This page is dedicated to my research, questionnaires, and polls for my doctoral dissertation on church planting in cities through Bakke Graduate University located in Seattle, WA. Thanks to those of you who’re helping me in my research by answering questions and all other kinds of goodies. The next time we meet I’ll buy you an over-priced cup of coffee.
Here’s the title: Church Planting in the Central City: an Examination of the Causes and Consequences in Seven Western Cities from 2000-2009 with a Deeper Look at the Creative Class in Gentrified Districts and Neighborhoods.
April 7, 2009 at 1:03 pm |
Hi Sean,
I stumbled upon your blog when I googled “urban spiritual formation.”
I’m the Dean of Students at Nyack College, billed as “the most diverse Christian college in the United States.” About 85% of our student population is from within an hour and a half of our campus, which is located 20 miles west of New York city on the west bank of the Hudson River. Obviously, this means that a majority of our students would classify as “urban.”
I’ve done this job for two years. My first year, I was trying to learn the culture (if that’s possible). This year, I’ve invited outside people to experience our culture so that I could learn from their voices. Now, I’m looking for an approach to spiritual formation that takes into consideration what “urban” means for our population.
Obviously, “urban” encapsulates all that is cool: diversity, energy, community. But the students who come to us have also been broken in myriad ways by their environment: “urban” also means socioeconomically disadvantaged and all of the psychological and sociological outcomes of growing up within that environment (our students have been abused by the system and by their parents; they have insulated themselves from their environments with a host of dangerous addictions; and they often come to us as an ‘escape’ from the very communities we hope to empower them to serve).
I believe that God loves cities. I believe that the Way will include a movement toward urban. And, much to the chagrin of my colleagues, I believe that the experiences our students come to us having survived will lead to a resilience that will be necessary for the forwarding of the Kingdom. In other words, the very ways they are broken (if we can help them knit those bones back together) will empower them to serve the kingdom in ways that this white girl from suburban Minnesota will never have the strength for. And that’s pretty amazing.
Problem is, I just have a theory. Even the friends who have come to consult (really smart people who have been at this a lot longer than I have) have drawn deficit-based models that require our students to first “level-up” to the spiritual “maturity” of their counterparts in other (white suburban) college settings. My thought is that we have to throw out existing models altogether–apples and oranges, perhaps?
So, finally, the question: in your research and reading, have you come across any ideas/models/thoughts about ways to empower those who come from an urban context to lead within it? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks for your time, and best wishes on your research!
Peace,
Michele