Missional in the Suburbs: Part 6 - People and Life Situations

If you do much reading on missional church issues you have no doubt noticed, as I have mentioned here previously, that it usually seems to be spoken of in an urban setting. I am not railing against that, the urban area was overlooked for far too long in church planting. It just seems unfortunate to me, that now that urban ministry is getting its well deserved and much needed attention, most missional discussions end there. I guess I am a bit saddened that it has caused some folks to forget that missional also extends to the suburbs. In this series of blogs, I have attempted to talk about this oversight while at the same time talk about ways we can be missional in the suburbs.

I have been absent here for about a week. With our church’s new worship location in full scale preparation for our September move things have been a bit hectic. Another event that has taken a significant amount of time in our family this past week was the wedding of my youngest daughter – that is her in the photo. Weddings are always traumatic for fathers of the bride. This one was no exception. But it does lead into what I think is one missional opportunity in the suburban church.

My daughter’s wedding was outside at a local park and a relatively simple affair. I use the term relatively because we have all seen those weddings that take days to pull off and life savings to fund. But in reality a wedding is an event, and an important event. By the time September has ended I will have performed / participated in seven weddings in eight weeks. In each case, this was a major life event for the folks involved. It was a gathering time, a family time, and a community time.

There are two primary discussions put forth in the missional discussion as it relates to urban ministry. The first discussion is the idea of being in the third place with folks (work and home being the first and second) to model Christlikeness. The third place is their spot to relax or unwind, or play. The third place is where they go because they want to. The concept that urban areas are where there are large concentrations of people who need Jesus in their lives is the second discussion. My question aloud today is “do not these same two ideas hold true in the suburbs?”

Are there not people, thousands of people, in these areas? There are 50,000 in close proximity to our worship location. Look around where you are; we in Pittsburgh are not alone in this. This is more normal than not. If people matter to Christ, and they do, then people in the suburbs matter as well. And if we reach these folks with the gospel of Christ and change their lives what impact does it have? Let’s face it, many of these people are, or will one day become the leaders in business and society. What impact can we have if those folks enter their influential roles with a Christlike perspective on life?

Finding a “third place” in the suburbs can be a bit harder. That location may mean the sports fields for their children or the local coffee shop as I previously discussed. But could it not also be important family events – like a wedding. Is it not missional to be with folks in the important issues that arise in their lives? As I have done wedding after wedding I have been keenly aware that this is an opportunity I cannot pass up to allow folks to see something in me. Standing around with a guy at a wedding reception with a beverage in my hand talking about life issues, sports, or work is a great opportunity to be missional.

Here is another example. Two weeks ago I performed an outdoor wedding. The temperature was extremely hot and the wedding was in full sunshine. As the photographer took photograph after photograph after photograph I began to notice that folks were getting very hot. I transformed myself into a water boy and began carrying bottles of ice cold water to the family members and friends waiting to be in photos. I wanted them to see someone who would serve them with no expectation of return. I saw it as a missional opportunity.

Do you live in the suburbs? Are their events on the horizon that fit this type of opportunity? Do not dread them. These are opportunities to be with people in a missional way. If we are called to be missional (and we are) and we live in the suburbs, why not seek ways to be Jesus to the people you interact with in the situations of life?