The Forgotten Burbs

dave posted on April 26, 2009

In the last few years many leaders emphasized the need to be in the city to launch churches and strategic initiatives. There have been creative constructs established and urban initiatives to focus on cities which bustle with artists, business persons, and community development initiatives. And why not? The density of people and the convergence of many domains ethnically, culturally and socio-economically buzz with energy. How can you argue the convergence of so many types of people in a city the scale of Los Angeles, Mumbai, Chicago, Singapore, London or Beijing.

I’ve lived in rural and suburban places in America and overseas in places such as Seoul and in the jewel of southeast Asia., Bangkok, 13 million people strong. They say 1-2 million are ex-pats. We’ve launched multi-sites in London, Mexico City, Bangkok, India, California, Dallas, and soon China and New York City. I love the big cities and enjoyed living in them. Certainly, we need to have robust initiatives in every major city. It’s even in our original strategic plan. However in light of the emphasis on cities have we forgotten the importance of the burbs and the rural communities. Sure we give respect and homage to the small towns, villages and even large suburbs but the truth is the honest perception of these places to many of us is often secondary in importance to the big city lights and sounds. Because we are caught up in the consumerism of bigger and better (again big isn’t bad just overrated), we can negate the importance of the suburbs and rural places around our cities. In reflecting upon how we prioritize initiatives with our denominations and church movements perhaps we need to capture again the equal importance of creatively launching similar grassroot movements in our burbs and beyond. Rather than pining after those who minister in the city, take some courage in the place God has placed you in the burbs or in the places way outside our cities.

Why you may ask?

There are several considerations that may help us to have a both/and approach to cities, burbs and rural places.

1. Urban Blurring

Geographical lines are being blurred. There is the sprawl that is happening in many of the major cities in North America and the East. Los Angeles is more a region than a city connected by highway arteries. People may work in the city but the dream of immigrants from the Middle East and Asia is to go to the burbs to live and to seek usually better education.

2. Systemic Solutions

Because of our fascination with cities our initiatives often reflect emergency services and quick results but lack systemic solutions. Sustainable transformation that has long term impact usually takes 10-15 years. The complex web of governance, education, housing, health, clean water, economic sustainability, spiritual life is not easily resolved. These are not only issues of the city. Mostly, anyone who is involved in the global economy understands that what actually fuels the cities are the rural villages. The poor send their children to live and work in the city. In Thailand, many of the young prostitutes are from a region that is considered the armpit of Thailand, the Northeast. It is where hardworking, beautiful people group known as the Issan live and mostly farm. They are the outcasts in Bangkok, the major city, but are much of the labor force when it comes to the infrastructure and vices of the city. They work in sweat shops, construction sites, behind closed doors doing things that destroy their dignity and life. To really deal with the issues of the city, one has to consider what economic drivers can be created in their own villages.

3. The Bored and the Blessed

When dealing with first and second generation immigrant families. The transition is a good model of what happens in the influx of cultures into our neighborhoods. The new immigrants are often in survival mode. Trying to make it. Preserving their culture. Whereas, their children tend to take more and different risks and pioneer beyond where their parents have. They have wealth, education and resources galore but have a major difficulty. Eventually, as stated earlier these families hope to venture to new communities outside the city proper.

Many of these children are like the rest of suburban America. They take delight in movies like JackAss that tap into the warp sense of humor that can come with youth. They are the primary customers of drugs, driving into the city to pick up their fix. Just as those who deal drugs. They are the primary buyers of rap music that often has a disdain for authority, disrespect of women and an obsession with sex.

And suburban teens are bored. . . this boredom’s outlet is doing something crazy often with activities that would impact their relationship with God and others. The spirit of adventure intrinsic in many youth is wasted in the lifestyle of the burbs, the American dream.

My sense is that the greatest opportunity during this time of global chaos and upheaval is to invest in these young people who are bored. Ignite them to do crazy things for God! Let them know unless they have a calling to stay, they should GO to the fringes of our culture, cities and culture.

4. Can anything good come from Nazareth?

Often when considering strategy, think contrarian. Want to get something done, usually we think of bright lights of power in our society: universities, governance, and even churches rather than thinking of a place that is unknown, unpopular, and away from the hipness of a happening city. It can be a Mother Teresa who doesn’t have power but she has authority. It can be a Jim Gustafson, who has worked in Southeast Asia for thirty years, not known by many in the Western Church, yet a pioneer of holistic, sustainable community and ministry. Peter Wagner has said, “he’s the most significant missionary in Asia.” Who knows Jim or the single woman with two sons named Nujon who is the CEO and visionary of multiple community development projects ranging from large schools, to fresh and saltwater hatcheries, to HIV/Aids initiatives in Thailand? Beautifully her organization has married the synergy of both the village and the city. The initiatives she does in the city, fuel the rural movement so that young girls and boys can stay home in their villages.

So what does it mean to be a church of the 21st century. Hopefully, it’s another both/and. We need creative exploration and strategic investments in cities, burbs and the villages. They all work together. The lines of separation are blurred in the new world order.

Dave Gibbons is the founding pastor of Newsong and on the core team. He will be a regular contributor here and you can read more from him on his blog.