A word to all the ladies & fellas out there…how in the world are y’all? My time in San Francisco was excellent…one of the coolest cities that I’ve ever spent time in. San Francisco (also known as “The City”) is the one of the most densely-populated cities in the US, with over 16,000 people/sq. mile. The City is incredibly diverse, with a large population of Anglos, Asians, Hispanics, & African Americans. Many consider San Francisco to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world because of its rolling hills, fantastic climate, and the bay…it’s incredible. There is a big focus on the arts in The City…there are several world class museums, local artist venues, and a hip music scene. For many people, San Francisco is just a stop on their career…lots of young professionals live in the city for a few years and then move to London, New York, or Tokyo to continue climbing the corporate ladder. There is also a huge portion of the population that is working for small companies…lots of non-profits. Many of this occurred during the 1990’s when the dot com movement was gaining momentum. This caused many people to move to poorer neighborhoods in The City, and gentrification followed in those areas. It’s a pretty complex lil’ place…

I really enjoyed my time in The City and hope to spend an extended amount of time in the area at some point. I stayed with 3 different groups while I was in the area, all of which were in The Mission District. The Mission District is considered to be one of the most hip areas of San Francisco. It is one of the areas that has become highly gentrified in the past 20 years, with lots of Anglos moving into a predominately Hispanic neighborhood. San Francisco is one of the most expensive places to live in the States…I heard from a local that only Manhattan is a more expensive place to live. Many people rent out rooms or flats in order to live in The City.

One of the coolest parts of The City is this park called The Golden Gate Park. The park is located in the central eastern part of the city. It’s this little oasis right in the middle of The City…I loved it. I thought it was so cool to be right in the middle of one of the most diverse cities in the world, and to be able to escape to this sensational park.

Ok…so I spent time with 4 communities while I was in San Francisco. I’ll talk about each separately & offer a web site as well so that y’all can check them out if you want to…

CHURCH OF THE SOJOURNERS

Church of the Sojourners is a community of disciples who are living communally in The Mission District. This community has been around for over 20 years in the San Francisco area, originally only having a few members and families. The group began to grow dramatically towards the end of the 1990’s and now has about 35 people (including children) who are a part of their intentional community. The church owns 4 different houses in The Mission District…the houses are within about 6-8 blocks of each other. Each house has 3 flats (that’s kinda like a 3 storied house for you Texas folk who don’t know about flats), so about 8-10 people live in each house. This community of disciples are not necessarily seek to grow into a large community, although they have experienced a great deal of growth in the past 10 years. The primary vision for this community is to live a radically different life as a follower of Christ, and for their church culture to be defined by very different values than the culture in our larger society.

There’s a huge value placed on sharing together. Whether that’s their homes, resources, food, money, time, clothes, cars, struggles, or success’…Church of the Sojourners is passionate about not living or attempting to follow Jesus alone. A great deal of healthy living is created by the close relationships that are developed as a result of this kind of intentional community. There’s a big focus on living holistic lives that aren’t fragmented or disconnected…how can the Church bring hope to the world when so many of its members are so fragmented, right? This community is attempting to take Jesus seriously with the type of life that the Gospels seem to demand. And they’re doing it through living in intentional communities…not because that’s the call on everyone’s life, but because it works well for them and the vision that they’re attempting to pursue.

Church of the Sojourners does a great job of creating a pretty beautiful and counter-cultural community. They are seeking & struggling to build relationships with people in their neighborhood. This community understands its primary calling & vision to be a community that is attempting to follow Jesus & his call to live radical lives of simplicity in San Francisco.

I got to hang out with some really cool people at this group. Tim & Jenny Lockie housed me while I hung out, Tim Otto & I got to paint a wall together & chat, and Edith Bernard shared a burrito and conversation with me.

Check out their site to learn more about this group.

InnerCHANGE

InnerCHANGE is a Christian non-profit organization that has bases & groups all over the world. Check out their site to learn about other locations that they’re involved in. They are similar to other groups like Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in that they are not a church, but more of a para-church organization that is seeking to impact a particular city. However, many of the values of InnerCHANGE are very different than other organizations like this that I’ve seen. This group started about 20 years ago with John Hayes ministering amongst the poor and marginalized in the Los Angeles area.

At the core of the vision of InnerCHANGE is a passion to see the poor and marginalized changed, empowered, and moved by God’s love. The people who work and are a part of InnerCHANGE live and work in the midst of those whom they are working with…it is very incarnational. One of the things that sets InnerCHANGE apart is the focus that they put on authentic relationships. The people who are a part of this group are primarily seeking to know & serve those in their area. The goal is not to necessarily convert them or get them to come to church. The goal is to serve those in need & to build authentic friendships with them. All of those who are a part of InnerCHANGE live in their respective cities for at least one year…most stay on longer than that initial year (the first year is an Apprenticeship program…you can find out more on their site). Because of this long period of time, genuine relationships can be and are established.

There is also a high value placed upon living a balanced life and mentorship. So those who are serving the needs of the community are not doing so on their own, or without a great deal of guidance. It is truly a team effort, which is a beautiful thing. InnerCHANGE hears, lives, & pursues the cries of the poor and oppressed…they speak for those who have been pushed aside by society & the church. I really like this group and strongly encourage anyone to check it out…especially if you are about to graduate or at some kind of transition in your life…it would be an incredible experience for you.

Again…I got to spend some time with some really neat people while I hung out with InnerCHANGE. Tim Lockie, Claire Howard, and Jessica Sorvaag all spent time with me and helped me to understand the vision & heart of this group.

