For a long time, it looked as if the idea of the local and therefore of place seen as locality seemed to have lost its relevance. Much of the church lost any sense that geographical context matters.

Yet that tendency to pull people out of their context has played to a consumerist mentality that sees church more as a consumer choice than a genuine community. Now, a shift seems to be underway that values locality much more - a resurgence of interest in the parish and the importance of the church's presence in community.

In The Place of the Parish Martin Robinson explores this shift, considering how it is manifested in a variety of contexts, rural, inner-city, Anglican and independent. Drawing on specific examples linked to the so-called `New Parish Movement', he demonstrates how a theology of place is made manifest in the mission of the church today.