DNA

KINGDOM -> DISCIPLE -> SOCIETY -> CHURCH

Our DNA is that we would live and teach the Kingdom of God in communities of faith that make disciples, engage society, and actively become a part of His church.

Christ builds His church through us as we actively pursue KINGDOM -> DISCIPLE -> SOCIETY. Below is how we carry and live our DNA out through our mission and vision.

OUR MISSION

New City Church is a growing network of Village Communities that live out the Great Commandment (Mark 12) and carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28) by developing transformed lives (Acts 2; Ephesians 4).

In other words: BE DISCIPLES. MAKE DISCIPLES.

VISION

UP. IN. OUT

Our vision is to carry out our mission as a church by fulfilling our mission statement within the process of Up/In/Out in the following ways:

NETWORK

The definition of network in its simplest form is having many things—-whether people, computers, wires, arteries or veins—-connected together to serve a common purpose. Therefore, the word network brings many implications to New City Church. First, it implies that New City Church is not a building, but a fluid community of believers coming together to serve the purpose of bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to the city of Chicago and the world. We do not seek to reach just one segment of the city by limiting ourselves to a location where we meet just once a week, but rather, we want to be a network that is running throughout the city and maximizing the impact we can have on the community. The second implication is that the community is connected. If a network is ever disconnected, then the whole network is rendered useless. Paul emphasized the importance of this in I Corinthians 12 when he referred to the body of Christ. Although there are many parts of a network, it is still one. Therefore, New City Church will have gatherings where all of the Village communities come together to worship, serve, and partake of communion as one body in Christ. The third implication is that a network must be connected to a hub, or a base. So, not only does the body of Christ need to be interconnected, but ultimately the network must be connected to the hub, or the head, which is Jesus Christ. Jesus stated in John 15:5 that “apart from me, you can do nothing”. Therefore, New City Church seeks to be a network (the body) connected to Christ (the head), relying on His power alone.

VILLAGE COMMUNITIES

New City Church is not just a network, but, specifically, it is a network of communities living out their faith in Christ together & carrying out the cause of Christ. We do not want our community groups to just grow in faith together, but desire that each group be Ambassadors to make disciples while also being disciples. New City Church believes that engagement will lead to community. In other words, when we are about making disciples, the church emerges. All of our VILLAGE communities, whether meeting in homes, bars, parks, coffee houses, schools, work places or community centers, will have emerged because disciples were made in that community and the group formed (Acts 2). These communities are called Villages and will be all over Wicker Park and the city of Chicago as our influence expands and new disciples are being made.

LIVE OUT

New City Church seeks to live out the Great Commandment (Mark 12). In other words, we do not want to attend a church, we want to be the church. In every aspect of our lives, as the body of Christ, we want to love God and love people. All of the Villages will have the DNA of the church, and they will seek to actively live out their relationship with God, authentically loving and serving people. To live this out means that the church is active, visible, and known by the community for loving and serving it.

CARRY OUT

New City Church seeks to carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28) to the world. Although our church is being planted in the Wicker Park area of Chicago, the church exists to carry out the Great Commission to the ends of the earth. New City Church is being planted with the world in mind. New City Church is engaging in the Middle East and all of our global focus, energy and resources are being poured into this region in an effort to carry out this commission. We believe that Christ seeks to reconcile all things to Himself (Col. 1:20) and since He has given us the ministry of reconciliation (II Cor. 5:18) we will actively pursue to carry this ministry out.

DEVELOPING

The Church exists to develop transformed lives and New City Church is no different. In living out the Great Commandment and carrying out the Great Commission, new disciples will be made and making disciples is what we are called to do. Be disciples. Make disciples. However, the task of developing involves a two-part vision for New City. Not only do we want to develop new Villages as we make disciples, but we also develop and plant new churches in Chicago and around the world with the same DNA as New City Church.