Growing up in Philadelphia with church-planting parents, I realized from a young age that people didn’t view the city in the same way I did. The most prominent example in my family is a conversation my dad had with a friend. This person, who did not live in Philly, would often “evangelize” in Rittenhouse Square. My dad’s response to this was to ask him if he did the same thing with his neighbors back home. He said he did not.
This is not an uncommon occurrence. Christians see the city, see need and decide to help. However, this desire can do much more damage than good. I believe that the way people describe Philadelphia as being dangerous, destitute and in desperate need of help not only harms perceptions of the city itself but can also influence people’s motivations for ministering or offering assistance.
I get the comments every once in a while, “You live where in Philly?” “Why would your family raise their kids there?” or “Do you feel scared?” They casually reproduce the same comments they hear their parents and friends whisper to each other about crime and violence. In fact, while researching for this article to find examples of “harmful viewpoints of Philadelphia,” I was instead met with numerous links to websites listing the “top twenty most dangerous places in Philly” and “the best and worst places to visit in Philadelphia.” My own neighborhood, Germantown, always makes it on the “most dangerous” lists.
The way that many people talk about and view Philadelphia is, at best, a place in need of saving that has a nice art museum and, at worst, a crime-ridden landscape where people all hate each other. (That last example is not hyperbole, but a genuine example of something I heard someone say.) This not only completely ignores the fact that people live, have lived and will continue to live in Philadelphia, but can also say much about the dangerous ways Christians view ministry in Philly.
I do not want to claim that there is nothing wrong or unjust happening in Philadelphia, but I think this perspective approaches issues in the wrong way. It is a glorification of violence and replaces people’s life stories with statistics for shock value. As someone who grew up in Philly, I can never get behind this idea of it as a “Godforsaken” place. To me, I feel God’s presence most fully when I am home. When I am with my neighbors, when I walk to work or when I strike up a conversation with someone at the grocery store, God’s call for me to live in community feels perfectly clear.
However, I don’t think that the harmful rhetoric lies only in those who don’t want to visit Philadelphia at all. I think the narrative that Philly is a run-down place in need of new life is also misguided. Again, I don’t want to claim that there aren’t any needs in the city, but this posture can quickly overlook people living in Philadelphia who already are doing that work for their communities. Instead of reinventing the wheel and entering an area without knowing it well, go to established Philly residents who are already serving their neighbors. The biggest help is empowering the communities that are already doing the work.
More than this, I think this desire to help Philly can distract from the work someone can do for their neighbors. Viewing Philadelphia as an unsafe place that you will dare to venture to both ignore the truth about the city and disorders the church’s ministry purpose. Where are you seeking genuine healing, and where are you trying to enact change simply because you are uncomfortable with urban spaces? Do you love the people and spaces of Philadelphia, or do you think your local church will be more astonished at your service if it’s in a place people deem “dangerous?” It can also lead you to ignore those who are right next to you. To go back to my family story, why minister to a place you “could never live in” and ignore the neighbors where you do live?
I do not want this article to seem like those who want to do ministry and service in Philadelphia should be shamed and stopped. I am excited by more people seeing the city I love so much. However, the language surrounding Philadelphia should be reflected on, especially language that seeks to dispel the truth that people have lived in Philadelphia (and not just the wealthy neighborhoods) their whole lives. I also encourage people to reflect on why they want to go minister in cities they don’t live in. Of course, we are called to help those in need, but are you missing the need right outside your doorstep to feel glory for your mission to a “desperate place?” I encourage students of Eastern to explore and learn from Philadelphia. Unpack the idea that you could “never live in Philly,” because 1.6 million people do. If you want to serve Philly, fall in love with it first.
