Are City Groups Missional Communities?
By Jonathan Dodson | February 24th, 2010 | Category: Missional Church | 6 comments
The short answer is yes, with a gospel center. The long answer is the book I am writing right now. Here’s an excerpt from the book that addresses this question:
Contextualization and “City Groups”
Missional communities are also referred to as: Clusters, Gospel communities, or even Trash Groups. Missional community, however, is the term has become most common in Missional Church literature. If this is the case, why invent yet another name? The primary reason we chose to call them City Groups was due to a principle of missional community called contextualization. Contextualization is the intentional process of communicating the historic gospel and teachings of Jesus Christ in contemporary cultural forms.
In order to best communicate the gospel in our urban, post-modern, creative class context, we discerned that the term “missional community” would be a hindrance not a help to mission. The population of Austin, Texas is highly “unchurched” and, in some sectors, resistant to the gospel. Therefore, new and technical church terminology is unfamiliar at best and off-putting at worst. As a result, we decided to select a term that could preserve the meaning of missional community, but articulate it in contemporary cultural language.
The use of “city” communicates an outward, urban focus while “group” communicates the gathering of people who share this focus. In short, the particularly urban context of our mission (and the name of our church, Austin City Life) lent itself to the name City Groups. They are groups that are for the city, communities that are on an urban mission.
Thank You Jonathan. Missional Community almost defeats its intent, just by its name.
What Zac Allen said. City Group sounds great for your context. In mine, it would likely be something pretty edgy. Wait for it. Here it is: Community Groups.
We are on a very similar path… Our missional communities will be called “City Groups” for the same reasons you mentioned, and it lends itself well to our church plant’s name “Exile City”.
I feel I will be learning a lot from you as we are about 3-4 years behind you on planting the Gospel in our city. Looking forward to learning from your journey for the next 30-40 years.
Hi Kevin!
Good to hear. The booklet should be done by May. Be sure to check out the Tools for Missional Church link, as well as http://www.gcmcollective.com
Every blessing, bro.
Johnathan,
Did you ever publish the booklet you referred too?
Kevin
Got bogged down w travels but hope to finish it soon, definitely by end of Sept!