A Christian Social Engagement which is like the Yeast in the Dough
Both practical theology and sociology of religion are interested in how local congregations in urban contexts are dealing with their environment. To say it bluntly, two attributes exist: on one hand, there exists a model which sees local congregations as citadels besieged by dissolving secular forces and insists on the necessity to limit interactions with non-Christian organizations; on the other hand, a second model contends that being truly Christian in an urban context implies committing to the local environment. Commitment doesn’t necessarily mean evangelizing and calling people to repent in public spaces, but it means living distinctly Christian lives in a secular world.
Two evangelical urban churches I studied (La Chapelle and Axe21) for almost three years insist on training their members not only to be Christians in their private lives, but more broadly to act as Christians in their daily lives. The visitor who attends a church service at La Chapelle on a Sunday morning is welcomed by a banner (see the picture) on which is written: “A church that loves God, loves people, and loves its city. A church that accompanies people on their spiritual journey and equips them in all areas of their lives so that they, in turn, can influence the lives of others”. Axe21’s website explains that “Axe21 exists to inspire us to discover God, love our neighbors, and contribute together to the common good in ways that are relevant to the 21st century[1]”.
From these two quotes I retain two core ideas: “loving [the] city” and “contributing together to the common good”. According to these quotations, both churches believe their role goes beyond providing spiritual goods for their members. Such an affirmation could appear quite banal: after all, many churches consider that their vocation encompass society. Nevertheless, what is different with La Chapelle and Axe21 is that their social engagement is not a pretext to evangelize whereas Christian organizations are often accused of using their engagement for proselytizing purposes.
For instance, Axe21 organizes an activity called “Ça déménage” (“It’s moving”) every year: on July 1st the church provides trucks and volunteers (most of them, members of Axe21) to help people who can’t pay for professional movers. In preparation for the event, church leaders explain to the volunteers that the aim of the activity is not to evangelize. Created over ten years ago, this activity attracted media attention, and several articles praised the church’s commitment to its community. Another example of community engagement is the nonprofit organization J’aime ma ville (I love my city) created by La Chapelle. Its mission is “to promote volunteerism, break the social isolation of the most vulnerable citizens, and contribute to the work of other nonprofit organizations”. Concretely, J’aime ma ville provides other nonprofit organizations with volunteers (most of them are members of La Chapelle) in periods of strong activity, for instance during Christmas time. Even if J’aime ma ville is closely associated to La Chapelle it doesn’t present itself as a Christian organization.
During an interview a pastor explained that this kind of engagement is an important contribution to the spiritual formation of church members: “Christians are not people who live in a protected bubble. Christian faith is not only about beliefs in private space; it’s essential to contribute to the life of the city. Through social engagement people are growing in their faith”.
Axe21 and La Chapelle’s social engagement is inspiring, especially in a secular and post-Christian culture where some Christians consider that it is essential to be more visible and clearly identified as Christians. With this respect, both churches illustrate that being like the yeast in the dough is not to be neglected as part of the Christian mission.
Figure 1: Banner at the entrance of La Chapelle. Source: FD – October 2022
Frédéric Dejean
Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at UQÀM, University of Quebec in Montreal
