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"When . . . faith communities begin connecting together, in and for the neighborhood, they learn to depend on God for strength to love, forgive and show grace like never before. . . . The gospel becomes so much more tangible and compelling when the local church is actually a part of the community, connected to the struggles of the people, and even the land itself."

Paul Sparks, Tim Soerens and Dwight J. Friesen have seen—in cities, suburbs and small towns all over North America—how powerful the gospel can be when it takes root in the context of a place, at the intersection of geography, demography, economy and culture. This is not a new idea—the concept of a parish is as old as Paul's letters to the various communities of the ancient church. But in an age of dislocation and disengagement, the notion of a church that knows its place and gives itself to where it finds itself is like a breath of fresh air, like a sign of new life.



Dwight Friesen is associate professor of practical theology at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. He is the author of Thy Kingdom Connected.







Paul Sparks is a Parish Organizer and Social Entrepreneur. His place-based expertise and trusted friendship in neighborhoods across North America make him an indispensable consultant to faith communities, academic institutions, and community organizations. Paul speaks for strong resilient relationships within the parish, and brave collaborative links across places.Paul is the co-founder of Local Life: Coalition for Livable Communities, the Parish Collective: Rooted and Linked for Parish Renewal, and Urban Landscaping: Rapid Placeshaking Collaborations. He is also an instructor for the Leadership in the New Parish at the Seattle School of Psychology and Theology and is the co-founder of the Inhabit Conference.Paul lives in an urban neighborhood at the heart of Downtown Tacoma, Washington with his co-conspiring wife Elizabeth. They pastor a growing faith community comprised of friends, artists and entrepreneurs seeking a common life together with their neighbors.







Tim Soerens is a pastor, social entrepreneur, and co-founding director of the Parish Collective. He is also the coauthor, with Paul Sparks and Dwight Friesen, of The New Parish. He lives in Seattle with his wife, Maria-Jose, and their twoboys.



Introduction: Three Lives Transformed by Rooting and Linking Together



Part One: Why Do We Need a New Parish?

1. Dislocated: Naming the Crisis We All Create

2. Misplaced: How the Church Lost Its Place



Part Two: What Is The New Parish?

3. Faithful Presence: Ending Techniques for Renewal That Perpetuate Fragmentation

4. Ecclesial Center: How Worship Beyond the Gathering Reconfigures the Church

5. New Commons: Finding the Church in All of Life



Part Three: How Do We Practice the New Parish?

6. Presencing: Adapting to the Spirit?s Movement

7. Rooting: Growing Stability Within Your Place

8. Linking: Connecting the Church Across Places

9. Leading: Living a Life Worth Following

Conclusion: Presence in a Post-Everything Future



Gratitudes

Recommended Resources

Glossary of Terms

Notes

About the Parish Collective

About the Seattle School