Who Moved My Neighborhood?
Leading Congregations Through Gentrification and Economic Change
Mark E. Strong
- Neighborhoods
- are
- moving.
- While
- neighborhood
- changes
- can
- mean
- exciting
- and
- fresh
- opportunities
- for
- some,
- the
- experience
- can
- be
- vastly
- different
- for
- long-time
- residents.
- The
- rapid
- movement
- of
- people
- means
- changes
- in
- employment,
- economics,
- landscape,
- demographics,
- and
- the
- feel
- of
- a
- community.
- Churches
- often
- experience
- the
- painful
- impact
- of
- these
- shifts.
- Depending
- on
- how
- a
- church
- navigates
- through
- these
- changes
- determines
- if
- it
- will
- either
- live,
- die,
- or
- be
- reduced
- to
- a
- tragic
- existence
- on
- life
- support.Mark
- Strong
- knows
- the
- obstacles
- connected
- with
- gentrification
- and
- the
- challenges
- it
- brings.
- As
- a
- pastor,
- he
- led
- his
- church
- through
- its
- own
- moved
- neighborhood
- in
- Portland.
- Strong
- shares
- the
- frustrations,
- surprises,
- and
- joys
- that
- his
- church
- experienced
- as
- their
- neighborhood
- shifted,
- and
- he
- provides
- the
- roadmap
- that
- his
- own
- church
- used
- to
- navigate
- the
- change.
- Who
- Moved
- My
- Neighborhood?
- gives
- insight
- to
- churches
- that
- need
- to
- heal
- from
- the
- wounds
- of
- gentrification
- and
- economic
- change,
- and
- revamp
- their
- mission
- amidst
- an
- uncertain
- future.
- Using
- the
- discussion
- guide
- included
- in
- the
- book,
- churches
- can
- discuss
- their
- own
- moved
- neighborhood
- and
- explore
- the
- unique
- next
- steps
- that
- God
- has
- for
- their
- community.
- There
- is
- hope
- and
- a
- future
- for
- congregations
- that
- face
- a
- moved neighborhood.
