Thriving in the City

Put Down Roots

Back in January, I spoke to a group of our church leaders giving them sixteen tips on flourishing in the city. Soon after, I began writing a series of short letters to the whole church enlarging on each of these tips. You can catch up on these here. In the coming weeks, I want to resume this series and aim to write a few more.

I once knew a pastor and wife from abroad who spent decades living and ministering in London. They enjoyed real success in ministry, and as a result many people appreciated them and their work. And so it was surprising for me to visit their home in London, as they were preparing to leave the city, and discover that in all the decades they had lived here, they had never decorated or made it their own. When asked why this was the case, they explained, ‘Because we always thought, there’s no point; we’ll be going home next year.’

Living in a place whilst thinking about the next place is a uniquely miserable way to live. It fosters many of the worst conditions of soul – discontentment, dissatisfaction, and disconnection from the people you are with and the place God has put you. Worst of all, it makes you unhappy, and joylessness is the soil in which all kinds of sins may grow.

As humans, for the good of our souls, we need to behave more like plants and put down roots. This is a biblical image that speaks primarily to the need for spiritual joy and nourishment drawn from God, his Spirit, and his word (see Psalm 1 and Jeremiah 17.7–8). Now, it is possible to be rooted in God alone even when living an unsettled existence, moving from place to place. That was Christ’s own experience for the three years of his ministry on earth. ‘Foxes have holes,’ he said, ‘and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head’.

But, the Lord designed you to flourish by being settled in some place, with some people. Adam and Eve were put in a garden. Abraham was called to a land. Caleb laid claim to his mountain. Christ has asked his Father for the entire earth (Psalm 2). I conclude: our modern, nomadic way of life is not normal or particularly healthy, in most cases.

One of the most important pieces of advice on flourishing in the city is this: put down roots. There are things outside your control, such as whether or not you’re ever able to marry, or to buy a home, or to raise a family. But putting down roots is more about your mindset. As the missionary Jim Elliot once put it, ‘Wherever you are, be all there!’


The Transformative Power of the Sofa

The Transformative Power of the Sofa

In contrast to my last piece, I’d like to offer you a more positive vision for the home.

Early in married life, before we had children, Sie Yan and I became inspired by the amazing story of Francis and Edith Schaeffer. This American couple had been in church ministry in the US in the early part of the last century, but after a few years they uprooted their lives and moved to the Swiss Alps. There they rented a chalet and set up a ministry called L’Abri (“The Shelter”).

Understand how church in the city works

Understand how church in the city works

Whenever we have the opportunity to introduce someone to the wonder of Marmite my wife always cautions them with a brief tale. Years earlier she had watched an American friend lather on thick lashings of the stuff onto a piece of toast. He was fully expecting to bite into a mouthful of chocolate spread, and was utterly horrified at the gooey saltiness he experienced, and spat it all out. Eating salt when you expect sugar is not at all pleasant.

The Mission of City Living

The Mission of City Living

The reason you chose to live in the city may not be the same reason God chose to put you here. You may have arrived here in search of professional success or escape from a provincial life. You may have been born here and never really considered moving anywhere else. Whatever your desires, the fact remains that God’s purposes are always at work in and behind all things, and part of our task is to seek his heart and know his will (see Roman 12.1-2).

Thriving in the City

Thriving in the City

When I first moved to London in 2002 I felt an overwhelming sense of joy at the opportunity to be here. I was 19 years old, and soon to start my studies in theology. I had grown up in a place that was radically different from London; a beautiful small city of around 30,000 people with nearby water meadows for wild swimming in the summer, woodland carpeted with bluebells in the spring, streets safe enough to play outside without supervision, and a church that felt like a giant extended family. Yet despite all this, I felt a powerful draw to London, and I hardly looked back.