Nurturing Thriving Communities with Adam Barlow-Thompson

Adam Barlow-Thompson, co-founder of The Neighboring Movement, wants us to meet our actual neighbors. While that may seem like a simple idea, research (and perhaps experience) shows us that few of us truly engage our neighbors. Adam invites us to move from the theoretical ‘love your neighbor’ to the literal: meet your neighbors in the eight houses or apartments around you and discover the gifts God has given them. Adam does not simply offer a rosy picture of neighboring. He relates a story of a neighbor who slammed the door on his colleague one day, and a year later embraced the chance to work with neighbors in a community garden. 

Neighboring is a long-term investment in relationships. The Neighboring Movement is not a numerical church-growth program with an aim to get more people in pews, rather a shift in mindset from scarcity to abundance that ultimately results in a congregation’s increased joy. This conversation is packed with inspiring stories and practical ideas for connecting with neighbors, discovering their gifts, and bringing people together to foster a thriving community. 

 

QUOTES

• “In many ways, we’re asking you to meet your neighbor. Like that is such a simple task.” -Adam Barlow-Thompson [24:17]
• “To be a good neighbor means you have to be present in your neighborhood.” -Adam Barlow-Thompson [30:35]

 

TIMESTAMPS

• [00:00] Intro
• [00:48] Blair’s story about her neighbor
• [02:46] The proximity of neighbor
• [03:53] Why neighboring is so important for the church
• [06:48] Meet Adam Barlow-Thompson
• [08:41] Host’s reactions to the conversation
• [11:35] Why neighboring is important
• [15:03] What it means to be a neighbor
• [20:32] Where social media plays into neighboring movement
• [23:38] Is the neighboring movement subservice?
• [26:51] The Good Neighbor Experiment
• [36:15] The Eight Front Doors Project
• [42:18] Outro

 

RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS

Read all about the Neighboring Movement and find resources like the Eight Front Doors Project here.

Read Lisa Greenwood’s monograph about God’s Mixed Ecology: The Changing Spiritual Landscape here.

New Feature: Transcripts for this Season’s Episodes

We will have transcripts for each of our episodes this season. Visit our website to download this week’s transcript. We hope these additional resources will help you share these conversations with your friends, colleagues, and leadership teams to spark the spirit within you, your organization, and “ignite imagination!”

This podcast is brought to you by the Leadership Ministry team at TMF and Wesleyan Investive. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high-capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission.

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Adam Barlow-Thompson’s Bio

Adam Barlow-Thompson is a graduate of Southwestern College and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. He served for 6 years as the Executive Pastor at Woodlawn UMC in Derby, KS, and created a Process Communication Model-based worship service called Swerve.  Adam is a certified trainer and provider of Process Communication Model, Servants by Design, and Leading Out of Drama. In 2016 Adam left the local church to become a full-time trainer/facilitator and to support the nonprofit Neighboring Movement which he founded with Ashley and their neighbors.

The Neighboring Movement believes the best way to create vibrant, thriving communities is by first creating neighborly relationships, connecting people–just like you–with others whose skills, passions and causes can change the world for good.

Adam loves playing banjo and laughing loudly. He can be seen around the neighborhood playing music on the front porch or riding his bike to the office.  Adam is always up for a story or a laugh and is an eternal optimist when it comes to his neighborhood. Adam is married to Ashley and they have a son named Prescott.