On Reaching a City

Even in a culture so fluid as America, sociologists seem to agree on at least one thing: urbanization is here to stay. The latest trends indicate that 80% of the world’s population will live in cities by the year 2030.

Faced with this brave new world of urban societies, church planters are scrambling to find strategies for reaching cities. As Christians, looking ahead to the New Jerusalem that will crown the wonder of the new heavens and earth, we see everywhere the seeds of the Kingdom growing and budding in today’s urban contexts. We believe Christ calls us to see the City of God—luminous and captivating—hidden under the grime and misery that so often cover the cities of man.

However, developing a holistic vision of urban renewal is not straightforward. Most church planters have the conviction that Jesus calls us to more than the establishment of new religious institutions. His call is to ‘seek first the kingdom.’ Sadly, most city churches wind up being representative of a single neighborhood—or perhaps an industry—at best, leaving many of us wondering how to translate Jesus’ call to seek the kingdom into our church planting efforts.

One thing is clear: the kingdom involves both saving grace and common grace, the redemption of individual souls and human systems, neighborhood renewal and industry renewal. Many church leaders are becoming aware of the need to bring people from various neighborhoods, industries, and socio-economic and cultural backgrounds to a common table in order to truly address both personal brokenness and systemic evil and injustice across a city.

An emerging strategy that addresses this need is the City Parish model, which, though in some ways is as old as St. Paul, perhaps has never had such direct relevance to a culture as to our age of urbanization. The model envisions one urban church community consisting of several neighborhood churches that network together for the common good and renewal of the city. The city parish church is diverse in its essential nature, uniting women, men, and families from various cultural and socio-economic backgrounds across a major metropolitan area.

THE CITY PARISH MODEL
Every six weeks all neighborhood churches come together for one citywide gathering to tell the story of God’s grace to the city at large. These citywide gatherings feature stories of transformation, freedom, healing, and renewal from every corner of the city. From these gatherings, the harmony of passionate, reverent worship offered by so many different tongues rises over the city, and an integrated, holistic vision of urban renewal emerges. These citywide gatherings of a single city church also leverage influence, steward momentum, and display unity to the city.

Each neighborhood church has its own elders and senior leadership team who provide spiritual direction and a specific missional vocation for the congregation. Each neighborhood community also has its own structures for pastoral care. On the other hand, the neighborhood churches share centralized resources such as student, workplace, family and artistic ministries, as well as a counseling center and citywide mercy projects, to name a few.

These neighborhood churches hold weekend worship gatherings that highlight how the kingdom of God is being expressed all across the neighborhood. Each community has the freedom to contextualize its worship to the culture of its neighborhood; communities meeting in areas with many families may focus on developing a thriving children’s ministry, while a gathering in a neighborhood full of artists may include interactive, creative elements in its worship.

MISSIONAL FOCUS
The heart of each neighborhood congregation is a network of missional communities: medium-sized groups (30-50 people) that meet throughout the neighborhood and provide the ideal environment for building relationships while connecting to the heart and mission of the church. To join a missional community is to enter into the journey of Christian discipleship. The missional community is essential, as it keeps the church small enough for everyone to have a real identity and be involved in the work of ministry, each using her own gifts to build the church.

Missional communities are organized around a shared mission to a neighborhood or industry. They cultivate partnerships with schools, organizations that provide social services, business leaders, activists, community organizers, and anyone else who loves his city and wants to make it a better place to live; they then leverage those partnerships to implement strategic projects aimed at redeeming and renewing that neighborhood.

FACILITATING INTIMACY
Several lifegroups, which typically consist of 6-12 people, comprise these missional communities. Lifegroups provide an opportunity to cultivate vulnerability through committed relationships, servanthood, and love, and very often meet over a meal in the home of a fellow member. These groups allow believers to walk together in the rhythms of Jesus’ way through the practice of shared spiritual disciplines: prayer, the study of Scripture, fasting, relationships of accountability. The pursuit of vulnerability in these groups requires the practice of reconciliation, and communal life deepens as members learn to bear with one another in love.

Triads—groups of two to four people of the same gender—are the smallest unit in the church community. These are the close friends within a lifegroup who know each other inside and out and will always tell each other the truth. Triads provide a framework for confession, accountability, encouragement, prayer and support, precisely because the smaller environment allows for greater vulnerability than can be practiced in even a lifegroup setting.

