I hope the previous post sufficiently explained the basis for building a "different" kind of church! If you didn't read it please do, so you have a framework as you come to this one. This entry and the next one will explain more of how that will look, as we strive to be "one church in many locations, living as communities on mission and coming together to celebrate." [*And as a super special bonus for design geeks and folks who like symbolism and whatnot, you get to see how our logo is a visual representation for what we're doing]
One Church
The local church is called to be a unified community - less an institution or an event and more a people or a family. First and foremost, we have one LORD and Savior in Christ. We have one shared mission and vision we're working to accomplish together. We have one set of values we strive to live out. We have one strong, unified leadership team. We have shared experiences; shared goals; shared lives. We are one community, pressing together toward the glory of God and the good of Fort Worth.
In Many Locations
If that unified local church body gathers in one place, for one hour each week, there's only one group of neighbors to love and one area of our city to carry out mission (if mission actually happens at all!). What if, instead of gathering in one place every week, the primary venue for church life happened in intentional communities meeting in homes, coffee shops, and bars/pubs in strategic parts of the city? Then we would have multiple sets of neighbors to love and serve, and every Village has a "focus area" of Fort Worth to engage and restore! So The City Church will be one church, in many locations. Because they'll meet in various neighborhoods across Fort Worth, we're calling these communities "Villages." These Villages are the regular, weekly gatherings of The City Church. Why? Because that's how the early church - the body of Christ established by the apostles - carried out life in Scripture.
Why did we choose the name "Village" for these regular gatherings of the church? First, they'll be labeled geographically, so each Village will be invested in a specific area of Fort Worth: as we move together toward downtown Fort Worth, there might be a Ridglea Village meeting a few miles away from the 7th Street Village, which meets a few hundred yards away from the Sundance Village, etc. Second, the name "Village" flows well with the imagery of The City Church: dictionary.com defines a village as "a small community or group of houses... usually smaller than a town, and sometimes (as in parts of the U.S.) incorporated as a municipality" and/or as " the inhabitants of such a community collectively." Villages are about true community; they're about people; they're about shared values. They're smaller gatherings of people living out one mission and one vision in a specific area of Fort Worth!
So that's what it means to be "one church in many locations." The next logical questions are "what will this one church in many locations do?" "What does a Village look like?" "Is there ever a collective gathering of the church or is it always and only in homes?" and so forth. Tomorrow's blogumentary entry will answer those questions as I explain the second half of our vision: "living as communities on mission and coming together to celebrate." But the answer to the last question is yes, we'll gather regularly for worship, teaching, and celebration - but that will never become "church" per se... Check back tomorrow for more.
**In closing, I'd like to invite you to dive deeper into The City Church with us as we host a Vision/Brainstorming Dinner, next Sunday, July 19, 6pm at Matt and Angie Hudson's home. This is a no-commitment dinner; even if you're just intrigued or curious, come enjoy free food, get to know folks, ask questions, and hear a little more about what we're doing. Full details here, and PLEASE let us know you're coming so we can have enough food! And if you can't make this first one, we'll have another V/B Dinner Aug 23. Thanks all, for following along on this exciting journey, and for your kind words and prayers. Have a great week!**
2 comments:
I love, love, love this notion for being the church, for actually having a life together AS the church that is then celebrated weekly when all the villages gather on Sundays. I hope that it's working, that community in Jesus' name is really happening, that lives are changing. But I'm so, so, so very disheartened. I've experienced such community before in another city, and it changed my life; so I yearn for it again. And that is why my heart breaks to see that you and your congregation are affiliated with the Acts 29 Network. In all honesty, I hate (which is not a word I use very often) the Acts 29 Network, because I hate what it does to women...and men. I'm sure it's not worth debating at this point, which leads to the question of why I'm bothering with this comment. I'm bothering with it because of all the things I said I love above, and because of that yearning, which leads to my question: do you know of any congregations in the area that "get" being the church/community via a "one church with many locations" approach, but that aren't misogynistic (another strong term, I know, but I use it purposefully because I believe it's appropriate inasmuch as misogyny is inherent to the Acts 29 approach)?
Robert - First, please forgive my delayed response!
Thank you for the kind words & affirmation toward the kind of church family we're trying to be. My deepest hope & prayer is that people are moved by the gospel, & experience the kind of life change of which you speak. I'm glad you got to experience it, & hope you do again soon.
To your specific question, I'm honored to recommend churches to you, but I honestly don't know anyone doing what we're doing, in Fort Worth or most of DFW. Lots of churches have small groups (with various names), but to actually elevate the 'home church' concept to central, & make it a lifestyle, I don't know. NorthWood in Keller is very early on in trying to change their church toward this 'cell' concept, & I know of a few 'single-home' house church-type entities, but nothing that meets what you're asking for. I'm sorry. I wish I could help you more!
I'm also sorry for what I can only assume must be a wound caused you - and maybe your wife? - by Acts 29, or at least by your perception of it. If you were part of an Acts 29 church & found yourselves treated in such a way, I can assure you that would be a unique case/view in the network as a whole, & I'm deeply sorry for your experience. If, on the other hand, your view is formed 'from afar,' I'd encourage you to give the network a chance - either our church or another, & see if your perception proves true. I can assure you that in a network as varied as Acts 29, stereotypes & falsehoods break down quickly.
I can assure you that in our church family, we love, value, respect, & honor women, & see them as a vital part of church life, ministry, & leadership. I'm happy to dialogue with you more about the experience or perception that's caused you so much grief, as long as we can both agree to do so with great grace & truth, but would prefer to do so over email. Let me know if that's of interest to you; it would be my honor.
Again sir, I appreciate the kind words, for your honesty in sharing your concern, & for taking the time to read & comment on my only-occasionally-updated blog! Cheers.
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