Top Three Priorities
The Next Five campaign coincides with the rolling out of our church’s strategic plan, made up of three priorities:
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Helping people become more like Jesus. So often the witness of the gospel has been undermined by those who claim to follow Jesus but live and love nothing like he did. We want to be a church where we are learning to live as Jesus would if he were in our place, shining like stars in the universe as we hold out the word of life (Philippians 2:16).
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Cultivating a space where everyone feels welcome and accepted. In a world wrought by divisiveness and separation, we want to display the inclusion and diversity of God’s kingdom, reflecting in the here-and-now what we will one day see in all its fullness: people of every tribe, nation, and language—bringing all of who they are—worshiping God together (Revelation 7:9-10).
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Working together to create a more just city. We seek to steward the place God has called us to, and we want to recognize we do not do so on our own. We want to partner with those churches and organizations who have been faithfully working towards the flourishing of God’s kingdom for decades and with those who are just joining the work to see tangible changes that demonstrate our love for our neighbors in actions and in truth (1 John 3:18).
Funds raised through The Next Five campaign will enable us to press into our discerned priorities, building on what has gone before as well as investing in the things to come, the dreams and visions God has given us as a church community.
A successful campaign would help us deepen our ability to offer a place of welcome and healing for those in search of God. It would help us strengthen our work of equipping disciples of Jesus to live out the gospel, wherever they are called to go or stay. It would allow us to more equitably compensate our staff. It would help us replenish our savings so we’re well positioned to explore purchasing a permanent space, should the opportunity arise.
As a church founded in 2017, we have now experienced as much time dealing with Covid-19 and its effects as we did before the pandemic began in 2020. We grieved lost loved ones, were separated from friends and family, and had to adapt to a new way of life—at work and at home, in friendships and relationships, and even with church.
We hosted our first online service in 2020, using only someone’s phone camera. We met exclusively online for eighteen months. We felt the isolation, trying to care for ourselves and our loved ones even as we sought to care for our neighbors too. Some experienced crises of faith, battling social and spiritual isolation because of the virus as well as disillusionment because of continuing racial injustices. Others are still recovering from or just grieving the disappearance of friendships.
We felt the financial impact as a church too. Giving went down by more than 10%—over $100,000—during those eighteen months online as compared to the eighteen months prior.
But turning five in 2022 was a critical moment for Christ City Church. It was a moment of tremendous gratitude for God’s faithfulness, seeing us through the worst of the pandemic. And it was a moment of reflection for our elders, staff, and leaders. What kind of church are we and what kind of people are we becoming? Who are we on this side of a devastating pandemic and what will we look like five years from now?
We believe God is not done with us yet. There is more to come.
