Greenspace
Creating Greenspace-A Missional Ministry Paradigm
Creating greenspace is a strategy for missional ministry envisioned by Mike Laird, a church planting pastor, now in Chicago, who along with his family used to attend FPC. This paradigm works on the simple color blending principle of Yellow + Blue = Green.
Think of the church as yellow–a yellow culture. We are yellow because honestly, we are often times hesitant or even ‘scared yellow’ to engage the surrounding world. When we think of engaging our friends, coworkers, and neighbors, we often take a ‘come and see’ approach toward relationship with them and so we have created an insular, yellow culture that tries to sometimes be completely disengaged from the world in which we live and to which we are called to minister. We then create yellow spaces. We imagine programs and host things at our churches for those in our churches with the hope that ‘if we build it, they might come’ too. Or worse, we become so deeply yellow that we move from one yellow event in one yellow space to another over and over again with no contact with those who need the service and message of gospel love the most!
The world in which we live is blue–a blue culture. They are hurting and in need, but often unaware or distracted beyond even recognizing their need for Christ. Blue culture creates blue spaces anywhere that people live and do life. Places like gyms, book clubs, play date groups, coffee shops, pubs and workplaces. The idea of coming to a yellow space like church seems foreign or even needless to most because sadly, many followers of Christ have huddled within their yellow spaces, never engaging the blue. Because we have so little interaction with them, they don’t see what difference Jesus would make in their lives and world anyway.
Creating greenspace happens when you naturally mix yellow culture and blue culture, but it requires a shift in thinking, a shift in values and a shift in action. First, as yellow culture, we in the church must ‘go and be’ in the world. We are called to be ‘in the world’ and stand in a posture of love and redemption toward others, not in one of insulation, isolation and judgment (whether perceived judgment or actual judgment). See 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 for example! Second, the value of genuine loving relationships with people who don’t know the Lord needs to rise in the economy of our hearts, whether or not they come to know and follow Jesus. We are called to love and service. See Jeremiah 29 for example! Finally, we must pray for ourselves and those we will get to know and we must go and create greenspaces.
You can think of greenspace as existing in three different types.
- Backyards-small, informal get-togethers like book clubs, play groups, basketball leagues, etc. where followers of Christ and those who don’t yet know Him intersect.
- Fields-medium-sized, organized events that the church might put on to bless the community like an art camp for kids, a marriage conference or a road race to benefit the school system or city.
- Commons-large, community wide, highly organized events to bless the community like a town festival.
Finally, we must understand that none of this is to be ‘forced’ or ‘coercive’ evangelism. Nor should we or anyone else view this as a form of ‘bait and switch’ tactics to get people into the church. This is about people being themselves, sharing their lives and passions as they interact and as their lives intersect, which for those who follow Him, will naturally include Jesus and the difference that He makes in our lives.
What Greenspace will you create?