Comments on: The Death of Suburbia and the Suburban Church

By: Alvin Siebold

Alvin Siebold — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 17:07:11 +0000

Suburban volunteer fire departments and rescue squads have been experiencing this phenomenon for some time. When trying to recruit millenials into the fold the first questions you get are “Why would I do that for free?” and “What will I get for volunteering?” Community Spirit is ending.

By: Rose Fitzgerald

Rose Fitzgerald — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 11:37:47 +0000

In reply to John Stauffer. Your reply is right on. Our early (1900) suburban town has 25% less people than in 1980 yet every house is occupied and we now have a senior high rise and a New over 55. Post WWII Cape Cods that used to house a family of five or six now are home to singles or childless couples. Even the big Victorians in our town are often home to only two people. This is true in the city of Philadelphia too. Less people per house equals too many churches!!

By: John

John — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 14:47:23 +0000

I find cities are more isolated then ever. There is no community there. I’ve lived in apartments for 6 years now. I’ve never met my neighbours. Everybody is too transient. At least in suburbia you had a yard to play in and a neighbour to talk too. Our culture is so disconnected and I don’t know how to fix it. I’m also concerned about how our world is going to the crapper. Plastics, pollution, preservatives, poisons. Who really cares about church if we are all living in a toxic dump? Also going to a mega church is a very lonely experience. I’m in my 6th connect group in 6 years. They constantly keep closing because everyone keeps moving overseas.

By: Mike Frost

Mike Frost — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 22:19:37 +0000

In reply to John Stauffer. Good point. Thanks.

By: Mike Frost

Mike Frost — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 22:19:10 +0000

In reply to KRYS. By 'disengage' I meant become freed from captivity to the suburban values of materialism, privacy, individualism etc. Of course we need to engage with suburban people. And of course suburbs are still alive and well in many places. What economists are identifying is only the beginning of their demise.

By: Chuck Denison

Chuck Denison — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 18:52:53 +0000

Read “The Suburban Captivity of the Church” from the 1950’s

By: James Small

James Small — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 15:54:32 +0000

I think the suburban church has offered good teaching 41 minutes a week. For the most part it been a pulpit centered haven for people who want to dabble in some “God Stuff”. Read but not obey. Serve if it’s only a few hours a week and I get a few photos of me posted somewhere at church. The suburban church is clean and packaged so that no-one has to clean-up. There are very few exceptions to this in each area. Suburbia is full of the “Young/Middle Aged/Old Rich Ruler” (Young Rich Ruler) that Jesus speaks of in the Gospels. You know the story. Everyone of us has to ask the question, “Who today is the young rich ruler?” I say, If you have food stored away in your kitchen shelves that could last 2 weeks or more, have a car, can call 911 anytime, go to emergency anytime, and so on.

The Millennial’s are not any different as people than us, they just are paying attention to the 40 year old church model and they know they don’t want that. They see the 65 year old suburban model and see the isolation models and don’t want that. But the millennial’s will create something just as unbiblical in the way of living out one’s life. That is what should be arresting the millinnial’s attention. How far does a person want to go into “Sell all you own, and give the money to the poor and come follow me.” way of life? The millenial’s look like adventurous people but are they? Because we all know deep down, that reading God’s Word and obeying it is the great adventure. Very high costs and the greatest rewards.
— James S. 15 Year Member at Imago Dei Community Portland, OR

By: John Stauffer

John Stauffer — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 15:25:22 +0000

One key element that is left out for the shrinking of suburbia is the family size has radically been changed. People are no longer having lots of children. We’ve gone from family sizes of 4-7 or more in the 50s and 60s to 3-5 from the 70s to 80s to 1-2 in the 90s and 2000s to 0-1 now. Obviously, living in an McMansion house wouldn’t make sense. The church used to grow by families. When people aren’t having kids, growth will slow. I could be wrong but this is what I’ve noticed after 60 years of life.

By: KRYS

KRYS — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 02:38:38 +0000

Always enjoy your blogs Mike.
You say “But the ground is shifting beneath the suburban church. The children and grandchildren of the boomers, who grew up in planned suburbs, hanging out at malls, want to live in places that are real. They want community-oriented neighborhoods. They want to live in diverse, connected, creative, energizing places”.
The sad news is what they long for is “real” and it is “community” . . . the ground is shifting because we have not inspired nor provided anything concrete for the generations coming through. .. our passive aggressive approach to a whole list of things has been judged by the Millennials and it is found wanting.
You say “The church it will need to disengage from suburban culture and rediscover many of the biblical values millennials are craving” disengage ? all we need to do is engage properly in the first instance. Jesus is alive and well in the Qld suburbs.

By: Mike Frost

Mike Frost — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 01:10:20 +0000

In reply to Glenn Bower. I had to stop at your line, "I don’t think 'your will be done on earth as it is in heaven' is that complex". I think it's enormously complex. But to your point about selflessness, I think you're right. I think the baby boomers who built suburbia were a very self-focused generation, so the churches that grew in suburban soil were shaped by that culture. Many millennials (not all, of course) do desire justice, equity, environmentalism, racial reconciliation, etc. These things require the other-centredness you mention.