Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Spring 4-14-2023

Abstract

This doctor of ministry project presents the results of research completed with congregants and neighbors of Parkside Church of Christ in Dearborn Heights, MI. The research question driving this project is: How might a congregation’s missional identity be reshaped by attentiveness to God’s activity among their neighbors? The missional activity of the Holy Spirit makes God’s future accessible in the present both within and beyond the church; thus, the Spirit is discernible in the particularity of a neighborhood. For this reason, the local neighborhood functions as an arena of the Spirit’s activity, a source of theological discovery, and a space for spiritual formation. By paying closer attention to God’s activity in their neighborhood, congregations can discover their future in God’s life.

After a literature review outlining the “neighborhood pneumatology” that undergirds the core convictions outlined above, this project reports on a series of interviews conducted with Parkside’s members and neighbors. Participants responded to four questions, each of which solicited stories about God’s presence and activity in the neighborhood in which the church is located. Three central themes are identified from these interviews, each of which affirms the work of the Holy Spirit in and with Parkside’s neighborhood. The final section of the project highlights the implications of these findings for Parkside’s future in the neighborhood, as well as for any other congregation seeking to share in God’s life in the particularity of their place.

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