The Northwest

Unrivaled character, unrivaled need.

Adventurers, social misfits and independent thinkers have moved west hoping to loosen society’s grip for 250 years. Eventually those souls made cities and built a culture out of the spirit that drove them west.

The “None Zone”

The Northwest has a reputation for being beautiful, edgy, technologically savvy, and uninterested in the Gospel. Most locals are open to discussing “spiritual things,” but very few attend a church of any kind. Known as the “None Zone” (because more people mark “none” as their religious affiliation than any other part of the country), the Northwest has an ethos that resists the Church’s presence in the marketplace of ideas. Instead, most people prefer an individualized, often amorphous spirituality.

In the late 1990s, God began to call his Church to meet these challenges through the New Testament model of fulfilling the Great Commission — namely, through church planting. Evangelical traditions of every kind have been responding to this call by establishing a generation of new congregations that will embed the Northwest with the viral Christianity that has changed individuals, cities, and cultures.

Our network has planted twenty-three mission churches since 2004. Looking forward, we are preparing for our part of the multi-generational church-planting work God has called us to. We are pursuing that vision because God is worthy of our cities’ creativity, commerce, beauty, wealth, and relationships. We are also convinced that the Gospel offers more satisfying answers and richer experiences for the questions and longings that characterize our people.

PNW Cultural Values

The Northwest embraces a movement toward community while at the same time exalting the autonomy of the individual. Positively, these values can challenge racism and free individuals to pursue their dreams. This is a great part of the country to be different in and still be accepted, or even celebrated. A stroll through Seattle or Portland will establish that inclusion and tolerance can foster vibrant creativity and add flavor and personality to a region.

Radical individualism and distrust for meta-values eventually call in their debts. The Northwest is full of lonely urbanites and can be as legalistic as any town in the Bible Belt. Submerged racism, socio-economic division, and a disdain for whatever (and whomever) is considered to be “uncool” belie our claim to be inclusive. Only the Gospel can break through the barriers of race, gender, age, and socio-economic status to create authentic spiritual community.

Experience / Create

THE GOOD
THE BAD

The arts, recreation, and creative entrepreneurism are driving passions in the Northwest. Skiing, hiking, sporting events, kayaking, or mountain biking are within an hour in any direction. The creative spirit also drives the economy, sprouting almost as many startups as Starbucks.

Experience/Create. God’s “Second Book”, as the puritans used to call creation, speaks loudly in this part of the world, partly by its stunning beauty and partly because, in spite of nature’s majesty, it leaves souls wanting more. The Scriptures explain why the world leaves us hungry (Ecclesiastes 3.11) and why the joy of creating eventually meets up with the law of entropy (Mark 8.36). But the impulse to create and achieve can be redeemed if the image bearer is renewed in Christ.

Believe / Be

THE GOOD
THE BAD

Though secularized, the Northwest is a patently spiritual culture. Influenced by neo-paganism, Eastern thought and aesthetics, liberalized Christianity, and what can be called numinous materialism, the region boasts a wide diversity of religious traditions marked most consistently by synchronicity and individual exploration.

Most Northwesterners end up rejecting a Christianity that does not exist. Stereotyped and distorted claims about moralism and conformity in the Christian church drive many to explore paths that promise more personal freedom but only deliver another kind of “law,” as all cross-less hope is bound to do. Thankfully, confusion cannot silence the voice of thoughtful and bold congregations. Loving churches that commit to the proclamation and incarnation of the Gospel can break through bias and fear with the truth and freedom of the Gospel (John 8.31–32).

Involve / Advocate

THE GOOD
THE BAD

“Local” is a central value in the Northwest. The local spirit creates vital neighborhood associations that play important roles in the city and the region. A local-first commitment also generates social and political energy that advocates for justice issues close to the heart of Northwesterners, like environmentalism, homelessness, and the social and legal status of homosexuals.

Thankfully, good work is done across the world by men and women who live out the law of God written on their hearts. But Christ is the true advocate, and his incarnation is the true involvement. New congregations can join people from every faith, or no faith, in the work of justice and mercy. But, in Christ we can do more than advocate or change circumstances. Churches with sound theology and a practical vision for the community (James 1.27) can actually transform individuals from within and bring the life of Christ to their families and communities.

Church Plants

Current Plant

Redeemer Presbyterian Church

Kenai, AK