| This action research project, conducted by Asbury United Methodist Church in Charleston, West Virginia, develops a process to help churches become more visible to their neighborhood and show signs of new life. Methods used included discernment, questionnaires, interviews, interactive programs, and walk-arounds. In this exploratory case study, the church participants learned who they are, who their neighbors are, and what they are called to do, through spiritual, contextual, historical, organizational, missional, attitudinal, relational, educational, and connectional components. Neighborhood children and adults joined church activities for the first time, indicating the church, pastor, and neighborhood had gained visibility and new life. |
