Family Life and Ministry in the Neighborhood

In this episode, we talk with Andy Metzger who is a Pastor at The Summit Church in Denver, CO. What makes Summit’s story interesting is that Andy lives 975 steps from the church. And in fact, all of the Pastors on Staff at Summit live within a mile of the church. The Summit Church is located in the Five Points (or RiNo) neighborhood of Denver which is a fast growing, artsy, very walkable neighborhood (walk score 76).

Andy talks about the advantages of living and ministering in a walkable neighborhood. It’s easy to get the church community together spontaneously and inviting people to church can feel very natural and spontaneous. Andy also shares some of the challenges of living in the city as well. People still struggle with loneliness despite being surrounded by lots of people, crime is a concern, and parents don’t feel as free to let their children play outside unsupervised.

Despite the advantages or disadvantages of their context, the leadership of The Summit Church felt a strong call from God to plant in this particular neighborhood. They are committed to living and ministering within the neighborhood and are teaching their members to see themselves as missionaries wherever they live.

Access more Show Notes with pictures and resources related to this episode.

More information about this podcast and helpful church and urbanism resources can be found on The Embedded Church website.

Related Resources

The Summit Church

RiNo Arts District

Walk Score

Find these Key Terms on The Embedded Church website:

Neighboring

Orange Juice Test

Proximity

Rootedness

Show Credits

Hosted and Produced by Eric O. Jacobsen and Sara Joy Proppe

Edited by Adam Higgins | Odd Dad Out Voice Productions

Theme Music by Jacob Shaffer

Artwork by Lance Kagey | Rotator Creative