Building together
for the future of the church
in neighborhoods everywhere.
The Inhabit Conference 2024
April 26-27, 2024 | Federal Way, WA | Dumas Bay Centre
Inhabit is our longest running, most expansive conference, where we come together to share stories, sing the joys and laments of our neighborhoods and learn from each other.
This year we get to be together in new and deeper ways, creating even more space to connect and collaborate across so many of our cities, denominations and networks. Join us Friday and Saturday, April 26th and 27th, for what is a highlight of the year for many of us. We also have pre-conference half day sessions, Thursday, April 25 with our key partners:
Christ & Cascadia - The Unique Opportunities and Challenges of Ministry in the Geography of the Pacific North West
Strong Towns - Love Your Neighbor, Build Strong Towns
V3 - New Paradigms for Neighborhood Church Planting
This year we’re shifting locations to the the serene Dumas Bay Centre, overlooking the beautiful Puget Sound, giving us a unique opportunity to stay onsite as a group. This gathering space allows us to spend more time together, to be rejuvenated within the community of creation, and to engage in important shared learning and conversations to dream together for the future of the Church in and across our places.
Neighborhood Stories
Our Common Sessions are filled with stories from everyday people in everyday places. We are committed to learning from a diverse cross section of stories to make the movement visible and celebrate everyday heroes living out God’s dream in their neighborhood.
Creative Liturgy
Original liturgy, poetry, interactive art and music play a vital role in the way we gather at the Inhabit Conference. These collective experiences animate our imagination, give voice to our theological hopes and help shape our faithful actions.
Shared Learning
Through keynote talks from leading parish practitioners, spaces of dialogue, geographically organized meet ups and curated workshops, learn with us to be the church in and across our neighborhoods. Explore topics that are relevant to your work in your neighborhood.
CONVENORS AND CONTRIBUTORS
Join the Parish Collective Fellowship and many more friends!
BASIC CONFERENCE DETAILS
Below you’ll find some basic info for the conference. Please save the date and purchase your ticket now, and we’ll continue to provide more information as the date draws near. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions: info@parishcollective.org.
LOCATION:
Dumas Bay Centre
3200 SW Dash Point Rd
Federal Way, WA 98023
SCHEDULE:
Thursday, April 25
Scroll down to find out more information about the choices for an optional pre-conference day, offered at an additional add-on fee to your ticket.
9am-2:30pm: Strong Towns Pre-conference Workshop
9am-2:00pm: V3 Pre-conference Workshop
12:15pm-6:30pm: Christ & Cascadia Pre-conference Workshop
Friday, April 26
7:30a—9:00a Registration
9:00a-10:30a Common Session 1
111:00a-12:00p Breakouts
12:00p-1:30p Lunch
1:30p-2:30p Breakouts
3:00p-4:30p Common Session 2
OPTIONAL SOCIAL GATHERINGS:
4:30p-6p Happy Hour
6:00p-7:30p Family Dinner
8:00-9:00p Love Thy Neighborhood Concert and Open Mic
Saturday, April 27
7:30a-9:00a Registration
9:00a-10:30a Common Session 3
11:00a-12:00p Breakouts
12:00p-1:30p Lunch
1:30p-2:30p Breakouts
3:00p-4:30p Common Session 4
STAY ONSITE AT THE DUMAS BAY CENTRE
This year we’re shifting locations to the serene Dumas Bay Centre, overlooking the beautiful Puget Sound, giving us a unique opportunity to stay onsite as a group. This gathering space allows us to spend more time together, to be rejuvenated within the community of creation, and to engage in deeper conversations to dream together for the future of the Church in and across our places. It would be especially meaningful if you and a group from your Parish stayed together! Book your rooms through us by adding it on to your event ticket fee. Click to explore more information on the Dumas Bay Centre website about the housing options.
**Continental breakfast will be included each morning for those staying on site.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PRE-CONFERENCE DAYS
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Thursday, April 25, 12:30pm-6:15pm
What makes the Cascadia (Pacific Northwest) region distinct, particularly for those who are a part of Christian communities? Is it a shared love of nature, post-Christendom secularity, or a justified distrust of religious institutions? This gathering is an intentional space for ministry leaders, gatherers, spiritually-led creatives, and faith-motivated workers to discuss these questions.
At this pre-day event, there are no keynote speakers; there are no academics behind a podium reading you their philosophical theories of how to do ministry in Cascadia; there are no subject matter experts with 3- or 12- step answers. Instead, there’s you: practicing Christians in daily ministry, as the experts of your own experience, coming together to discuss those shared experiences and your unique insights. You'll have the opportunity to partake in small group conversations around topics focused on Christianity in the Cascadia region. We'll end the day with a happy hour featuring locally-grown hops and grapes.
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Thursday, April 25, 9a-2:30p
Does God care how wide a road is? Does loving your neighbor also mean caring about how your neighborhood is built — about how walkable it is, the variety and quality of housing, zoning codes, the availability of parks and green spaces, and more?
