Blackburn North is in the 'Bible-belt' of Melbourne's eastern suburbs - but there's evidence that the 'belt' is already moving further out. How do we maintain a Christian witness in our area and realise a good long-term return on the substantial investment we've put into our new St Alfred's church buildings?
Larger Christian congregations have tended to be where young families and affordable housing have been, but church buildings have often lagged behind church growth. This means that by the time funds are raised, and a facility is built, young families have already begun shifting away as the area becomes too expensive. This is part of the reason why there are so many (in their day full and expensive to build) church buildings in the inner east of Melbourne that are largely under-utilised today.
The same sort of predicament faces government planners who have to decide where to put schools and other public facilities.
Some time ago I wrote this paper for my local church community: tell me if you found it helpful, or if you disagree!
