Yesterday in talking to two different pastors in Memphis, the topic of public schools came up two different times.

One said to me in the context of his church’s and his family’s missional engagement with the city, “We decided to do the opposite of what most have done. People left the city and we decided to move in. People have pulled their kids out of public schools and we decided to put our kids in city schools.” I resonated with his passion.

Another conversation, this pastor, too, with a heart to send people on mission back into the city, but with a different approach to schools.  “The main way that I’m going to be on mission is not going to be through my 10 year old. I don’t expect him to be prepared for that. That’s not a risk I’m willing to take.” I was certainly sympathetic.

So the question is this: in a city like Memphis, or St. Louis – whose school system lost their accreditation in 2007 – what posture should a missional leader personally take toward the public schools?  Does a pastor or member of a church seeking city renewal have a responsibility to enroll their kids in the public school system? Why or why not? Is putting your kids in city schools an effective strategy for mission – or is there a better way for families to be on mission together?

I call this “idealized city idolatry.”

You know the people that have an ideal version of some church in their head? They keep waiting for this perfect church that suits them just perfectly in all the perfect ways. They keep waiting for this church that does not exist and so they never commit. They church hop all their days.

I don’t do that. At least not with churches. I do that with cities.

In the past, in processing a call to start a church, I have idolized the idea of what city I would plant in. It’s hard to explain, but if you know me, you might understand that I was waiting for that perfect city. In recent months God has broken me of this.

Hebrews 11 paints a picture of Abraham also yearning for a city – but his city was designed and built by God (v. 10).  That is what gave him and all those saints who faced tremendous difficulties the power to follow God on mission – they hoped for (and in) a lasting city – a city with “foundations.”  Abraham’s city was the new City to come.

Why don’t you (and I and all urban lovers out there) make a decision to stop looking for an idealized city here on earth (London! San Fran! Boston! Wherever You Last Visited!) and instead love the city right in front of you, plain as the nose on your face? It’s not going to be the perfect city.  In fact, isn’t that the point?  The real city (not the idealized one in your head) is most likely extremely broken.

But you and I are called, through the work of the gospel, to love that city, to help shape that city. Are you working, living, shopping, building relationships, doing justice, loving mercy, creating culture, and planting churches in such a way that the city right in front of you increasingly resembles that new City to come?