If you've been following along (thanks all 2 of you) recently I've been exploring some of the reasons and exploring questions as to why church planters decided where to start a church and why. Although I cannot pry into the inner-most motives there are some definite reasons that float to the surface. For summary the reasons range from cultural compatibility (affinity) and demographic as well as geographic familiarity. What that means in a nutshell is this ... if you best relate to and identify with XYZ area, people and culture more than likely you'll plant a church there. It makes sense and I get it and even affirm it.

I've also tried to be honest with my own leanings, wrestlings, and internal tensions as to what this looks like for me. What that has done in a good way has forced me to ask questions like, "Who am I?" Both Katie and I have been asking each other those kinds of questions a lot as well as asking God for continued clarity as to who He wants us to plant churches among. I've also had a number of church planters here in metro Vancouver weigh in and share with me what they thought and saw from afar and I am grateful for that.

Here's where I'm at today. Maybe I'm saying this out of principle, but I don't want to necessarily gravitate towards planting among people and in areas that are hip, trendy, and cool. Hear me clearly, there's nothing wrong with that and we need more and not less. Sure, I've questioned out loud as to why, wether the urbs and burbs, the hip trendy places get all of the church planters. In regards to urban environments I struggle with why everyone all of the sudden wants to reach urban hipsters. I believe the answer to that isn't even scandalous. Based upon my own research and conclusions I set forth  in my dissertation I believe that church planters are part of Richard Florida's Creative Class. Therefore, it makes sense to plant churches among those who we're like.

I might be committing church planting suicide but I don't want to plant churches necessarily among people like me. Sure, I gravitate towards maybe the outdoors crowd or coffee house lovers, etc, but me and Katie were texting back and forth this morning about our own neighborhood. I see the area that is 70% Asian and my pulse quickens as I think of how much God loves us all. I look at all of the refugees whether from Asia or eastern Europe and although I'm just a simple dude from small town Iowa I want to see one of the Ion Communities established here. I want them to know that Jesus too was an Asian refugee who fled to Africa as a child because his family feared for their lives. In a neighborhood beautifully rich with diversity I want them to see how Jesus was mixed racially on His human side and He can relate to us in more ways than one.

So there you have it ... :)

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"How one choose to view the city will depend, in part, on what features of the city one wishes to emphasize." (The World of Cities by Anthony Orum and Xiangming Chen)

How do you view the city? What lens are you look at it through? The lens of which you don will colour and flavour the way you look at the city. Some people look at the city through the view of an urban planner taking note as to how it is laid out and issues of mass transit and how people get from Point A to Point B. Others are more keenly aware of certain social issues such as sex trafficking and homelessness. Still others see the built environment with slender glass towers protruding into the skyline that give the city most often its identity. What's your lens?

How aware are you that this lens colours the way you go about church planting? You see, depending on what lens you put on or happen to already have on by default will affect your church planting process. If you're concern is primarily for social issues it'll drive you in one direction. If you pan the camera back and take in such issues as how your city develops its built environment then you'll be influenced to engage in other areas. This isn't a right or wrong issue but more of an awareness issue which will set a certain trajectory for your church plant. All of these issues are indeed important and even critical for the church to engage in. However, we need to realize that one church cannot do it all.

Sometimes I meet with a church planter in their community and as they show me around they share the issues that are on their heart. I often times feel guilty because maybe my heart isn't there. It's not that I don't care or that I don't think it is a valid issue of concern its simply not my lens. Now what I mean by that is that I'm not advocating apathy and calousness. It's that one person or one church cannot tackle each and every issue in the city. But if you look at the church in its entirity in a city you'll see that collectively we're accomplishing much.

So what is your lens? And depending upon that will also dictate what you think of a city whether good or bad. Some cities may be stunning in its built environment but negligent in many other blatant areas while others may have a subpar look, feel, and vibe but there's a strong sense of civility, care, and collaboration to ensure a healthy city. While this is not a make or break issue it is helpful to begin peeling back the layers of who you are to find how your view not only of cities in general but in your particular city affects how you plant your church.

Sean Benesh -

His blog is The Urban Loft. He says, "Born and raised in Iowa (ok ... oh so NOT urban), I am married to my high school sweetheart, Katie, and we have 3 sons; Grant, Camden, and Seth. I hang out / office at local coffee shops too much where you can find me almost anytime. We live in Burnaby (Vancouver), BC where I'm in the beginning stages of starting the Ion Community as well as continuing to direct the Epoch Center."