Christian Ministry in a Church Desert

An article from The Bullard Journal by George Bullard

Church Desert. I first heard the concept during a webinar presented by the Religion News Service (www.religionnews.com). I tracked down the source and discovered it came from Beth Allison Barr of Baylor University. She had never heard it used prior to her use of it.

When I heard Church Desert, my mind went to Food Desert. A Food Desert is a common characteristic of some high-density urban areas. Stores are not present or inadequately stocked with nutritious foods or life staples needed by the residents. 

My wife and I lived in a Food Desert in Louisville, KY. We could not find the food and other items we wanted in the stores near us. Our grocery and staples shopping were done seven miles away.

A Food Desert can also be found in other contexts and should not refer only to an urban underclass or a community transitional context. This concept is broader than one type of community or people group.

Other word associations come to mind when hearing the term Church Desert. Good News Desert. Power Desert. Spiritual Desert. Compassion Desert. Leadership Desert. Ministry Desert. 

Not all of these should be used to label a location -- or a people group -- who are seen as a Church Desert. Some fit. Some do not.

What is a Church Desert?

As a concept not yet fully defined, here is my first attempt to explain it. Readers are welcome to add their ideas for defining a Church Desert and share with me at BullardJournal@gmail.com.

It is a location where, or a people group among which, there is a dearth of congregational expressions who connect with the community and people groups with a Matthew 25:31-46 spirit of love and compassion.

They interact with the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned. Focusing on people who have these characteristics literally and figuratively. Those who are literally hungry and those who hunger and thirst for justice.

A Church Desert is where such congregational expressions and a compassionate Good News approach is lacking. Either it never existed or once existed and now is diminished. Traditional churches close or flee the community context. Leaders of storefront or other innovative types of congregations move on to other locations.

Further, new congregational expressions have not replaced dying congregations. Churches outside the community or existing people groups have not seen it as their purpose to come alongside these Church Deserts. 

The hurts and hopes of the people in the Church Desert go unseen and unaddressed. The result is often more hurt and less hope.

Outside Assistance for a Church Desert

Congregational expressions outside the Church Desert who have the resources to address the Good News in these contexts typically choose not to do so in an ongoing manner. They falsely praise themselves for short-term projects in Church Deserts through people doing ministry for a day or two.

Deep, abiding, sustainable ministry is not part of their plan. They are unwilling to make long-term investments in a Church Desert. They do not raise up indigenous leadership that can repopulate the Church Desert with compassionate congregational expressions.

Exceptions do exist. Some congregations see it as an appropriate missional response to address the needs of a Church Desert. They make a long-term commitment. They do extraordinary things to identify with communities and people groups in need of authentic Christian ministry. 

Some people relocate into the community so they can understand the lifestyle and the culture. Not just through short-term visits for events or other engagements. Even when they do not become residents in the area, they focus their relationship on such a genuine way that they are seen as part of the community. 

In other cases, congregational missionaries and planting strategists intentionally see a Church Desert as a mission field for proactive and positive engagement. They study and know their overall context. 

They are aware when a Church Desert begins developing. They do not wait until it is a crisis but look ahead in seven-year patterns to see where the next opportunity may emerge. They partner with other Christian groups to take initiative in each Church Desert.

It is painful for them to see a Church Desert emerge without a proactive Christ-like response. Would that be true of you? If so, what are you willing to do about it? If not, why not?