my life and faith means that people around me need to be keen to share with me. The problem is they aren't and I can't see anyway of changing that.
