Does opening up your church plans to neighborhood participation open up new relationships? How can you invite your neighborhood to dream big alongside you? In Episode 2, we talk with Corey Widmer about how Third Church in Richmond, VA, hosted a week-long charrette with neighbors to develop a long-range plan to make their neighborhood more walkable and to create more gracious gathering spaces.
In this episode, Corey Widmer, Pastor of Third Church in Richmond, Virginia, talks to us about his church’s efforts to encourage flourishing in their neighborhood by hosting a community-wide conversation called a charrette.
Some time ago, Third Church lost a lot of trust with their neighbors by putting together a plan to expand their building without consulting them. More recently, the church decided to take a different approach. This time they brought their neighbors in at the beginning of the process and asked them what they wanted from the neighborhood. After dealing with some initial skepticism, they were able to convince most of their neighbors that their efforts were sincere, and the neighbors agreed to participate in a week-long charrette.
Third Church brought in a charrette facilitator, a team of architecture students, and a number of experts to help with the process. Over that week, they met with neighbors in various groupings (residential, commercial, educational, and public officials) and asked them what they wanted for the neighborhood. As people shared ideas, the architects sketched out their ideas and put them on the walls. A couple of times during the week, they pulled the best ideas together and invited the whole neighborhood to come and give feedback.
The result of this process was a comprehensive plan for neighborhood development that could guide each stakeholder as they considered the development of their properties and facilities. But perhaps the greater achievement of this process was that it restored trust for Third Church within the neighborhood and it solidified their members’ commitment to the neighborhood as a strategic context for ministry.
Access more Show Notes with pictures and resources.
More information about this podcast and helpful church and urbanism resources can be found on The Embedded Church website.
Related Resources
Christian Community Development Association
Walkable City by Jeff Speck
Find these key terms on The Embedded Church website:
· Charrette
· Curb Cuts
· Walkability
Show Credits
Hosted and Produced by Eric O. Jacobsen and Sara Joy Proppe
Edited by Adam Higgins | Odd Dad Out Voice Productions
Theme Music by Jacob Shaffer
Artwork by Lance Kagey | Rotator Creative