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How To Listen To Your Neighborhood – Michael Frost

in BLOG, MISSION, RESOURCES, VIDEO

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In the video Frost says, “We need to adopt a posture of listening to the neighborhood, or community, or city to which we have been sent. And it is one of the least practiced skills…

We turn up with our pre-fabricated mode of church. We know exactly what ministries or programs we’re going to offer, and we place it in that neighborhood or city whether they want it or like it or not.

But what would be different if we moved closely into intimate relationship with a neighborhood or a city and we adopted a posture where we were listening – genuinely listening – wanting to know what it is that they want or need or in what ways we can in-flesh the Gospel right under their very noses?

We simply want to transplant what we did somewhere else and bring it to your neighborhood whether you like it or not. And those days must be over if we are serious about embracing a missional-incarnational stance.”

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  • http://missionallendale.wordpress.com/ Joey Espinosa

    I just had a similar conversation today with a local church leader. This is a guy (and a church) that is content with NOT going out and being in the community, thinking that we just need to focus inward.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Lamar-Carnes/100002783233971 Lamar Carnes

    The scriptures are our only rule of faith and approach to gospel missional activities. Sola Scrptura is the short word version.  Having said that, I perhaps need to explain to some who would think that is perhaps not enough information. The actual point is you and I can’t improve on God’s methods and approaches in providing the Gospel to a community or a nation.  We don’t come with a “new set of rules” in a box and throw it at the communities at all.  We come with a book full of instructions by the Holy Spirit and we depend upon them with His power to make it happen His way and with His favor.  Any activity we engage ourselves in must have the sanction of the written scriptures are it is not a viable Holy Spirit endorsed activity, with this caveat, there are a few things we can certainly do which are NOT addressed in modern day language which could be considered a “means” as long as that action or endeavor DOES NOT diminish the written scripture relating to how it may reflect upon the Holy God we serve in any negative manner.  So we all have to be careful we follow God and His instructions.  Running everything through the “GRID” of the Holy Word is imperative.  I fear we just get our own thoughts running and think we can improve on the work of Christ by “new inventions” from our own minds which we think may be just so great and powerful we don’t need the Holy Spirit and the Word at all.  Care must be exercised in all we do to enhance and lift up Christ and the Word to its place in what we do regardless of what others may think of it all.  An extreme example:  John the Baptist didn’t think twice about calling out Herod and his sinful actions even though he was the ruler of the area in Governmental affairs.  No Jesus thought very highlyt of this man and said so.  Being politically correct in our generation seems to be the order of the day and no one will do certain things because they wish to be “like” the crowd and present themselves as “one of the good old boys and girls” just like them down the street.  Sorry, but that won’t cut it!  We are different, and we are to be loving and kind and caring. We are to give and pray for and be nice to all.  But then again, we are to stand for the truth regardless and present it as the Holy Spirit directs.  He may just make you politcallly uncorrect at the moment. Are you up for that??

    Lamar Carnes

    • Marcus Johnson

      I agree with most of your statement, but I am concerned about the negative connotation that has come to be associated with the term “political correctness.”  Trust me, I get it: a lot of the deferences our society makes in terms of language, social customs and mores, and standards of behavior can be way overblown, even Pharisaical in nature.  Even worse, it can appear to hinder a church from accomplishing its mission.
       
      However, Jeff Vanderstelt made an excellent point in one of the videos on this site when he states that the words we use indicate what we believe.  Doing the proper research that raises our awareness of the needs of the community in which we want to mission is neither a bad form of political correctness, nor does it conflict with Biblical truth.  Lamar, I’m sure you mean well, but a lot of folks use the same rhetoric you used in your comment as justification for disregarding the real cultural-specific needs which should guide our mission efforts.  I’m sure your intentions are genuine, but make sure that you are aware of the needs and specifics of the community in which you mission; otherwise, you might do more to distance folks from the gospel than to draw them closer to the cross.

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  • Deaster

    In 2005 I engaged a historic church in Portland, OR in a process we called “Listening to the City.”. In essence it was rooted in four simple principles: 1) God was already at work in this city before we arrived. 2) what God was doing couldbe discerned, 3) once discerned it should shape how we offer our unique kingdom contribution and 4) we should expect results consistent with being aligned to the activity of God.

    In short it resulted in a departure from a large campus to reposition ourselves in the neighborhood. Since Portland is a collection of Mayberry’s, we embraced an approach to reaching and serving our city one neighborhood at a time. In so doing we experienced a more incarnational sense of engagement. Instead of imposing our agenda on a neighborhood we sought to discover God’s and align to his. It didn’t change the essential message of the gospel but rather contextualized it so it could actually e responded to in meaningful ways

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