There are a lot of great churches in the Twin Cities. More so than other metropolitan areas, Minneapolis seems to be a place full of great churches. So why do we need another church? Why does the launch team at New City believe that what they are doing is important and worthwhile? Here is our best attempt to answer that question:
Church Planting is God's Plan
After Jesus was crucified and resurrected, the apostles started the first church. In the book of Acts we read about the early stages of the church in Jerusalem and the mighty ways in which new churches were planted throughout Jerusalem, all of Judea, Samaria, and around the globe. The apostles and other Christians were on a mission to start new church communities everywhere they went. The churches they started looked different from the other forms of religious practice of the time, but nonetheless, these communities were churches. There was leadership, they practiced the sacraments, they devoted themselves to the apostles' teachings, and they lived missionally. The result of the work of these early Christians was a rapid expansion of the church. In just 300 years, the church went from a rag-tag group of disciples to the dominant religious group of the Roman Empire. God used ordinary people planting churches everywhere they went to transform the world.
New City's Dream
At New City Covenant Church we want to be a part of something similar. All across the globe, there has been a renewed passion for church planting. A once Christian culture has shifted and is now considered by many to be post-Christian. No longer do people feel obligated to go to church just to fit in within the broader culture. Finally, people are going to church out of genuine spiritual interest. And frequently these sorts of people who are curious about exploring their Christian faith feel most comfortable in new church plants. There is no established culture that feels like a relic of times long ago. There is no entrenched leadership resistant to try new things. There are plenty of other people asking questions about the faith, and there are ample opportunities for people to actually do something at church. It doesn't take 10 years of faithful attendance before one is asked to serve in the leadership. For some people it could happen within the first 10 minutes of them attending service! All the newness to a church plant makes us flexible. We can adapt to the culture around us in a way that presents the gospel in relevant and compelling ways. The message of Jesus Christ is powerful and it is liberating. It is good news. Too often it has become bad news to the world because the church has failed to articulate it in compelling ways. We believe deeply in the gospel and we think it's fantastic news. Take a look at our vision, mission, & values statements on the about pages to learn more about the ways in which we attempt to live out the gospel in our contemporary society.
For more information on why we plant churches, see Tim Keller's article: Why Plant Churches