# Where is Your Church?



## C. M. Sheffield (Jul 8, 2011)

I am posting this to gain a sociological perspective of the PB. I think where we live and minister effects in some degree the way we approach certain topics. That is why I think this poll is worth taking. I'll be interested in seeing the results. Feel free to add your .


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## Marrow Man (Jul 8, 2011)

An older residential (non-suburb) section of a city of roughly 1,000,000 in the metro area; most of the homes here were built in the 1960s, and most of the neighborhood is Roman Catholic, though a noticeable Muslim presence is also here


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## fredtgreco (Jul 8, 2011)

Hard for me to say. A suburb of Houston, but yet our area has more than 250,000 people, more than many cities.


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## pianoman (Jul 8, 2011)

Mine is about 10 miles from civilization. lol


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## KMK (Jul 8, 2011)

Where does a mountain resort town figure into the three choices?


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## Jack K (Jul 8, 2011)

I find myself hesitant to vote, feeling I can't accurately be labeled as any of these. I grew up rural, am currently rural, but have had much of my spritual understanding shaped by 25 years in an urban environment.

I guess I'm just uniquely, perfectly well-rounded. 

I do like the question, though. I think it has much to do with the sort of people we encounter, which in turn affects what spiritual and theological issues we're most passionate about.

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KMK said:


> Where does a mountain resort town figure into the three choices?



You too? I live in one of those. I called it "rural," but it's a granola-y sort of rural mixed with a good bit of old-fashioned rancher-cowboy.


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## J Miles (Jul 8, 2011)

Rural, I go to church in a village with a population of about 600 people.


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## Joseph Scibbe (Jul 8, 2011)

I will say Urban/Suburban. My church meets in the state capital but not in the inner part of the city.


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## raekwon (Jul 8, 2011)

Urban. Between downtown Columbus and the Ohio State University.


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## JennyG (Jul 8, 2011)

small village - does that count as rural?


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## JonathanHunt (Jul 8, 2011)

Current church is Urban, new church (from Jan 2012) is just about rural, possibly mildly suburban.


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## ReadBavinck (Jul 8, 2011)

Covenant Orthodox Presbyterian Church currently meets in the chapel of an SDA in central Tucson. The church is in a neighborhood just off one of the main streets and about 10 minutes from the University of Arizona.

Tucson is a big place. The Tucson metro area population is close to a million; second largest city in Arizona after Phoenix—so, it’s definitely urban. And yet, most people will tell you that Tucson is more like a big town than a large urban center. Makes it a lovely place to live.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Kevin (Jul 8, 2011)

We meet in a farmers market downtown on Sunday night. In a coffee shop on Tuesday night, and in a pub 2 x's a month. All downtown. But I'm not as hip as that makes me sound!


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## ac7k (Jul 8, 2011)

Sylvan Way Baptist Church is in Bremerton, WA
A Navy town with lots of sailors and families and DOD civilian employees. Church lies within lower to middle - middle class residential area,
although the main business way is just a block away.


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## Skyler (Jul 8, 2011)

Our church is sort of suburban, although Byesville is pretty much all suburban. The kind of small town feel where it's pretty much all houses with a convenience store here and a gas station there. Oh, and a McDonald's right at the exit. =)


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## Herald (Jul 8, 2011)

My church is equidistant from Baltimore and Washington.


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## KMK (Jul 8, 2011)

Herald said:


> My church is equidistant from Baltimore and Washington.



That would be difficult. Orioles or Nationals?


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## Martin (Jul 8, 2011)

Directions to my church include "turn left on the gravel road right after the dairy barn..". Just kidding, but it is rural.


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## jwithnell (Jul 8, 2011)

Perhaps small town would be another category? We has historically been a county seat that has been swallowed by DC suburbia. Having a town and old-timers has a different sense than manufactured "community."


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## elnwood (Jul 8, 2011)

C. M. Sheffield said:


> I am posting this to gain a sociological perspective of the PB. I think where we live and minister effects in some degree the way we approach certain topics. That is why I think this poll is worth taking. I'll be interested in seeing the results. Feel free to add your .



I'm curious. Which topics do you have in mind?


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## kvanlaan (Jul 8, 2011)

Rural. Sheffield is a bit of a ghost town 10km from Cambridge, Ontario.


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## SueS (Jul 8, 2011)

First EP is located in East Liverpool, Ohio, a depressed, rundown, small city with very few occupational opportunities. It is one of only two Reformed churches in a sea of non-denominational and liberal churches - the other one being a tiny plant across the Ohio River in West Virginia. It's a tough area for the Gospel.


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## Notthemama1984 (Jul 8, 2011)

My church is in the heart of Houston. Nothing but concrete jungle around.

The church I am preaching at is suburban. I am new to the area so I am not sure what the demographics are.


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## Curt (Jul 8, 2011)

Our church is in a rural community of 2100.


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## Herald (Jul 8, 2011)

KMK said:


> Herald said:
> 
> 
> > My church is equidistant from Baltimore and Washington.
> ...



Mets.

Ken, I live in Maryland but I'm from north Jersey.


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## Edward (Jul 8, 2011)

In the immediate area - extremely wealthy to the north, poor, predominately Hispanic to the west after a band of predominately homosexuals, predominately homosexual to the south, and ranging rich to hip to poor to the east.


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## MarieP (Jul 8, 2011)

Marrow Man said:


> An older residential (non-suburb) section of a city of roughly 1,000,000 in the metro area; most of the homes here were built in the 1960s, and most of the neighborhood is Roman Catholic, though a noticeable Muslim presence is also here



I thought you all would be suburban? I think we would be too, though we are more subber than you!

