2026
Join us in Chicago.
Inhabit is an annual gathering for people learning how to be the Church in their neighborhoods, together. Hosted by the Parish Collective, Inhabit brings people from across the country to gather in one place, return year after year, and practice faith rooted in real neighborhoods.
If you’re longing for a grounded, hopeful space to listen, learn, and stay → this may be for you.
What You’ll Walk Away With
What people do find themselves carrying home is:
A renewed sense of hope for their place
Language for what they’re already sensing
Practices they can try and adapt
New relationships that continue beyond the gathering
Courage to stay rooted where they are
A deeper trust in what God is already doing nearby
People don’t leave Inhabit with a blueprint and exact answers.
Inhabit Contributing Voices
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Dr. Willie James Jennings
theologian, author, educator, minister
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Rev. Dr. Jonathan "Pastah J" Brooks
pastor, author, teacher
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Dwight Friesen
professor, author
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Tim Soerens
author, speaker, Chief Possibilities Officer
Why Chicago? Why Lawndale?
Why Chicago? Why Lawndale? Inhabit returns to the same neighborhood this year because place matters. Staying put is part of the practice.
Lawndale is an incredible place, and a generous teacher. It is a neighborhood shaped by deep faith, resilience, creativity, and care. It carries stories of struggle and renewal, grief and joy, long-term commitment and daily hope. Lawndale reminds us that God’s work is not abstract but it is rooted in real streets, real people, and real histories.
By gathering here again, we learn to listen longer and notice more. We resist the urge to extract ideas without relationship, choosing instead to pay attention, receive what is offered, and honor the wisdom already present.
Lawndale can help us learn how to see our own neighborhoods with greater humility, patience, and love, not as a place to replicate, but as one example of what faithfulness can look like in a particular place.
What a Day at Inhabit Feels Like
Across two days, we gather to listen, pray, learn, eat, walk, sing, and respond together. The rhythms are intentional.
Unhurried arrivals with good coffee and space to settle in
Common sessions that weave together teaching, storytelling, worship, and embodied practices
Time to metabolize what we’re hearing: through prayer, movement, music, and silence
Stories from the ground, rooted in real neighborhoods and lived experience
A typical day includes:
Parish pilgrimages that take us into local communities to listen and learn in place
Shared meals that become spaces for conversation, storytelling, and rest
Workshops that are participatory, practical, and shaped by shared questions
Moments of sending, grounding us again in our own neighborhoods and contexts
Throughout the gathering, we return again and again to the soil beneath our feet, paying attention to place, honoring difference, and trusting that God is already at work before we arrive.
Travel & Lodging
Inhabit Conference is hosted at Agape Chapel in Lawndale, Chicago.
We are currently working to secure hotel room blocks at nearby, transit-accessible hotels. In the meantime, we’re sharing recommended options and travel guidance to help you plan with confidence.
Hampton Inn & Suites Chicago
Medical District UIC
Approx. 2 miles from the venue
Transit accessible (Describe which transit - Pink Line) 15 min drive from hotel to Agape Church
Hyatt Place Chicago Medical
University District
Approx. 2 miles from the venue
Transit accessible
Courtyard Chicago Medical
District UIC
Approx. 2 miles from the venue
Transit accessible
This page will be updated as travel and lodging details are finalized.
Getting There
The Illinois Medical District and West Loop areas offer reliable access to the venue via public transportation or ride share.
Attendees traveling from outside Chicago may find the CTA Pink Line and ride share services to be the most convenient options. We recommend planning daytime travel if you’re unfamiliar with the area.
Hotel block booking links will be shared once finalized.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Nope. People come from a wide range of backgrounds: pastors, lay leaders, organizers, artists, neighbors, and practitioners from many traditions. What connects them is a shared commitment to place, practice, and staying rooted.
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That’s okay! We know lots of people who came by themselves but left with new relationships and a sense of belonging. In fact, Parish Collective staff member, Lauren, bravely attended her first Inhabit by herself. Now, 8 years later she’s on our staff team!
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Parish Collective is a Christ-following, ecumenical network bringing people together across difference and distance. Our shared center is learning to be the Church in our unique neighborhoods. We don’t agree on everything, but we are committed to love, mutual respect, and paying particular attention to voices at the margins of our differences.
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Yes and no. There are common sessions and workshops, but Inhabit is designed as a communal gathering with many voices sharing wisdom and experiences. Many of the most meaningful moments come through shared conversation, storytelling, and embodied practice, not just from the front of the room.
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Curiosity, openness, and comfortable shoes.
Join Us
Inhabit is held annually in Chicago and serves as a gathering point for a growing movement of people committed to being the Church in their neighborhoods.
If this resonates, we’d love to gather with you.
