Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.Acts 5:42

What is a “Parish”?

A Parish is what some might call a small group, but we like to think of it as a “home church” or “simple church”. It is made up of a group of people who desire to be spiritually formed in their relationships with God, in the context of relational community, and looking for ways to live missionally in the places in which we live, work, or go to school. At Tree of Life, we don’t believe that “church” only happens on Sunday or at a weekend service, but that it takes place all week long as we “are” the church in the places we find ourselves. You might think of Tree of Life as a “hybrid church” that has both a conventional Sunday worship gathering and other gatherings that happen at all different times during the week. So really we are a community of churches.

Why are they called “Parishes”?

A parish historically is a territorial unit under the pastoral care of a parish priest, or a local church with its field of activity. First mentioned in English in the late 13th century, the word parish comes from the Old French paroisse, in turn from Latin paroecia, which is the latinisation of the Greek παροικία (paroikia), “sojourning in a foreign land”, from πάροικος (paroikos), “dwelling beside, stranger, sojourner”, which is a compound of παρά (para), ” beside, by, near” + οἶκος (oikos), “house”. Therefore, the word puts an appropriate emphasis on using our homes and other venues to get to know our “neighbors” and the people in the space around us and learn what God is doing in their lives.

What are some of the Concepts or Values behind a Parish?

• Church – a parish is truly a church. Or to put it another way, it is everything that “church” is. The church is not a place, or a building, or a time. The church is people. So a Parish can participate in everything you might think of when you think of “church”: time reflecting on and learning from the Bible, worship, singing, prayer, communion, giving, baptism, spiritual disciplines . . . it is all part of being in a Parish.

 

• Organic – just like plants, the church is comprised of living organisms. The key to their growth is the health of the soil, the way a variety grow together, a regular pruning regimen, and dependence on the Creator for what they need to grow.

 

• Simple – since church can quickly become overly complicated, it is the goal of our Parishes to keep things simple. Focusing on the basics of what the Bible says church is allows everyone to rest and spend more time in formation, community, and mission. It also is a wonderful cure for the consumerism of our day.

 

• Flexible – parishes can meet in almost any location: houses, condos, apartments, dorms, coffee houses, community centers, and so on. They can meet in the same place every week, or rotate locations to experience variety. It’s important to have a flexible spirit and attitude as doing anything with a group of humans can be messy.

 

• Neighborhoods – since most everyone has a full life and a busy schedule, proximity is important for consistent involvement. The goal is to be part of a Parish that is as close to your home as possible. That way you can minimize time driving or in traffic, and maximize your ability to be part of what God is doing in a neighborhood, community, or city locale. In fact, one of the best questions a Parish can ask is “What is God up to in my neighborhood?” Once you know, connect with what God is already doing there.

 

• Consistent – it is best to meet weekly to have consistent interaction with others in your Parish. Else if you miss one, you might not see each other for a month! And while you will get to know the people in your Parish very well, they are also always open to having visitors and new people join. We want to model with our lives the availability of the kingdom of God to everyone by not being exclusive in our gatherings.

 

• Fellowship – this is a spiritual practice that takes being intentional in order to develop deep relationships with others. One of the most consistent practices of the early church is that they “broke bread together.” Therefore, we strongly encourage Parishes to have a meal together, either weekly, or as often as possible. There is something bonding about eating together with others. Many consider it their favorite part of the gathering.

 

• Missional – we are called to live missional lives, meaning that we are sent to observe and learn what God is up to in different places and to share the good news of the gospel with others. Therefore, in addition to regularly practicing hospitality, welcoming the stranger, and getting to know what God is doing in your neighborhood, we encourage Parishes to have some sort of missional practice or activity every 4-8 weeks.

 

• Intergenerational – because we can learn something from people in all stages of life, and because the Bible encourages the older to teach the younger, we believe it is very good for all ages to be together (including children when possible). If a Parish becomes naturally homogeneous (that just means people who are like each other), that’s okay. But we believe it’s better to have all ages in community together when possible.

 

• Safe – we encourage each of our Parishes to follow some guidelines for healthy communication in order to create a safe environment for sharing. Things like active listening, using “I” statements, accepting where others are in their journeys, and maintaining confidentiality are crucial to creating a safe environment for sharing.

 

How are Parishes structured?

Each Parish is facilitated by a Shepherd or Shepherd couple. These are either elders or elder quality leaders of our church who love to care and give oversight to these churches. These Shepherds are truly the “pastors” of each Parish, and are available to care for needs as they arise.

In addition, each Parish also has an Administrator who coordinates things like communication, a directory of all participants, planning missional activities, and so on.

Finally, each Parish has a Host or Host couple who either provides their home for the gatherings or hosts the Parish in a particular venue. At times the Host might also be a Shepherd or Administrator, but it is usually helpful to share the load of responsibility.