WHY BIRMINGHAM?

After several months of scouting trips, research, prayer and thought; as me and Janet began to sense a “leading” from God to launch a church in Birmingham, we asked ourselves, “Why? What is it we love about Birmingham? Why do we feel compelled to stay planted in this city?”

Here are a few of the things that came to mind…

1) A lack of sensing any “release” from God as it relates to His calling upon our lives.

2) The fact that there are still so many un-churched people in our city.

According to David Olson, in a recent and important book titled, The American Church In Crisis, less than 25% (24.8%) of the population in the state of Alabama attend church on any given weekend….

According to the North American Mission Board the population of Jefferson County in 2006 was estimated at a little more than 665,000 people. The population of Shelby County in 2006 was estimated at approximately 183,500 people. That’s more than 848,500 people!

If David Olson’s considerable research is correct, that means that there are more than 636,375 people in this two county area who are officially UNCHURCHED.

Just a few days ago, I met with a commercial real estate broker who indicated that within a 10-mile radius of a certain building in Hoover there are more than 410,000 residents. According to Olson’s research, that means that within that same 10-mile radius there are approximately 307,500 UNCHURCHED people.

Janet and I live in Hoover… That’s 307,500 people who shop at the Galleria, attend the public school system, go to football games, NASCAR races, work, live, eat and breathe, who are not connected with a local church!

On top of that I recently heard Andy Stanley say that according to his research, people in the Deep South regularly over estimate their actual church attendance. In other words, because church attendance in the Deep South is culturally expected, people will say they attend church when in reality they haven’t attended in years except in the case of a wedding or a funeral. That means that the number of UNCHURCHED people in the Birmingham area could be significantly more than Olson’s research indicates.

People in this city need Jesus. We have a passion to reach these individuals with the gospel of Jesus.

3) The ministry of reconciliation. In a city known for its history of racial tension and division, the dream of seeing God create an ethnically, socially and economically diverse body of believers united under the Lordship of Jesus Christ pumps me up.

4) Cultural diversity. Approximately 27% of the population in Birmingham is African American. The Hispanic population in Birmingham is exploding! We firmly believe that God has called us to build an ethnically diverse community of faith. That possibility excites us.

A trip to my seven-year-old daughter’s classroom demonstrated to me the diversity of our city. The class was filled with several Anglo children, African American children, a couple of Hispanic kids and an Asian girl. I want my children to experience this kind of diversity.

5) Proximity to our families of origin. Scripture indicates that we have a biblical responsibility to care for our parents. While our parents are basically healthy, aside from the health challenges my dad has experienced in the past year, one factor as to where we live is the fact that it needs to be somewhat accessible to our parents in the event of a family emergency.

6) Friends. They aren’t that easy to come by… Over the fourteen years we’ve lived in Birmingham we’ve been blessed with some lifelong friends. We love these guys and want to attempt to continue “doing life” with them.

7) Personal History. We have almost fourteen years of history in this city. Our oldest daughter was six months old when we first moved to Birmingham. Our middle daughter was born here. Our children call this city “home.” Unless firmly persuaded that God has called us to move to a different city we have a parental responsibility to provide a stable home for our children. If God speaks, we are ready and willing o follow. Without His leadership, we are firmly planted.

8) Our house… We really believe God placed us in the house we currently live in. If God allows, we would love to live here for the rest of our lives…

9) Hoover Schools… Our girls attend great schools. Our middle daughter is sophomore in High School… We would love to see her graduate from Spain Park… We also pray that our youngest daughters completes all twelve grades in the Hoover System… That would be so stinking cool... More important, it would give her a lot of stability and the chance to develop friendships that last from elementary school through high school.

10) The growing “arts scene” in Birmingham… Some amazing independent musicians call Birmingham “home.” I believe God wants us to “connect” with arts community and works towards a God-centered vision of the arts for the city of Birmingham.

11) SEC football… There’s nothing like it in the world.

12) We’ve got the best State Song in the U.S. What other state has a song like “Sweet Home Alabama” as its unofficial state song?

13) Rave Theaters.

14) Barnes and Noble (Patton Creek or The Summit)

15) O’Carr’s Chicken Salad… My daughter’s would also add, “O’Carr’s Chocolate Milkshakes.”

16) Edgar’s Strawberry Cake. Enough said…

17) Tortuga’s Deep Dish Chicago Style Pizza!

18) P.F. Chang’s at The Summit

19) Downtown Homewood… Simply COOL!

20) The Summit – What can I say? It’s got the Apple Store, Barne’s and Noble, Cheesecake Factory and more…

21) White Christmas at The Alabama Theatre (MY GIRLS LOVE IT!)