Our approach to this engagement for the welfare of our city has three elements:
1. Gospel-Propelled Engagement
In the first several sentences of his Gospel, the Apostle John describes how the Son of God took on human flesh in order to identify with and ultimately deliver us in accordance with our deepest need. We are meant to image God’s character in this, likewise identifying with and seeking the deliverance of others consistent with their needs.
As the church on earth, we are designed to be an outpost of the kingdom of God, putting on display God’s holistic plan of redemption and humbly pursuing the restoration of human society. In short, the Gospel creates a people actively concerned and engaged with the welfare of the city.
2. Strategic Engagement
Love5280 exists to organize our efforts in pursuing the common good throughout the Denver Metro Area. In order to effectively understand and engage the city so that it may truly flourish, we have relied upon research done through the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia.
They have identified six arenas of human society—called endowments—within which various institutions and organizations exist and operate. Each of them is necessary and the health of each must be pursued in order for a city to thrive. This construct provides the philosophical lens through which we understand and engage the Denver Metro Area.
Below are brief descriptions of each endowment. For more information on The Thriving Cities Project and their research, you can visit their website.
The research represented above provides our philosophical vision to pursue human flourishing by engaging with institutions that operate within each of these endowments. The practical realities of ministry in a city of Denver’s size inform our strategic involvement.
We recognize that there are numerous ministries and organizations that are not only trained and skilled in their particular area of service, but also relationally and institutionally situated to effectively serve our city in targeted ways. Instead of trying to meet the needs of Denver through in-house ministries that will be less effective, we partner with certain organizations throughout the metro area. Click here to find more information on our ministry partners.
3. Everyday Engagement
There are also less formal, non-institutionalized ways of seeking the good of our city in everyday settings and relationships. We encourage you to think with your family, friends, and/or Gospel Community about how to actively engage and genuinely benefit your neighborhoods and communities. Host barbecues, clean up a nearby park, organize a block party, attend the city council meeting, invite coworkers out for a drink, serve on the school board, or invite neighbors into your home to watch a game. The Gospel propels us to think creatively and locally to serve and care for the people around us.
If you have any questions or simply want to connect about Love 5280, please email: neil@parkchurchdenver.org
If you have any questions