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Publication Date

5-2020

Abstract

The goal of this project is to theologically confront the Church’s consumerism which has created a spiritual exile for itself, an exile which has helped contribute to the slow death of the American mainline church. As churches die and try to invest in a legacy which carries their reputations forward, they go through a discernment process as to the content of that legacy. One model for churches to consider is an investment in urban ministry. Being confronted by the needs of an urban population, namely, the homeless, not only forces a church to confront its own consumerism, but it also is of benefit to the local community.

As First Presbyterian Church of San José (First Church) closed in 2019, a motion was made to the Presbytery of San José to invest the proceeds from the sale of their church property in a base of urban ministry to carry on the legacy of the church. An Administrative Commission was appointed to do the work of that motion. This project is a summary of that work done on behalf of the Presbytery.

An analysis of the project also demanded an interpretation of the history of the San Francisco Bay Area dating back to the colonization of the California coast by the Spanish in the eighteenth century. The Gold Rush of 1849 also had a significant impact on the diversity and development of the area and led to the planting of First Church. Issues relating to the doctrine of discovery and American exceptionalism apply. This thesis concludes that issues of land and exile from the prophetic books in the Old Testament have applications for the church today as it makes decisions around land relative to its own exile.

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

First Advisor

Rah, Soong-Chan

Document Type

Project

Language

English

Keywords

Legacy, Model, Mainline churches, Church closures, Isaiah, Leviticus, Colonialism, Land, Catholic Missions, Urban Ministry, First Presbyterian Church of San José, San Francisco Bay Area

Disciplines

Practical Theology | Urban Studies and Planning

Comments

This was uploaded by the David Allan Hubbard Library from the Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN). If there are any mistakes in this record, please contact archives@fuller.edu

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Date Uploaded

5-28-2020

Collection Number

DMin125

File Name

DMin125-0428

Rights

Material is subject to copyright.

Embargo Period

5-28-2023

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Available for download on Sunday, May 28, 2023

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