Redeemer’s congregation is divided into geographic regions or Parishes. Each Parish is overseen by a Parish Council made up of elders, members of the Deacon Team, and the Community Group leaders who serve in that Parish. The idea of a Parish refers to both a geographic place (local neighborhoods, cultural ethos, sociological makeup, etc.) and to the people within that locale (both believers and unbelievers).

Why does Redeemer have Parishes?
The Parish model is the way our elders and church leaders intentionally care for the congregation. St. Paul urged a group of first century elders to “keep watch over yourself and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28)

The Parish model provides clear and systematic shepherding for each member of our congregation, it encourages and supports care within our Community Groups and among the members of each Parish, and it helps us focus outwardly on our neighbors creating a foundation for planting new neighborhood congregations.

How do I know which Parish I am in?
Redeemer currently has six Parishes: The Central Parish, The Crossing Parish, The East Parish, The Fall Creek Parish, The North Parish, and The South Parish.

Which Parish you are in is determined first by your Community Group and then by where you live. Since the Community Group is the front-line of pastoral care at Redeemer, it’s members are considered members of the Parish in which it is located. In fact, you are considered a member of the Parish in which your Community Group is found even if that CG is outside your “geographic” Parish. If you are not involved in a Community Group, then you are automatically a member of the Parish you live in.

If you are not currently in a Parish then your name and contact information has not made it into our church data base. If you have made Redeemer your church home please take the time to fill out the registration form on the back of a worship bulletin, or from the Connecting Corner and place it in the offering, or turn it in to a member of the Redeemer staff.

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A short history of Parishes in the Presbyterian Church
There is a rich history of the Parish model in the Presbyterian Church in Scotland. John Knox, the Protestant Reformer and the founder of the Presbyterian Church in Scotland, divided Scotland into parishes. Each parish was led by a team of elders and deacons. The elders governed the church and the deacons were given the responsibility to care for the poor in each parish out of the funds of the congregation.

The parochial system began to vanish in the eighteenth century in Scotland; however, under Thomas Chalmers this system was restored in the church of St. John’s, Glasgow, during the early 1800’s. Chalmer’s parish included 11,513 residents, of which 2,633 were members of his church. Four thousand of the residents were unchurched. The entire area was divided into “quarters,” each with a deacon over it. Each deacon’s job was to keep the Session (the church’s elders) informed about the economic conditions in his quarter. He was to help the unemployed get work and help uneducated children get schooling. When a family was found in need, he was to seek out resources within the neighborhood. If there were no other options, the family was admitted to the “relief roll.” The statistics from one year show 97 families on the relief rolls of the church (from approximately 3,500 families in the parish).

The deacons did not work alone. Each “quarter” was cared for by a ministry team consisting of an elder, a deacon, a Sunday School teacher, and often a lay “evangelist.” The gospel was shared and children were enrolled in school as diaconal aid was offered. Chalmers called this program his “moral machinery.” At one point, his ministry was criticized for being in competition with the government welfare system. Chalmers readily agreed. He went on to say that the church could do what the government could not since he thought it could deal with the moral and spiritual roots of poverty.