City Faith City Strategy

 We believe that God is already at work in our cities.  The reality is that His love for our cities and everyone in them far surpasses ours.  Believing this causes us to take the posture of a learner when we rally around a citywide vision. We are looking for the multiple ways that the Lord's work is happening around us so we can engage.  The call is to invite, encourage, challenge and even lead people to venture out and join Him in His redemptive and restorative plan s (Ps. 127:1).  We are to be on the front lines of hope in our communities!  Kingdom Causes exists to help mobilize the “Church of the City” toward seeing “God's Kingdom Come” locally and we do this by partnering with our leaders from the various cities in our association of connected cities. We engage (we bring together and connect seasoned and emerging city leaders), educate (we provide comprehensive and experiential training) and empower (we partner with leaders in their personal and organizational journey towards measurable transformation) local catalytic leaders. 

Rather than implementing some pre-determined steps and/or programs for holistic community transformation, we use these six guiding questions that help us keep a broad lens on our cities and elicit best practices in multiple ministry fronts.  We also look to identify regional conversations/collaborations that either inform or can inform our efforts in any of these areas.  

1. How are people praying? 
2. How are the stories of Hope and Transformation being told?
3. How is the Church of the City networked and pursuing UNITY?
4. Where is the city having conversations to address key community concerns & is the Church involved?
5. What local causes (Kingdom Causes) need to be rallied around? 
6. How are neighbors working together to develop their community? 

 These 6 questions guide all of our activities.  All of our city-specific activity crystallizes as we begin to discover the present realities around these questions.  When we find encouraging answers to these questions we help get the word out.  When we find multiple people who are also seeking the answers to these questions we partner with them in that pursuit.  When we are unable to find anything that is happening along these lines we help to catalyze things in order to draw them out or help them emerge.The catalytic role of the City Net connected/associated cities' staff (with the support of their respective city boards) is to facilitate community movement in a direction of positive change by utilizing various community organizing tools, leveraging of defined organizational partnerships, implementation of best-practices and mobilizing of the various relationships across the city (i.e. churches, city government, schools, agencies, neighbors, etc.).

 Our daily pursuit of the answers to these key questions result in increased hope and categorized and measurable activities that are specific to the local city context.  We are coaching partnered catalytic leaders and tracking regional results around our three impact areas across our connected cities:

• Healthy individuals, youth and family (people experiencing life-giving relationships and have access to the resources needed to develop holistically) 

• Vibrant "Church of the  city" (the Body of Christ is mature, exhibits cooperation and displays visible unity)

• Thriving neighborhoods (individuals, associations and institutions are interdependent and contribute to the well being of all)

May the Church be seeking “Thy Kingdom come to cities on earth, as it is in heaven!”