What exactly is an Embedded Church?

The Embedded Church Podcast

In Episode 7, we talk with Nathan Carter who is a pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Chicago, Illinois. When the church chose to relocate to an urban neighborhood in Chicago, the leadership asked the 30 original members to move into the neighborhood where the church was locating. There were 20 members who were willing, so effectively the church started its new chapter with a committed membership living in close proximity to the church itself. This model of being a church has reinforced Immanuel's commitment to remain in the neighborhood despite some hurdles they've encountered with parking, zoning, and the City of Chicago.

At the last minute, while working towards acquiring their property, the church learned that they did not meet zoning code requirements in terms of parking. The building has no parking on site and there is no space to add parking. The Chicago zoning code requires a set number of parking spaces to be provided for religious assembly. The church was committed to the neighborhood and purchasing the site, so they explored their options for being approved for acquisition and use without meeting the city parking requirements. Leaning on the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), a federal law that prohibits the implementation of any land use regulation that imposes a "substantial burden" on the religious exercise of a person or religious assembly or institution, the church decided to sue the City of Chicago. While the litigation is currently on-going, Immanuel has successfully moved into the building and is putting down roots in the neighborhood. Their work on this parking issue has effectively started changing the Chicago zoning code to reduce the parking requirements for religious uses.

In this episode we also talk through the 4 characteristics of an embedded church and to what extent Immanuel Baptist Church reflects these. The 4 characteristics include: 1) a direct connection to the public right-of-way; 2) a de-emphasis of a parking lot; 3) a mix of building types and uses within walking distance; and 4) an intentional mission mindset for engaging the local neighborhood.

Access more Show Notes with pictures and resources related to this episode.

More information about this podcast and helpful church and urbanism resources can be found on The Embedded Church website.

Related Resources

Center Church by Timothy Keller

Citizenship Papers by Wendell Berry

The Connecting Church: Beyond Small Groups to Authentic Community by Randy Frazee

The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs

Preaching to a Post-Everything World by Zack Eswine

RLUIPA (Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act)

Sensing Jesus: Life and Ministry as a Human Being by Zack Eswine

Strong Towns

Tradition, History, and Sequoias by Wilfred M. McClay

The Wisdom of Stability: Rooting Faith in a Mobile Culture by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

Find these Key Terms on The Embedded Church website:

- Belonging

- Embedded

- Embodiment

- Proximity

- Rootedness

- Zoning

Show Credits

Hosted and Produced by Eric O. Jacobsen and Sara Joy Proppe

Edited by Adam Higgins | Odd Dad Out Voice Productions

Theme Music by Jacob Shaffer

Artwork by Lance Kagey | Rotator Creative