The Missional Rhythms of an Embedded Church

In this episode, we talk with Renee and James B Notkin who are co-Pastors of Union Church in Seattle. Union Church is a church plant located in the South Lake Union Neighborhood in Seattle. In planting Union Church, the Notkins were looking to develop a missional church model that would provide weekly opportunities for three basic discipleship commitments:

· Remain in me

· Love one another

· Go into the world

This led them to a pattern of life together in which the format for their Sunday gathering followed a regular four week rotation of worship, small groups, and service.

In living into this vision, what Renee and James B didn’t expect was that the neighborhood would experience cataclysmic transformation. A decade ago, South Lake Union was an underdeveloped semi industrial stretch of land nestled between the Seattle Center and Lake Union. And then Amazon decided to locate their headquarters there. Seemingly overnight, their church was a few blocks away from the busiest intersection in Seattle.

In this conversation, we discuss how Renee and James B look for opportunities to find points of connection with their new neighbors, to care for those who might be overlooked in a time of economic growth, and to continue to provide vital programs for the congregation.

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

Union Church Seattle

Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America by Daryl Gruder

Find these Key Terms on The Embedded Church website:

Missional Theology

Third Place

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