2026
sacred ground
Join us in Chicago.
Inhabit is the national gathering of Parish Collective, people learning how to live faithfully, locally rooted in real neighborhoods, shaped by shared practice, and grounded in hope.
It’s the heart of the parish movement, connecting us to be the Church in our neighborhoods for the flourishing of everyone and everything.
the details
Produced by: Parish Collective
Dates: May 1–2, 2026
Location: Chicago, IL
Grounded in place by: Lawndale Christian Community Church + the North Lawndale Neighborhood
registration cost
$199 — Early Bird rate (through March
$249 — Standard rate (starting March 15)
Registration includes access to all common sessions, workshops, parish pilgrimages, coffee and snacks.
We aim to keep Inhabit prices as accessible as possible while stewarding the real costs of gathering as well. If you need support with your ticket costs, please contact us at info@parishcollective.org.
Ready to Join Us?
We’d love to gather with you!
Inhabit 2026: Sacred Ground
Rhythms of renewal for life in your neighborhood
In 2026, we gather around the theme Sacred Ground, seeking God’s renewal in us for the sake of our neighborhoods.
We believe God created the world with rhythms for renewal, and that our places (real streets, real people, real histories) teach us how to join God’s work of resurrection right where we are
We’ll hear and learn from the sacred ground of our neighborhoods. To love God, neighbor, and neighborhood, we’ll emobody practices together that help us pay attention, receive what is already present, and align ourselves with God’s resurrection story.
conveners and contributors
Inhabit is shaped by the people in the room.
The gathering is guided by practitioners, pastors, leaders, and everyday neighbors who are offering their gifts through, storytelling, workshops, music, art, facilitation, and shared practice. Every voice, every story, every table conversation is part of something bigger. Together we’ll learn from ordinary people doing extraordinary things in their neighborhoods. We can’t wait to see how you will contribute just by being in the room.
Meet the people contributing their gifts to the gathering.
Be sure to check back and see who will be joining us!
practice · presence · place
At Inhabit, we discern together how God is calling us to be the Church in our neighborhoods through three shared commitments
practice
We equip one another through stories, prayer, shared learning, and embodied experiences you can carry home. We trust that everyone brings a gift worth sharing, and that we learn best when we learn together.
presence
We gather across difference to experience a taste of the Beloved Community, being together in ways that are honest, relational, and deeply human. It isn’t always simple or tidy, but it is rooted in patience, curiosity, and a shared commitment to stay at the table.
place
We renew imagination for God’s dreams in our neighborhoods by paying attention to particular places and honoring unique contexts. Spending time in a new place often gives us fresh eyes for the familiar neighborhoods we call home.
Real Inhabit Experiences
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“I absolutely loved it. I was a little nervous coming because I didn’t know anyone, but it was so easy to connect with the other folks there. I feel like I found a group of people in the Parish Collective that really is about the things I want to be about, who are approaching God and place in a way that inspires me and reminds me that I’m not alone.”
— Michael C.
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The highlight of Inhabit for me was: “The stories, the diversity of storytellers, the artistic ways some shared, and the authenticity… I didn’t feel browbeat to think a certain way. I felt beloved.”ist Item
— Lynne W.
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“Inhabit was life giving and inspirational. I really enjoyed hearing about the particular and contextualized ways people are living out their calling to love their neighbors well. It was encouraging to hear that there’s no one right way to do things and joy filling to hear about all the ways people are joining in God’s work of redemption.”
— Courtney R.
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“This was a powerful experience for me. I felt challenged, convicted and renewed in my community advocacy and connections with my neighborhood.”
— Michael W.
FIVE REASONS
WHY INHABIT IS WHAT YOU NEED:
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.
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.
