Relationships are no longer centered on geography. When I was a kid, all the moms on the block knew each other, knew each other’s kids, and had the right to discipline any of the kids on the block. Families typically had one car--a car dad used to go to and from work. Neighbors talked over the backyard fence, got together to play cards, and combined efforts to form the winning bowling team at the local bowling alley.
Geography and neighborhood went hand in hand. But not anymore.
Sure, there are some neighborhoods that are cohesive and neighborly, but new “neighborhoods” have sprung up as people have become more mobile, more networked, and more selective about who their “neighbors” are.
“Anthropography” has replaced geography. People are choosing the people they hang with--and people are being thrown together in ways they never expected.
Unfortunately, the church may still get hung up on geography. True, geographical neighbors are important, but if Christians are told that their neighborhood is limited to the homes or apartment units that surround where they live, new neighborhoods and new opportunities to share the Gospel will be overlooked.
Some people spend more time with co-workers than with people from their subdivision. You may spend more time with people in school, or online, or at the remote main office, or at your kids’ soccer games, or in the dialysis lab than you do with people who live just a front yard away.
How is the church preparing itself to reach these new neighborhoods? How are believers reaching beyond geography? What’s your neighborhood and how will you bring Jesus to it?
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