A5: How to become part of the community

Biblical intro

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. John 1:14 NIVUK

..have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross! Philippians 2:5-8 NIVUK

At a glance

Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus – he came to where we are

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us – A call to live on the estate

Move in early – at the very beginning if possible

Smaller Estates – it does not have to be a paid worker who moves in!

This is an unrepeatable Kairos moment and thin space when people are open to discuss life

Key Points

The same mindset as Christ Jesus

One of the underlying values within these How to guides is that the call to serve on a new estate is a call to be Christlike, humbling and unconditionally loving, serving and blessing the residents and stakeholders. The call is to be with the community, not to do to them, embodying the attitude of Christ in Philippians 2 (see above). This is embodied most powerfully by moving onto the new estate.

Most practitioners have found it helpful to live on the estate. John and Mandy spent three years living off and found it much harder to engage. John notes that as a non-resident you cannot get involved in residents associations which is a real disadvantage. Similarly, Sue shared that she ‘found it really hard not living here at the beginning’. (Not being able to live on the estate does present some challenges but it does not make meaningful incarnational engagement impossible. See How to serve on the estate if you don’t live there)

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us – A call to live on the estate

Theologically and practically, there is a notable difference between living on and off the new estate.

Theologically the call to be Christlike is a call to embody the principles of the Incarnation. Penny and Ali in their book, Pioneer Ministry in New Housing Areas state ‘Being incarnational means coming alongside people where they are. For us it meant living on our Estates, sharing in the issues of the new communities as they developed, warts and all.’ They cite independent research undertaken by Angela Parfitt as part of her academic studies exploring community development in urban villages. Parfitt, who has no Christian or church affiliation, undertook a case study of the estate where Ali lives. She identified the importance of the Christian team and concluded, ‘The church leader’s residence within the community enables her to engage with the community as a resident and community builder, and working in partnership with stakeholders allows understanding of the communities needs from a range of perspectives’. John noted that when he moved in, he was able to be a ‘light on the estate’.

Move in early

The timing of moving in makes a huge difference. Being present on site right from the beginning enables the person missionally engaging to visit people and make friends with people as they move in.

In the fragile early days of the new community, they can nurture an ethos of blessing. People who are there at the beginning are embedded in the unfolding story of the new community and become part of the history of the estate.

Ali found that by being first to move on to estate she was able to serve the new community much more effectively. By being first in (a month before anyone else) she was able to identify and address issues. A key issue was that the houses are built on a flood plain and so she could not get house insurance. Ali worked with Baptist Insurance, the Environment Agency, the council and the housing association to resolve this issue and change the Environment Agency status of the area from a high to a low flood risk thus enabling all future residents to access insurance easily. There were also issues with establishing the first postcode which were forced to a resolution once they moved in. The area also had a brand new fibre optic system delivering internet and TV to the houses via a newly established internet provider. Ali and her husband were able to address some of the teething problems and then pass on their experience as others moved in.

Helen was called to work on a flagship self-build estate. Before she could move in, they had to build the house! The church bought a plot of land and as Helen and her husband over saw the building of the property, Although Helen could not move in straight away, she joined a community of self-builders! Helen knew her neighbours before she even moved in!

Smaller Estates

Not every new estate has a paid dedicated worker or minister who can move in. However, it does not need to be an employed worker. The person moving in can be any Christian who catches the vision to love the new community and embody Christlike values. In some towns there are a number of smaller estates. David is working in one such context, working with small new estates across the town. Obviously, he can only live in one area but by living on a new estate he is sharing the experience of new housing with others, if not the exact context.

Learning Points

Moving in later can mean missing the early opportunities to make a lasting difference to the ethos of the community and may miss the ‘thin space’ time when residents first move in and are openly wondering what new life might look like now. Missing the opportunity to move in early may arise if prayer, planning and fundraising started too late. (See How to get started)

The early days are a particularly ‘thin space’ when people are exploring this new season and wondering what life looks like now. They are often reflecting on big life questions. This is missed if engagement on the estate starts later. The beginning of a new community is a one-off Kairos opportunity not to be missed!

Engaging With New Housing