Spokane, just like most other large cities in the United States, has both the rich and poor. Just like those other cities, it is pretty apparent where those different groups live. The South Hill of Spokane is a wealthier and more established neighborhood. There is nothing wrong about this. People aren’t trying to hide it. My question is this: how does the increased wealth in the area effect people view of the church and the necessity that it has in life?
Walking around the community and talking with different people definitely confirmed the fact that people there are very wealthy. One lady at a local church even commented on the fact that a lot of people in her congregation had a lot of money and poured those resources into the church. I wonder if this is always the case though. The more money people have, the more ‘stuff’ they tend to buy. The more ‘stuff’ people have, the more likely they are to use that ‘stuff’ to entertain them. Chances are the things they buy aren’t very communal, therefore causing a very internal attitude instead of a communal one. I wonder of this relates to church. My fear is that the more people depend on their ‘stuff’, the more they remove themselves from involvement in the culture around them. Since church is a part of that culture in a lot of cases, an increase of wealth could potentially have a very negative impact on someone’s church attendance. I’m not saying this is definitely the case on the South Hill but it could us an insight as to why there aren’t as many churches or missional movements in that area of Spokane.
I think the affluence of the South Hill is definitely connected to missionality not taking hold very well there. It’s hard to identify a need when they’re not as visibly present as in lower income areas. The number of families in the area also contributes to how people are likely to turn inward and focus on growth in their family, rather than recognizing that that growth also comes from turning out as well.
Yeah I have heard that data too! That is really surprising. But I guess it makes sense. The more you have of something, the less you probably want to let it go. I’m actually pretty broke and it is hard for me to give from the small amount of funds I have. Wonder what things would be like if I was rollin’ in it.
I think there is some pretty sound data that substantiates the more someone makes the smaller % they give. In other word, the rich may give a lot, but it is less of a percentage of their income than those with less.