| abstract | While many churches are trying to figure out how to increase membership rolls and get the youth back in the church,
churches are still closing at an alarming rate despite the best laid plans for evangelism and outreach. In my opinion, people are not leaving the church,
per se; they are just finding other ways to be involved with the church that allow for them to pursue their livelihood, passions and other interest. It
is my position that the issue with the church is not a decline in membership but a failure to remain relevant within a changing society. The practice of
biblical or radical hospitality not only creates avenues of communication and relationship, but also removes barriers that would otherwise prevent
interaction with strangers as well as the estranged. Transformation begins with re-envisioning church space and ministry. In understanding hospitality
as an intentional act, this project was designed to create events focused on the perceived needs of local residents and congregants. These needs include
creating safe spaces for recreation, sharing of resources, as well as college readiness information and referral. All events were conducted at the church
on Friday evenings and all day Saturday. This project goes beyond the traditional approach of outreach by attempting to engage with the community on an
ongoing basis. The establishment of relationships was critical to the goal of this project. These relationships were forged through the narrative research
process, which included one-on-one interviews. This paper implores the local church to reconsider its identity from what it is now to what it can become
if the church were more at home within its community as resident and/or neighbor. This shift will require a new reading of Scriptures that excavates the
practice of hospitality as a spiritual discipline that preserves, engages, forms and transforms the host, guest, and stranger. |
