Much has been said in the last few years about the rise of the American city. The fact, we’ve heard, is that the population is migrating back to urban centers, possibly in historic numbers. Rural America is being left behind. Suburbs, once the attractive escape for former rural and urban dwellers, are stagnating. This narrative had effects in the church leadership and church planting worlds. I’ve heard many imply, and in some cases state explicitly that, “we’ve got suburban America covered. Let’s turn our attention toward urban and rural communities…especially urban.” And to be sure, urban and rural both need the church’s attention, because the church has, in far too many cases, left both.

But recently, the Urban Land Institute published an enlightening report titled Evolving U.S. Suburbs Continue to Shape Residential Demand and Development. The report is based on a study of suburbs through the lens of residential real estate, and it’s worth the attention of pastors and ministry leaders. You can find the report here.

Here are the study’s key findings and a quick thought about each:

• America remains a largely suburban nation. Statistic: In the 50 largest (and most urbanized) metropolitan areas in the United States, suburbs account for 79 percent of the population and 75 percent of adults aged 25 to 35. Thought: Most Americans who are “moving to the city” are actually moving to suburbs in metropolitan areas. If we want to “go where the people are”, we should go to suburbs.   

• Suburban growth has driven recent metropolitan growth. Statistic: From 2000 to 2015, suburban areas accounted for 91 percent of the population growth and 84 percent of the household growth in the top 50 U.S. metro areas. Thought: While there are lots of young adults and empty nesters moving to urban areas, those people don’t have babies. Growing families live in the suburbs. It still makes sense for suburban churches to focus their attention on young families, which has the potential to pay dividends for generations.     

• Most Americans work in suburbs, although job growth has been more balanced recently. Statistic: As of 2014, 67.5 percent of the employment in the 50 largest metro areas was in the suburbs. Thought: We often think that suburbanites in metro areas live in the suburb, but work in the city. That’s not true. Most people who live in the suburbs also work there. So a suburban church has a unique opportunity to transform its population by engaging believers in marketplace ministry and activities that lead to flourishing professional communities.

• American suburbs as a whole are racially and ethnically diverse. Statistic: Seventy-six percent of the minority population in the top 50 metro areas lives in the suburbs. Thought: This statistic is shocking to me and could be game-changing for the church. The suburbs aren’t just where all the white folk live. Most metro suburbs are extremely diverse. It’s time for your church to reflect diversity on its staff and its stage, and to start having important conversations about race.

Much more could be said about this new report from ULI and its implications for the church, but the bottom line is, the church can’t afford to let it’s foot off the gas in reaching suburban America. We must return to the communities, both rural and urban, that we once abandoned. AND, we must acknowledge the realities of suburbia, where there is an ever-growing need for more healthy churches, and where the opportunities for the church are greater than ever.