ReIMAGINE

This group is a non-profit organization that seeks to bring greater integrity & wholeness to the lives of people. They are a group that is open to anyone, but who usually attracts artists, writers, activists, students, educators, & entrepreneurs. ReImagine is continually asking how they can be a community that embodies holistic living, rather than the fragmented lives of so many in our society. This involves focusing on common vows & rhythms of life so that there is room for spontaneity, but also helpful discipline to become the types of people who live with vision, passion, & wholeness.

Mark Scandrette is the key leader behind ReImagine. Mark is a writer, artist, speaker, & Christian teacher. He wrote a book called Soul Graffiti, which I have not read but do have a copy. Mark, his wife Lisa, and Adam Klein are the key leaders who work in and for ReImagine. Most of the activities, workshops, & experiments that ReImagine sponsors take place in the Scandrette’s home. So, as you can see, ReImagine is not a typical Christian ministry and they’re trying to not become one either. It is much more of a grassroots movement that is attempting to engage with a culture that sees Christianity & the Church as irrelevant. And the reality is that most of what traditional Christianity has focused on is pretty irrelevant for people living in San Francisco. ReImagine is attempting to walk with people who are interested in spiritual things, particularly the way & teaching of Jesus, but who are disillusioned with the Church & organized religion. So many of the people who journey with ReImagine are not Christians.

These guys are connecting with a culture & audience that most of the Church has written off & refused to engage in meaningful dialogue with. ReImagine understands that there’s something bigger that needs to occur in people’s lives & in culture than attempting to get more converts to Christianity. The kingdom of God that Jesus taught & embodied is a much larger message than the soul-saving motto that usually encompasses all that our traditional churches are interested in. The message of the kingdom of God focuses on the transformation of relationships, structures, evil, culture, the environment, and the wholeness of the individual. Its putting things that have been broken back together…it’s inviting people to believe in a world that can be whole.

ReImagine is seeking to live out these values of the kingdom of God through their vows & by engaging with people who are deeply spiritual, but have no desire to be part of a religion.

Check out their site…they’re doing great stuff. I got to spend time with Mark & Lisa Scandrette as well as Adam Klein. Thanks for letting me crash at your place Adam.

CITY CHURCH

City Church San Francisco is a reformed church that is ministering in the center of San Francisco. City Church is almost 12 years old and was planted by Fred Harrell. Fred is the lead pastor of the church, but there are several people on the church’s staff. This church is definitely doing more of a traditional church model, but doing it pretty well and with a lot of integrity. They are seeking to connect with young professionals in the city, many of whom may only be a part of the church for a short time before they move. There is a lot of turnover in this church because San Francisco is such a transient place. City Church is very passionate about the centrality of the gospel of the kingdom of God & seeing the city blessed & served through this message of hope and healing. They are involved with many social justice movements & programs in San Francisco, and partnering with organizations that are pursuing these types of things. City Church is also very involved in church-planting & equipping leaders to plant gospel-centered communities.

There is a high value of excellence at City Church. The crowd that they are engaging with – businessmen, young professionals, corporate leaders – do their jobs & live their lives with great excellence. So City Church places a high value on doing their services with great excellence. This can sometimes become a bit tricky, because it’s easy to become a perfectionist with this type of attitude, but it’s refreshing to see a church that is attempting to do ministry well.

Another thing that I really liked about City Church is their love for San Francisco. The staff and leadership of this church deeply loves The City. I’ve seen many ministers & churches that see their city or area as evil, lost, and the enemy. People and groups that have this type of attitude tend to be really ineffective in building relationships with people & bringing healing to their city. City Church tries to instill a love & devotion for San Francisco in their congregation. They constantly talk about not “using” The City, but investing in it & being a part of making it a better place.

This church doesn’t own it’s own building, which I really appreciate as well. Most of their ministry stuff occurs in people’s homes & throughout San Francisco. They rent a building for Sunday’s to have their corporate services. By doing this, they are financially responsible because they are not investing their resources in a building, but in people & things that really impact The City. Many other churches are using a very similar model and I think it is a very refreshing thing, especially for urban parts of the world where buying property is very expensive & not very helpful in serving the community.

I got to spend some time with Karl Digeress (the worship pastor), Mike Hayes (the executive pastor), and attend a newcomers lunch after the Sunday service where the history and values of City Church were explained to people who were new to the church.

A few key things that I learned & sensed during my time in San Francisco…

• The importance of the church being a counter-cultural community that can be a prophetic voice to the world. Many times, communities of faith act more as a social club, than a group of people who seeking to serve & impact the world. The values & DNA of the church need to be radically different than those of the world, so that deep transformation & healing can occur in that community.

• Love the city. Does the local church deeply love the city or place that it is in? If Christians are going to be messengers of hope, then they must not stand against their location, but engage serve, love, & give their lives to that place.

• The call that is upon people of faith to empower, serve, & fight for the poor & marginalized. At the very center of who the church is called to be is a community of people who stand up for those who have been pushed to the edges of society. This must not be a program or a sub-ministry in a church, but central to its identity.

• Community discernment is key…being willing to wait, pray, & discuss together about different decisions & vision for an extended period of time must happen in community, not from one person. If real vision & helpful decisions are going to be made that will be healthy,then they need to happen at a group level through community discernment.

• The church is moving & forming now at a more organic and grassroots level. If this is true and the movements of the church that will really be effective in the growing culture are more organic than traditional, we must re-think the way that we train & equip leaders for ministry.

A word from St. Paul…For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

May it be so…peace be with you…