A Look Into the Future.......

Yesterday I marked the one-year anniversary of announcing The City Church's development, by reflecting on what we've seen God do in & through us over the past 365 days. Today I want to give a glimpse into the next logical question, "what's coming up next?" As our now-5-month-old church begins its first school year, and looks toward our official one-year anniversary in January, what's in the works for the next 365 days? Obviously, we don't know everything that God will do over the next year... But here's a preview of some of what's in the works for the upcoming months - in the same format as yesterday's look backward:

"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching..."

• Once we finish up the book of Philippians, we'll spend a few weeks discussing the Bible's teaching on "covenant" and local church "membership." Then we'll spend several weeks walking through the Jesus's first recorded sermon (often called The Sermon on the Mount), in Matthew 5-7: as we walk step-by-step through Jesus's words, we'll be asking at every turn, "what would ______ look like if 'thy kingdom truly comes' - every day, on earth, in my life?" Fill in the blank with "marriage," "blessings," "trust," "anger," "sin" ...the list goes on. That's where City Church discussions are headed, likely into next summer.
• We're starting to push our folks toward more intentional discipleship: in smaller groups than Villages, with more intentional conversation, we want to see two or three men, and two or three women, pouring into each other, studying the Bible together, 'gospeling' each other, fighting sin with each other, and pushing each other more toward Jesus, in everyday contexts & situations.

"...and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayers."

• In fall 2010, we're introducing "covenant membership" for the first time - in 'devoting ourselves to the fellowship,' we'll look at the biblical concept of 'committing our lives together' to fulfill God's mission in your Village and in our church family. We'll preach on this concept for a couple weeks; let you ask questions; and it will fill your Village conversations for those weeks, as you covenant together for the following year.
• We'll continue Worship+Prayer nights some Sunday nights, but in being even more intentional with these gatherings, we're spreading them across the city: beginning this fall, W+P nights will see 2-4 Villages, who are in close proximity, come together and pray for each other and for your specific shared area of Fort Worth, where your Villages are all living on mission together.
• And of course, we'll continue to eat together a lot, take communion together at All-Church Gatherings, and be in each others' lives more and more...

"And awe came upon every soul, and many signs and wonders were being done through the apostles."

• We obviously can't plan the various things that God will do over the next year, nor can we say exactly how we'll stand in awe of him - but we trust and pray that God will do amazing things in our lives and in our city, as we press hard into him. Please spend time praying for this!

"And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need."

• In conjunction with covenant membership, and the committing of your Village's life and mission together, we're going to ask Villages to have regular "family nights" - instead of looking at specific verses that day, and instead of focusing on mission that day, we're going to ask you to focus on each other: your lives, your sin, your sanctification, your gospel intentionality, your needs. You'll pray for each other, surround each other, pour into each other, and help each other as you meet each others' needs.
• One of the biggest "need" we have as a church family right now is designated leadership: over the coming year, our church family will install our first Pastor-Elders and Deacons, who will carry out their biblical functions of teaching, overseeing, & shepherding the flock (pastor-elders), and of leading different ministries & helping fulfill the needs of the church family on the macro level (deacons, who will serve in ministries like KidCity, music, Villages, logistics & A/V).

"And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God..."

• In addition to weekly Villages & being in each others' lives regularly, we'll continue hosting regular Sunday gatherings, as we "equip the saints for the work of ministry": All-Church Gatherings ("gathered worship" if you will), where we'll continue to celebrate God, his word, Jesus's death and resurrection, and what God is doing in our lives & our city. And we'll continue our Sundays of "scattered worship" too: Worship+Prayer around the city, and carrying out biblical commands of worship that today's Christian culture often ignores: love your neighbors, serve proverbial widows and orphans, seek the welfare of our city, carry out the ministry of reconciliation, etc.

"...having favor with all the people."

• We obviously can't say we'll find favor with everyone we meet - but we're continuing to pursue relationships with not-yet-believing business leaders, neighbors, friends, classmates, and co-workers. And our prayer is that as we regularly serve and love our city well, and seek its welfare and redemption, that God will grant us favor and open peoples' eyes to himself.
• This next year will see us continuing to focus on specific areas of the city: in addition to new Villages in the Weatherford, Samuels Ave, and Hulen areas, we'll ask people to move, invest their lives, and press toward our goal to "have at least one thriving Village in each of the 12 zip codes in and around downtown Fort Worth, at least one within walking distance of every living unit in downtown and the W. 7th St. corridor, and several on university/college campuses."

"And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved."

• In addition to living on mission in Fort Worth, and in addition to investing in our first international missionaries, the coming year will see us seeking somewhere we can build relationships and regularly invest our lives internationally.
• We will lay the groundwork for planting our first church, with a first 'church planting resident' beginning to work through the planting process.
• Salvation is of God, and building God's church is God's job. Our job is to be faithful, to love people as people not projects, and to make disciples. We'll strive be faithful on our end, the coming year and beyond, and we'll beg God to build his kingdom and his church, in Fort Worth and beyond.

How do we get there?
If these last 365 days have showed us anything, it's that we're on an amazing, exciting journey, with new twists and unexpected turns at every point. But these are some of the things that in our minds, we'll see happen in our city and our church family over the coming year... But within God's sovereignty, it's up to you! As we said in our pre-launch gathering in December 2009, the first words of these verses above are "and they devoted themselves..." The "church" - the people of God - can only accomplish these and any great things if the "church" - the people of God - are devoted to God, to the gospel and identities we have in Christ, and to the mission and family.  So I'll end today's post the same way I ended yesterday's:

• We still beg for your prayers: we’re young & fragile, and unexpected things await us at every turn!
• We still need your support: summer months are tough on a 5-month-old church! 
• We still need your involvement: some of you wanted to see “if this would really work” before you jumped in: friends, it is, and it’s amazing! It feels like the church we read about in the Bible, and long for. It feels like what we’re supposed to be doing in our world. And as this first year has proven, it’s been amazing, fruitful, and ridiculously fun.

I thank God, and I thank you, for a mind-blowing first year in The City Church’s journey.