Pacific Northwest - the none zone

I had the privilege of interviewing Patricia O'ConnelKillen who is professore of religion at Pacific Lutheran University and is acting provost. She is the author of Religion and Public Life in the Pacific Northwest / The None Zone. This religious demographic study was published in cooperation with Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life at Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut. I found Dr. Killen very knowledgeable about the history of religious life in the Northwest with some insightful ideas about the future of the church in the Northwest. Our conversation included Postmodernity, enviornmentalism, 21st century church direction in relation to hostile local government and the meta church. She suggested that she would be coming to visit washington Cathedral sometime this summer to study it more closely and she also asked me to talk with Dr. James K. Wellman Jr. who is the chairman of the department of religion at the University of Washington. Dr. Wellman has written The Gold Coast Church and the Ghetto and th esoon to be published liberals verses evangelicals. I did spend an hour interviewing Dr. Wellman and found that time equally insightful into the mindset of those who are critical of church growth for church growth sake. He also seemed intrigued by the concept of Washington Cathedral and a counter enlightenment conversation. My demographic study of the area included not only of all the religious demographic studies that I could get my hands on but interviews with Dr. Rob Wall of Seattle Pacific University, Dr. Samuel McKinny of Mount Zion Baptist Church, King County chief executive Ron Simms, Redmond Mayor Marchione, past redmond Mayor Rosemarie Ives, Pastor Casey Treat, Pastor Joe Fuiten, Pastor Fulton Buntain, Dr. Tom Sine, Psychiatrist Dr. Ray Vath, Pastor Mark Driscol, and I have several more to go. The single largest group in the Pacific Northwest is those people who do not identify with any religion. This is why the name the none zone. It has ramifications in the way the city and county create zoning laws for churches and faith institutions. I have written about their reasons and find them quite sincere and a compelling call for the church to serve people the way that Jesus would. I asked Ron Simms (who is a pastors kid raised in Eastern Washington like myself) what he would like to tell all pastors of mega churches. He said, "find Jesus!"
It is interesting that in the history of the United States there has never been a section of our country that has a higher percentage of people unaffiliated with any religion than presently in the Pacific Northwest. Even the native Americans has a religion. I have a lot to say about this but I guess you are going to have to read my book. I have a great title but I have not copywritten it yet so just keep following this blog for the exciting develpment of meta religion and the meta church.

pastor Tim White (wacathedral.org)