Shelby Park 360 Study

INTRODUCTION
Sojourn Midtown has always had a special love
for the city and because of this love we desire
to fill up our city with gritty disciple-makers.
In the Great Commission, Christ calls the
church to develop wholehearted disciples; ones
who imitate Jesus in his mission to make
mature, missional followers of all nations
starting within their unique context.
All Sojourn Collective Churches believe that our
unique context begins with the physical
location where we gather each week to
worship. For us at Sojourn Midtown, this
means the neighborhood of Shelby Park.
Though our vision at Midtown extends to all of
Louisville (more in the coming months), every
journey begins with one step. We begin with
Shelby Park because it is the place where we
gather together and the only neighborhood in
Louisville that we all drive into each week.
This study is intended to aid our church body to
build relationships between Sojourn Midtown
and Shelby Park. It will help us understand
both the challenges that affect the lives of our
neighbors and how Sojourn Midtown is
perceived by the community. It will also guide
our strategic planning and the development of
future outreach efforts.
At the end of this booklet, you will find a series
of discussion questions. Our goal is to provide
this study as a means of stimulating creative
thinking around how we can best love our
neighbors. So, once you’ve read through this
study, gather your community group or a few
friends and discuss how you can wisely and
effectively establish good relationships with
our neighbors in Shelby Park.
The Pastors and Staff at Sojourn Midtown
To better understand Shelby Park and the
current dreams, bridges, and barriers that exist,
we commissioned a team of volunteers to
conduct an in-depth neighborhood study. Our
goal was to become students of Shelby Park in
order to become better servants in the
community. We surveyed neighbors door-todoor,
conducted in-depth interviews, spent
hours walking and biking to observe our
streets, and collected demographic, historical
and cultural data to complete this study.
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PEOPLE
Congressional District: John Yarmuth
State Senate District: Denise Harper Angel
State House Districts: Attica Scott and Reginald Meeks
Metro Council Representative: Barbara Sexton-Smith
Shelby Park Neighborhood
Association President: Chip Rogalinski
SCHOOL ENROLLMENT
Preschool: 22 (1%)
Kindergarten: 72 (2%)
Grades 1-4: 145 (4%)
Grades 5-8: 245 (9%)
High School: 164 (6%)
Undergraduate: 145 (5%)
Graduate: 33 (1%)
AGE
65+: 195 (7%)
40-64: 862 (30%)
22-39: 796 (28%)
18-21: 149 (5%)
0-17: 877 (30%)
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME
All White: $22,600
Non-Hispanic White: $22,400
Black: $16,300
All: $19,000
HOUSEHOLD TYPE
Married: 232 (22%)
Single Females: 313 (29%)
Single Males: 37 (4%)
One Person Family: 397 (37%)
Other Non-Family: 87 (8%)
RACE
Black: 1421 (49%)
White: 1264 (44%)
Hispanic: 19 (.4%)
Mixed Race: 132 (06.6%)
EDUCATION
Higher Degree: 417 (21%)
High School: 971 (55%)
No High School: 366 (24%)
POPULATION HIGHLIGHTS
Total Population: 2900
EMPLOYMENT STATUS
Employed: 9238 (45%)
Unemployed: 270 (13%)
Not in the Labor Force: 864 (42%)
RESIDENTS BELOW POVERTY LEVEL
Adults: 1363 (47%)
Children: 1740 (60%)
Households with no vehicle: 434 (38%)
MARITAL STATUS
Never Married: Male (58%), Female (50%)
Married: Male (23%), Female (23%)
Separated/Divorced: Male (21%), Female (18%)
Widowed: Male (2%), Female (5%)
SINGLE MOTHER HOUSEHOLDS
260 (26%)
DEMOGRAPHICS
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