Thoughts on Parish Life

Doug Wilson has some interesting thoughts on parish life. He writes,

"The church is not the parish, and the parish is not the church. At the same time, the church thrives at the center of the parish, informing and discipling those who live their lives in the parish. Life in the church involves word andsacraments while life in the parish involves auto mechanics, farming, retail shops, schools, along with all the other stuff men and women do.

"But the denominational system, as it has developed in America, has greatly undermined our capacity even to think in terms of parish, which in turn means that we have lost even the concept of true community. The closest approximation we have of it is found in good churches where the members of the congregation worship together, love each other, and share the occasional potluck. This is good as far as it goes, but it must be acknowledged in all honesty that it does not go very far. We have truncated our churches, and have detached them from the soil."

Healthy parish life is one of the things that Peru Mission is aiming for in our churches. Wherever Jesus plants His church, He claims that parish for Himself and commissions His church to announce the Gospel of His Kingdom which brings about renewal and redemption of not just individuals, but communities and institutions as well. Check out our philosophy of ministry to capture an idea of what we want to accomplish here with our parish churches.