In this session, participants will explore these and other questions at the intersection of faith, justice, and the built environment. Co-hosted by Strong Towns — an international movement helping people from all walks of life build safer, more livable, and more resilient places — we will discuss how faith communities can slow cars to make streets safer for all, effectively advocate for more housing, leverage church spaces on behalf of neighbors, and decode the subtle and not-so-subtle ways in which the built environment brings us closer to our neighbors…or keeps us apart.
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Thursday, April 25, 9a-2p
Don't just launch another worship service; engage in the grassroots work of movement. V3 is part of a national groundswell of planters and practitioners that are seeking to recover the DNA that Jesus placed in his church 2000 years ago. We want to help you start and sustain new churches with the practices of boundary-crossing mission, locally- rooted presence, life-forming discipleship, and tight-knit community. Join us on this adventure, find supportive friends, and partner in the larger movement God's spirit is igniting.
In this pre-conference session you will be learning to Rethink Leadership–from solo leadership to leading as a community; Redesign Structure–from centering Sunday to centering discipleship, and finally, Renovate Mission–from us to them to us with them.
PAST BREAKOUT TOPICS
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Innovative and Creative Housing for Affordability and Community
with David Leong
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Liturgy of Earthkeeping
with Christine Sine
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Grounded Faith: Engaging Young Adults For the Future of the Church in the Neighborhood
with Montague Williams, Eunice Lin, and Lauren Goldbloom
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Art, Poetry and Creative Prophesies in the Neighborhood - Learn From Them
with Drew Jackson
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Songs of Place: Songs that Gather us Around Shared Theological Hopes
with Tom Wuest
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Neighborhood Healing through Community Farming
with Malcolm Shabazz Hoover
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Church-based Reparations in the Neighborhood
with Jonathan Brooks
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From Idea to Reality: Possibilities for Neighborhood Flourishing
with Majora Carter
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Neighboring as Discipleship
with Shannan Martin
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Neighborhood Church Planting/Church Revitalization
with Dr. Eun Strawser
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How to Be the Local Church
with Tim Soerens
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Social Banking: The Art of Relational Currency in the Neighborhood
with DeAmon Harges
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Start with Manifest Destiny... Rooting our Theology in the Story of the Land
with Lenore Three Stars and Lauren Goldbloom
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Placemaking: The Hope of Strong Towns
with John Pattison
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Reconciliation for Neighborhood Trust and Mutuality Across Difference.
with Michael Mata and Tom Wuest
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Kids, Youth and Being the Church in the Neighborhood Together
with Kate Pattison, Amy Wilson Roberts, Amy Chapman, and Yvonne Araujo-Schacht
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Neighborhood Economics
with Leroy Barber
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Theology in Place
with Dwight Friesen
FAQs
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We are not offering childcare this year.
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Yes, you can go back to the registration form and add on a pre-conference day later if you’d like.
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Seattle/SeaTac airport
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No, we are not able to offer a livestream option this year.
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We’ll have a cafe on site with snacks and food available for purchase during our time and additional food trucks and options for lunches and Friday night dinner.
Continental breakfast is included in the onsite housing fee. -
How do I book a room?
Reserve your room(s) through the same site where you get your Inhabit tickets (any green button on this page!)Can I book my room later?
Yes, you can purchase your early bird ticket for Inhabit now and return later to book a room at Dumas, however, rooms will sell out so act quickly to reserve your spot!What are the room options?
Most rooms are single occupancy with communal bathrooms. You can select the specific room option you’d prefer (subject to availability).
Can I stay Wednesday night or for only one night at Dumas?
Accommodation at Dumas is not available for Wednesday night. One night stays are also not available. Accommodation is offered for 2 or 3 night stays, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, and you can select your option on the registration form.
FIVE REASONS WHY INHABIT IS WHAT YOU NEED IN 2024:
Inhabit will remind you of the power of everyday stories.
You are a part of a bigger story of God and your story is far more powerful than you realize.Inhabit will broaden your vision of what our collective impact could be.
There is a larger place-based movement that is looking to the Parish Collective to represent Christian place-based engagement.Inhabit will connect you with resources and co-conspirators.
In a time of denominational decline and anxiety, many are looking for ways to reinvent and innovate for needed change. Find yourself on our new Two Loops graphic and see how vital connection is to establishing the new church culture.Inhabit will encourage you to continue on the long, intentional and liberative path.
We believe (and we’re betting you do, too) that the local church being the local church is the absolute best strategy and healing agent that anyone could dream up in times like ours with a history of oppression and increased polarization.Inhabit will leave you singing a new song for your place.
We love to highlight artists and creative expression coming from our neighborhoods. In particular, the songs we sing together are uniquely Spirit-inspired and rooted in place.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
Parish Collective is a Christ-following ecumenical network bringing people together across intersections and distance. Our main point of unity lies in learning to be the church in each of our unique neighborhoods. When we connect across places, we find the power of God’s love to be healing and transformative. This means we may not agree on everything, but we have a mutual commitment to love and respect, especially platforming and protecting those on the margins of our differences.