Episode 2 - Social Infrastructure and the church

In this episode, Eric and Sara Joy talk with Pastor Scott Pontier about how Jamestown Harbor Church has explored the needs and opportunities for creating a "center" in their suburban community. After a few years of conversation with the local township board and other organizations, they landed on partnering with a local sports program to design a facility that provides gathering space for the church and also serve as a sports complex. Though not using the term specifically, it is evident through this interview that the missional heart of Jamestown Harbor Church has been to create "social infrastructure" in order to be a blessing to their community.

Eric and Sara Joy also speak with Eric Klinenberg from NYU and Greg Snider from Aspen Group, who serve as our field guides for this episode providing deeper insights to the sociological and design aspects of creating social infrastructure.

Episode 2 Field Guide: Eric Klinenberg

Eric Klinenberg is Helen Gould Shepard Professor of Social Science and Director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University. A New York Times bestselling author, he has written several books including Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life (Crown, 2018), Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone (The Penguin Press, 2012), Fighting for Air: The Battle to Control America’s Media (Metropolitan Books, 2007), and Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago (University of Chicago Press, 2002).

Episode 2 Field Guide: Greg Snider

Greg Snider is a Ministry Space Strategist at Aspen Group. He has more than 20 years of construction experience in residential, light commercial, and interior build-out. Fifteen of those years were spent building churches, including Living Water Church in Bolingbrook, Illinois, West Side Christian Church in Springfield, Illinois, and Community Christian Church in Naperville, Illinois. At Aspen Group, he works diligently to obtain an intimate understanding of the mission and vision of each church. He then uses this knowledge to guide the project team as they translate that vision into effective design and ultimately into a finished, ministry-enhancing facility.

Links to resources and terms from this episode:

Articles, Books, Media, & organizations

Jamestown Harbor Church

Aspen Group

Palaces for the People by Eric Klinenberg

The Celtic Way of Evangelism by George G. Hunter III

Season 1: Episode 2 - Community Collaborations (Third Church Charrette Process) - The Embedded Church Podcast

Season 3: Episode 6 - Reading Palaces for the People - The Embedded Church Podcast

Key Terms

Charrette

Civic Sphere

Fragmentation

Public Belonging

Social Belonging

Social Capital

Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)

Social Infrastructure

Threshold