Churches, Do Not Abandon Downtown

I have lived if Fargo for nearly four years now and I have observed several things.

1. People run stoplights and stop signs like they don't even exist.
2. The restaurant to person ratio is approximately 7 to 1.
3. Apartment complexes are being built at an astronomical rate. And yet I see many neon-colored signs in front of the 10 year old complexes because they can't rent out all their units.
   
4. When shopping at Wal-Mart, the average wait time in line is 15 minutes. Three blocks away at Sunmart, the average wait time in line is .15 minutes.
5. There are a million one acre parks. I wish there was a one million acre park.
6. Everyone goes to lunch at noon. The line at Subway does not exist at 11:55, but at noon it's out the door.
   
7. In addition to number 6, everyone gets done with work at between 4 and 4:30 making traffic ridiculous for a half hour every day.
8. If a Fargo driver is on a street with more than one lane and has to turn right in 3 miles, that driver will make sure and be in the right lane the whole time no matter how many cars are already in that lane or how slow traffic is going in that lane. This creates quite a large amount of congestion, but only in one lane. The other lanes are usually empty.
9. Fargo is one big suburb with no urban area.
10. Number ten is the one I want to discuss in short. While number nine is true, according to my observation this is about to change. Here is number ten: many churches in Fargo, that have seen a significant amount of growth the past few years, are moving south.

Why do I want to focus on number ten? Because as Fargo develops more and more of an urban area, there is going to be a larger call on churches to participate in urban affairs. This is an exciting time for the Fargo community. Along with urbanization comes new and exciting cultures as well as a heightened sense of community. So why are some churches vacating the downtown area?

I understand that part of the issues is space. Churches that grow need more of it. What I hope is that their relocation is not out of fear. I want to scream when I hear people say that with urban areas are cesspools of crime and drug culture. That kind of thinking is a blatant subscription to unwarranted stereotypes and needs to be removed. And while it might be a while before we see a large urban area in Fargo, churches need to be present during the urbanization process. Churches that run for the suburbs when a neighborhood gets a little tough need to reassess their mission. If churches stuck around before the bad times hit and invested in their immediate community, maybe the crime and drug culture would not become as predominate.

I pray that Fargo churches would not dash for the outskirts of town. If it's space that is needed plant a church or start a new campus. If it's funds that are needed, trust God to provide.

Urban areas allow for a mighty impact.

Churches, do not abandon downtown.