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3. Get to know your neighbors. To do this, we need to listen—really listen—to people's stories, their needs, hurts, and hopes. As I said previously, we need to de- velop trusting friendships and relationships with those around us—in our work, at our kids' schools, and with our neighbors. People have a need to connect social- ly. As we make our way through this pandemic, I am hopeful that we will be able to start conversing and interacting again with one another in social and pub- lic places. This is how Christians can build up goodwill with the local neighborhood and get to know people. Because of the pandemic, people have been missing this social aspect of our everyday life, and I would en- courage Christians and churches to find creative ways to engage with people so they can still connect despite the limitations of the current COVID crisis2. Q: What assumptions or behaviors hinder us from mak- ing true connections with people in an urban context? A: Studies have shown that "listens without judgment" is the number-one quality non-Christians and lapsed Chris- tians look for when seeking out a person to talk with about faith (62 percent)3. So we should heed this advice and lis- ten without making judgment, focusing instead on building relationships and trust with those around us. In the urban context, I think we are very tied to our pre- existing narratives about the city. We sometimes view the city as a place that needs "our" help, but that can be very off-putting, especially when "our" knowledge of the city is limited. We may have many unexamined assumptions about the city, its neighborhoods, and its people. I learned this firsthand in St. Louis and Chicago. Certain neighborhoods and areas often get labeled as unsafe or dangerous. Christians need to be discerning when they hear these assumptions, preexisting narratives, and labels, which often obscure more than illuminate and can create wedges between groups of people. Since our Christian identity is found in Christ alone, we should do much more to connect with our Christian broth- ers and sisters who live in areas of the city different than ours. By leaning on these Christian friendships, we can have trustworthy guides to help us navigate which assumptions, narratives, and labels we need to put behind us to better engage the people God has placed in our lives. Q: Drawing on your experience working with college students, what does the church need to put into prac- tice in seeking to reach young adults? A: Well, the great thing is that the Christian urban outreach principles that I've been describing apply equally well to nearly every place and situation: learn the context, build re- lationships, show hospitality, and point to Jesus as Savior and Lord. The other great thing is that many Christians do these things very well already, especially within their churches. Where many of us can grow is in getting out into our local neighborhoods and communities, whether that's urban, suburban, rural, or academic. Like urban areas, colleges and universities are often over- looked by many Lutheran congregations as places to focus their time, energy, and resources. I can't think of a better way for local congregations to connect with young profes- sionals than by reaching out to nearby colleges and univer- sities. This is an area of great interest to me and one that I am currently researching because I think the data are going to show that many churches, especially in urban and subur- ban areas, are very near to a community college, university, or related institution of higher education. In other words, more Lutheran congregations should be thinking about Christian outreach to their nearby college and university campuses. I also think that many members of Lutheran churches will be surprised at how open young people are about discuss- ing religion, spirituality, and questions about leading a life of meaning and significance. The Christian Scriptures and Lutheran theology have much to offer college students and young professionals, but we need to start by making it a priority to engage with them. w 2 www.barna.com/research/non-christians-faith-conversations/ 3 www.barna.com/research/non-christians-faith-conversations/ 30 Lutheran Life

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