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Edward said:


> In the immediate area - extremely wealthy to the north, poor, predominately Hispanic to the west after a band of predominately homosexuals, predominately homosexual to the south, and ranging rich to hip to poor to the east.



Wow! So how are things going there? Sounds like you are in the thick of things! (guessing you have less success in the north, thinking of what Jesus said about the rich, noble, etc,.)


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## Marrow Man (Jul 8, 2011)

MarieP said:


> Marrow Man said:
> 
> 
> > An older residential (non-suburb) section of a city of roughly 1,000,000 in the metro area; most of the homes here were built in the 1960s, and most of the neighborhood is Roman Catholic, though a noticeable Muslim presence is also here
> ...



You guys are definitely suburban, but approaching rural. You're almost to Fisherville, aren't you? 

This was definitely a suburban area 30 years ago, but no longer. Lots of industrial areas nearby and such. Older houses. But not like a downtown area either, though.


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## MarieP (Jul 8, 2011)

Marrow Man said:


> You guys are definitely suburban, but approaching rural. You're almost to Fisherville, aren't you?



Yup! I was actually debating rural in my mind. I mean, we do have cows, goats, and sheep across the road. Which have escaped into our parking lot a few times! (Haven't seen them as much lately) Though there is the stray cat Pastor Jim found and took home! Its name is Hobbes!


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## Michael (Jul 8, 2011)

Right here...


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## VictorBravo (Jul 8, 2011)

Urban, I suppose, if you can call a metropolitan area of 30,000 urban.

But where we live it's more tumbleweeds and rangeland than town. Church is 15 minutes away in downtown Lewiston ID.


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## N. Eshelman (Jul 8, 2011)

In the middle of 9,818,605 other people. Urban.


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## Notthemama1984 (Jul 8, 2011)

nleshelman said:


> In the middle of 9,818,605 other people. Urban.



That's it?


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## Edward (Jul 9, 2011)

MarieP said:


> Edward said:
> 
> 
> > In the immediate area - extremely wealthy to the north, poor, predominately Hispanic to the west after a band of predominately homosexuals, predominately homosexual to the south, and ranging rich to hip to poor to the east.
> ...



About half the membership comes from the wealthy area to the immediate north. The rest are scattered around the metropolitan area, including a significant chunk of folks from Laos.


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## PuritanCovenanter (Jul 9, 2011)

Our Church is just North of a Urban area in a Suburb area that ministers to all kinds of people. It is one of the most diverse ethnic groups I have ever been involved with. But most of the congregates are upper middle class.


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## Nate (Jul 9, 2011)

As suburban as it gets. White picket fences wherever you look and churches on every corner.


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## beej6 (Jul 9, 2011)

I split the difference. We're in a city of 200,000, 10 minutes to rural, 1 1/2 hours to major metropolitan areas (Bay Area, Sacramento). 
A better term than suburban would be either "ex-urban" or "edge city" (I know that term is already passe, and we're really too far distance wise, but there are many, many folks who commute to the Bay Area or Sacramento or points south from here.


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## jambo (Jul 9, 2011)

For 21 years our church was on the edge of Lisburn and close to nationalist west Belfast in which during the troubles the army would have called "bandit country." We have now moved temporarily to a city centre location and are hoping over the next few months to move into a permanent home in a housing estate not too far from the centre


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## LawrenceU (Jul 9, 2011)

Our church is scattered across two counties. We meet at the Mobile Botanical Gardens. It is a country setting in the middle of the strange suburbia of Mobile.


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## C. M. Sheffield (Jul 9, 2011)

Jack K said:


> I find myself hesitant to vote, feeling I can't accurately be labeled as any of these. I grew up rural, am currently rural, but have had much of my spritual understanding shaped by 25 years in an urban environment.



The question is about where your church IS currently located.


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## JBaldwin (Jul 9, 2011)

Our church is located on Main Street of a small rural town.


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## BJClark (Jul 10, 2011)

C. M. Sheffield

We are a growing rural area...don't know how much they can really grow around the church itself, as much of the land surrounding the church is 'swamp land' so there are still lots of tree's...but one of the main roads they are working to make it six lanes..as they are trying to grow the area up south and west of us..


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## Scottish Lass (Jul 10, 2011)

MarieP said:


> Marrow Man said:
> 
> 
> > An older residential (non-suburb) section of a city of roughly 1,000,000 in the metro area; most of the homes here were built in the 1960s, and most of the neighborhood is Roman Catholic, though a noticeable Muslim presence is also here
> ...




I would definitely call y'all location rural, but our church property literally touches the old city limits/Urban Services District. Our manse is in the limits, and the lots adjoin.


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## Philip (Jul 10, 2011)

jwithnell said:


> Perhaps small town would be another category? We has historically been a county seat that has been swallowed by DC suburbia. Having a town and old-timers has a different sense than manufactured "community."



I'd call it suburban---twenty years ago I would have said rural, but it's definitely suburbia now.


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## Des (Jul 11, 2011)

Suburban, but less than ten minutes from downtown Portland, Oregon.


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## PreservedKillick (Jul 13, 2011)

I would say urban, if Tallahassee counts as urban 

And then I could get really pedantic and ask what about exurbs, edge cities, etc?


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## PresbyDane (Jul 13, 2011)

As urban as a church can get in Denmark anyway


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## Edward (Jul 13, 2011)

PreservedKillick said:


> I would say urban, if Tallahassee counts as urban



Tallahassee sure looked urban from Cairo (and for those from north of Albany (Al Benny), it is pronoucned KaRo with a long 'a' and a long 'o'


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