Fuller Student Combines New Urbanism and the Church

Presbyterian pastor, author, and Fuller Seminary student Eric O. Jacobsen is passionate about an intriguing new movement-what he calls a different kind of pro-life movement: improving quality of life through New Urbanism. A largely secular movement, New Urbanism is a coalition of architects, planners, builders, and journalists who advocate for pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods built at a human scale. New Urbanists believe that something as simple as having a coffee shop within walking distance of one’s home can have a significant effect on the sense of community. Rev. Jacobsen sees New Urbanist goals for community as central to the mission of the Christian church as well-and is working to connect the two.

A doctoral student at Fuller Seminary’s Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts, Jacobsen recently published a book discussing the overlapping concerns of Christians and New Urbanists. Sidewalks in the Kingdom: New Urbanism and the Christian Faith, favorably reviewed in both religious and secular publications, has helped gather an active coalition of Christians who share his interest in the connections between neighborhood and community.

“New Urbanists have figured out that being able to walk to a park or to a corner store helps foster a sense of community among neighbors. Being able to walk to church has an important role to play as well,” Jacobsen says. In addition to writing articles and speaking at church conferences, Jacobsen has served as a consultant to New Urbanist developers who want to better understand how the church might recover its central role in the formation of community. He is a member of the Congress for the New Urbanism, which will hold its 13th annual meeting June 12-15 in Pasadena this year.

Jacobsen has found a supportive home for his New Urbanism passion at the Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts, Fuller’s initiative to nurture connections between the arts, popular culture, and the church. The Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts works to empower church and community leaders through a variety of activities: offering special events such as the Fuller Arts Festival and City of the Angels Film Festival; sponsoring research, lectures, conferences, and workshops; and working collaboratively with arts and educational institutions in the community. The Brehm Center is part of Fuller Seminary, one of the largest multidenominational seminaries in the world, with nearly 5,000 students from 70 countries and more than 100 denominations.