Ministering in Small Steps: The Neighborhood Pedestrian Shed
10/29/19 • 35 min
On this episode, Eric O. Jacobsen, Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church Tacoma and our very own co-host of The Embedded Church Podcast and author of Sidewalks in the Kingdom and The Space Between, shares with us about the small steps his church is taking in Tacoma, Washington, to care for their neighborhood. By identifying the 99 buildings and businesses that are situated within a 1/8-mile radius or the “pedestrian shed” of the church property, they have developed a weekly practice of highlighting a specific building and committing to pray for the flourishing of that particular site, owner, and business.
Drawing on his own experience of living in walkable places, Eric also talks about being a pastor who walks and the implications this has had on developing relationships, slowing down time, and opening up space for ministry in sometimes unexpected ways.
“We did a lot of work cultivating an attitude that we call ‘inside-out.’ We wanted to be a church that cares as much about what’s going on outside in our neighborhood as what’s going on inside our church.”
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 Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs
Geography of Nowhere by James Howard Kunstler
Suburban Nation by Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, & Jeff Speck
Walkable City by Jeff Speck
Find these key terms on The Embedded Church website:
· Pedestrian Shed
· Traditional Neighborhood Planning
· Walkability
· Zoning
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
On this episode, Eric O. Jacobsen, Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church Tacoma and our very own co-host of The Embedded Church Podcast and author of Sidewalks in the Kingdom and The Space Between, shares with us about the small steps his church is taking in Tacoma, Washington, to care for their neighborhood. By identifying the 99 buildings and businesses that are situated within a 1/8-mile radius or the “pedestrian shed” of the church property, they have developed a weekly practice of highlighting a specific building and committing to pray for the flourishing of that particular site, owner, and business.
Drawing on his own experience of living in walkable places, Eric also talks about being a pastor who walks and the implications this has had on developing relationships, slowing down time, and opening up space for ministry in sometimes unexpected ways.
“We did a lot of work cultivating an attitude that we call ‘inside-out.’ We wanted to be a church that cares as much about what’s going on outside in our neighborhood as what’s going on inside our church.”
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 Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs
Geography of Nowhere by James Howard Kunstler
Suburban Nation by Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, & Jeff Speck
Walkable City by Jeff Speck
Find these key terms on The Embedded Church website:
· Pedestrian Shed
· Traditional Neighborhood Planning
· Walkability
· Zoning
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
Previous Episode
Supporting the Neighborhood Story
On this episode, Stephanie Williams O’Brien, Co-lead Pastor of Mill City Church in Minneapolis, MN, tells about being a church that meets in a local school and the creative partnerships they’ve formed to address the needs of local students. The non-profit, The Sheridan Story, formed by the church has now grown from an individual church initiative to a replicable model being implemented by churches across the Twin Cities to serve the students of local schools. She highlights the value of seeing their church as supportive actors in the story God is already telling on the ground in the local community. She suggests that God's vision is often far bigger than those we have in mind ourselves. The key is listening.
Connect with Stephanie directly at PastorSteph.com or follow her on Twitter and Instagram @pastorsteph. Her book, Stay Curious was just released in September 2019.
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
Christian Community Development Association
The New Parish by Dwight Friesen, Tim Soerens, and Paul Sparks
Practicing the Way of Jesus by Mark Scandrette
Subterranean: Why the Future of the Church is Rootedness by Dan White Jr.
Find these key terms on The Embedded Church website:
· Affordable Housing
· Gentrification
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
Next Episode
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
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
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