A project supported by the Lilly Foundation’s Thriving Congregations Initiative
The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. – John 1:14
Faith Practices & Neighboring Practices is an initiative in the Minneapolis Area Synod for churches curious about the call to be faithful neighbors. We know that thriving congregations are those that are deeply invested in the common good in their particular neighborhood – investing time, money, and relationships in the community where God has called us to be church. Our learning communities bring congregational teams together to experiment with the small simple practices that connect us to God and our neighbor, shifting our attention from problems and scarcity, to possibilities and abundance.
Faith Practices
It can be challenging to speak theologically about what is happening in our neighborhoods, and our learning community experiments with faith practices that invite congregations to listen for the presence and activity of God. We think it is the church’s job to discover what God is already up to, finding ways to participate in the common good, and discover ways to tell the story.
We experiment with practices like group spiritual direction, the Ignatian Examen, walking meditation and prayer walks, and testimony.
Neighboring Practices
As churches, there is a tendency to see the neighborhood through a problem-based lens, looking for needs to serve and people to help. But our learning community invites congregations to pay attention to the gifts, strengths, and assets in a community that have the capacity to contribute to the common good. Instead of playing the savior, churches are called to be curious neighbors, always on the lookout for possibilities and seeing their neighbors as whole people full of gifts and strengths.
We experiment with practices like asset-mapping and neighborhood-mapping, neighborhood walks, one-to-ones, intercultural communication, and economic neighboring.
Be the Neighbor
We believe that churches have the gifts and the capacity to be mutual and collaborative neighbors, contributing to the common good, supporting resilient neighborhoods, and participating in the work of justice. What might God be up to in your neighborhood?
