by Luke Edwards, Associate Director of Church Development for the Western North Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church
In fifteen years of church-based community engagement the most important lesson I have learned is to listen first. Messy Church is an incredible model of intergenerational ministry that has been proven effective across thousands of communities around the world. What’s important to remember is that every Messy Church is different because every community is different. If you want to start a Messy Church that will resonate with your neighbors you should start with listening to your community.
How to Listen First
An intentional listening process can help you identify the particularities of your community that need to be taken into consideration before you launch a Messy Church. Your listening process might include the following:
Prayer Walks/Drives: A great way to get to know your community is to walk the neighborhood or drive the community. As you embark on your journey invite God to show you something of importance. As you walk take special notice of whatever and whomever you see. Take note of places where people are gathering. Look for written words on signs, posters, magazines. Observe the housing in the community, if a property is for sale or rent look up the cost.
Interviews: The best way to listen to your neighbor is to actually talk to your neighbor! In neighbor interviews we seek direct feedback from our community by asking good questions in a way that invites honesty. Consider interviewing parents of younger children, school employees, family social workers, etc. Prepare 4-6 open ended questions ahead of time. Questions like: What is it like being a parent in this community? What are some of the challenges you face? What are your hopes and dreams you have for your children? What would a faith community that values your family look like?
Demographic Studies: Recently, one of the churches I work with ran a demographic report and discovered they had a high percentage of single dads in their community. This could be important to consider in starting a Messy Church. Many denominations have a contract with a demographic report company like MissionInsite. You can get a quote for a MissionInsite report here. If it’s not in the budget you can access a free, but limited report on the Association of Religion Date Archives website here.
Conclusion
As you gather up all of this information be sure to take notes. Bring the information together to review as a launch team. When you meet to go over the information you can prayerfully discern what you’ve learned and ask God to guide your next steps. Taking time to listen first will help you to adapt the Messy Church model to your particular context and can help your Messy Church a valuable addition to your neighbors’ lives. Already have an active Messy Church? Come back in two weeks for a follow up article on listening for existing Messy Churches.
You can learn more about being a Listening Church at Luke’s website.