The city parish model is a highly relational, deeply interdependent, kingdom-focused vision of the city church. It enables church to remain small enough for each member to be known intimately and to involve every person in ministry while maintaining a kingdom-sized vision for renewing the city. Mission is both local and citywide.

Our sincere hope and prayer is that this model—by combining the best practices from several emerging church structures—will serve as an important contribution to God’s great work of renewing the world through the cities of our day.

5 Comments »

1. A long time networker and a pastor for and in our urban schools—I think it makes sense!  We are better together, and relationships are the glue that binds. 
   II Corinthians 4:2”..We refuse to wear masks and play games.”

   Comment by Mrs. O - Aug 20, 2009 @ 05:46 AM

2. Jon,

   Great article, it is theologically grounded and practically helpful. Thanks for being a person who takes both theology, practice and context seriously.  Peace.

   Comment by JR Woodward - Aug 24, 2009 @ 06:22 PM

3. When I look at what has made the biggest impact on the city of Los Angeles it has been things like economic development, jobs, small businesses, and lower crime, cleaner more sanitary streets etc.  I think this parish model is a good model for bringing Christians together.  I am challenged now with making a real, non-Christian attention getting, impact on my city.  I want the low income families, the homeless, the police, city council and the mayor to bring up the names of Churches when they are asked what has made this city a better place. 
   What I typically find is that most models like the City Parish Model end up putting all their focus and energy into creating these communities and having big gatherings but little time, effort, and considerable resources are put into the tangible touch on the city and its people. 
   Having a big gathering does not impress the city, it doesn’t show them unity, it shows them that there is a bigger group of Christians and they are probably going to use their leverage to unify on voting issues. That’s how non-churched, non-Christians think.  Until we display that we can really make a tangible difference in our city that isn’t a church-growth strategy in disguise or political meddling, I don’t think we are anything more to them than a religious gathering.

   Comment by Jesse Ross - Sep 16, 2009 @ 09:17 AM

4. Good point, Jesse.

   I think if you dig a little farther, you’ll see that Jon Tyson’s church , Trinity Grace http://trinitygracechurch.com is about helping and serving the city (maybe not as much as you suggest in your comment, but at least somewhat).

   I like the “missional communities” model b/c I believe it helps cultivate “community” among the members. Many large churches claim to be “a church of small groups” - but I think this very intentional strategy is the best at accomplishing this (theoretically).

   Jesse, I’m excited to see what your church in LA will be doing! I love, love, love your heart to serve your city and not at all be a religiousy, politically, useless club!!!

   How do you go about making a non-Christian attention getting impact on your city?  I think every church in America would be wise to pursue that.

   Comment by Jesse Phillips - Sep 16, 2009 @ 09:27 AM

5. Jesse,

   Great thoughts, great concerns.

   The citywide gatherings are not essentially designed just for the natural realm, they are also designed to help shape the spiritual climate of the city.

   I am not wanting to sound like an old school nut, but spiritual warfare, opposition, strongholds etc are all determining factors for influence of the gospel in a city. Whether you view this literally, or more symbolically like Walter Wink does, it is still a reality most people miss in their earnestness to make a direct impact with people.

   Ephesians 3 v 10
   His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.

   When the church comes together as a unified body, it shapes something bigger than just what is seen, it touches the spiritual climate. The church is not just a social change organization, but a spiritual body in a real conflict. Cities are incredibly contested spaces, and without addressing what Paul calls rules and authorities, much of the cities ability to see the gospel will be hindered.

   Its when we have sought God for the city, called upon his name in unity, prayed and worship and asked for real change, that often break throughs and open doors happen for justice partnerships and social renewal.

   Dismantling systemic evil in a city is something we haven’t really seen yet, because we dont address the powers and ideologies behind things. Its like mowing weeds, until you touch the root, it returns.

   We are trying to combine spiritual power with justice, and believe this will have serous lasting fruit.

   Hope this explains a little more.

   I looked at your website in LA and love what you are up to. Well done, keep going, more.

   Cheers.

   Jon Tyson.

   Comment by Jon Tyson - Sep 16, 2009 @ 06:40 PM

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