All communities are different

It’s true that there will be similarities and common strands between your community and every other community in the country. But there will also be things that set your community apart from all the others - even those who live in the area or estate adjacent to yours.

This is one of the reasons why we need to survey our community. We need to gain a deeper understanding of not only the needs, but the mindsets of those who live around us. We need to see how these differ to those who live further away from our church’s geographical location.

Most of us recognise that Bath, for example, is different to Bristol. Just as Portsmouth is different to Southampton; Swansea to Cardiff; and Edinburgh to Glasgow.

But what we can sometimes fail to recognise is that even within the same city there are marked differences and distinctions between communities.

This became very apparent in Springfield, Birmingham. As you travel out of Birmingham city centre towards Springfield, you first pass through a predominantly Somali area. It used to be the Asian area, but as the Asian population grew more affluent they moved further out of the city and were replaced by Somalis. Springfield used to be predominantly white; it’s now majority Asian.

The change in this context is stark. If the church is to continue to be relevant and growing, it needs to change style and flavour and ministry to accommodate the changing scene and tastes of the present occupants.

The minister of St Christopher’s Anglican church in Springfield is already educating the church into change. He knows that while the church is growing increasingly adept at engaging with its Asian neighbours, it needs to be planning now for the influx of Somalis that is likely to happen in the next 10-20 years. As the Asian population continue to prosper, they will move out into bigger houses - and the Somalis will move in.

This may not be your situation, but it provides us with some interesting lessons. We all need to accept that we live in a society in a state of flux, where there are many differences between us. All around are sub-cultures.

In youth there are the Goths, the Chavs, the Emos and the Geeks, to name a few. But this categorisation is not the sole preserve of the young. Every society describes itself differently, or is categorised by others. The distinctions may be made on the basis of background, creed, colour, class or culture. They could also be about education, status, prosperity or possessions.

No matter what the differences are, we need to understand them if we are to engage effectively. After all, it’s no good talking about university if it’s unlikely that people in your community have been there - or even aspire to go.

Recognising the differences is important when it comes to the resources we choose. It’s no good falling for the latest Christian offering that worked elsewhere, if the area it worked is very different to your own.

What works in South Barrington, Illinois, or in Manchester, or at the other side of your city, won’t necessarily work in your area unless there are similarities between your neighbours and theirs. We need to plan on the basis of those with whom we are seeking to engage. We need to tailor the off-the-peg materials to suit our purposes. We are looking for best fit.

At this point you may be thinking that this is a recipe for compromising the values and the message we seek to promote. But this is not about doctrine or content; it’s about the vehicle of delivery and starting point.

After all, doesn’t the Bible say of Jesus that he went to great lengths to identify, leaving his own context and comfort zone to meet with people’s needs and identify with them as they were (Philippians 2:5-8)? Doesn’t Paul also exhort us to do the same (John 20:21; Phil.2:5)?

Last Updated 09 February 2009