Moving From a 'Come and See' to a 'Go and Be' Posture

In this episode we talk with Karen Wilk who is the pastor of NEW (Neighbourhood Engagement Workers’) Community, a missional community in her neighborhood in Edmonton, Alberta. She shares with us about her transition from pastoring a large, traditional church to engaging a new paradigm of 'go and be' in the neighborhood. This has led to her work in developing practices and postures that encourage and equip churches to resource their members to develop intentional neighborhood networks within their home communities.

In particular she shares about the Abundant Community Initiative she has helped develop and lead in Edmonton. Based on The Abundant Community by Peter Block and John McKnight, the model raises up 'block connectors' who serve in three roles in the local neighborhood. These roles include being a point person, a party person, and a listener. Within these roles, block connectors work to connect neighbors with one another and rally together when neighbors have needs to support, as well as plan times of celebration and socialization for the neighborhood, and seek to listen to the conversations happening within the broader city and the opportunities that exist for neighbors to play active roles in the community.

Karen wears several hats in her work as a cultivator of missional communities. As a leader of workshops to guide churches in resourcing their members to adopt missional mindsets in their neighborhoods, she is a National Team Member for Forge Missional Training Network and a Go Local Catalyser with Resonate Global Mission of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. She has also authored a guidebook entitled, Don't Invite Them to Church: Moving from a Come and See to a Go and Be 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

Abundant Community Initiative

The Abundant Community by Peter Block and John McKnight

The Art of Neighboring by Jay Pathak, Dave Runyon, et al.

The Bees of Rainbow Falls: Finding Faith, Imagination, and Delight in Your Neighbourhood by Preston Pouteaux

Forge International

The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating Apostolic Movements by Alan Hirsch

Joining God, Remaking Church, Changing the World by Alan J. Roxburgh

Resonate Global Mission

Find these Key Terms on The Embedded Church website:

Hospitality

Missional Theology

Neighboring

Proximity

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