Church Quote by C. Christopher Smith
““In addition to the transience of their members, churches themselves face a crisis of hypermobility. Many churches have put down only shallow roots in their neighborhood, or no roots at all. We’ve all heard the question, “If our church suddenly moved to a new location fifteen miles away, would anyone in our neighborhood notice we were gone?” But what if we asked ourselves this question: “If our church was magically lifted off the ground and moved to a location fifteen miles away, would we notice the difference?” Western churches have become so disentangled from their own places that this question could be a cold, hard look in the mirror for many faith communities.””
About This Quote
Churches are losing deep community ties, becoming transient and disconnected from their physical neighborhoods, which threatens their relevance and impact.
In simple terms: Loss of rooted community.
Key Takeaway
Rooted presence matters.
Themes
community
identity
transience
place
faith
social cohesion
Mood
reflective
concerned
Type
observational
critical
When to use this quote
- urban congregations
- suburban churches
- churches facing relocation
- faith groups assessing community impact
Key Concepts
rootedness
hyper-mobility
neighborhood engagement
Practical Applications
- strategic community outreach
- re-evaluating church location decisions
Questions to Reflect On
- How can churches foster deeper local roots?
- What measures can prevent hypermobility in faith communities?
A Different Perspective
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![“We are impatient, anxious to see the whole picture, but God lets us see things slowly, quietly. The Church [has] to learn how to wait. Pope Francis” quote by C. Christopher Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/db1/c-christopher-smith-40090_impatient_we-are-impatient-anxious-to-see-the-whol_707394.jpg)
![“[Our minds] were given to us for another purpose: to raise to awareness the communal reality of nature, to overcome separateness and alienation by a knowing that is loving, to reach out with intelligence to acknowledge and renew the bonds of life.” quote by C. Christopher Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2d4/c-christopher-smith-40090_awareness_our-minds-were-given-to-us-for-another-p_2778852.jpg)
![“T]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people - the new covenant, blood-bought people of God. That's why Paul said, 'Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her' (Eph. 5:25). He didn't give himself up for a…” quote by Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7a4/mark-dever-3175_blood_t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-bu_3297.jpg)
