Sunday Services Aren’t Enough

Posted on April 23, 2010

In Austin City Life, we like to say that City Groups are where the church is the church to one another and to the city. This kind of “church” is rare. Unfortunately, much of American ecclesiology has devolved into an inflexible structure that facilitates attendance—a church building. Church equals building or Sunday service. This defective ecclesiology approaches “church” as an event not as a people. Tim Chester and Steve Timmis offer a helpful corrective: “Church is not two events during the week. It is a gospel-centered community on mission.”[1] City Groups are meant to facilitate gospel-centered community on mission. They are where we can be church to one another and the city.

Why Sunday Isn’t Enough

While Sunday gatherings of the church are important, they are an incomplete experience of what the New Testament describes as church. It is impossible to carry out Paul’s “one another” instructions to the church in the context of an hour and a half on a Sunday morning. Therefore, we need some kind of structure to facilitate loving one another, bearing one another’s burdens, encouraging one another, forgiving one another, forbearing with one another, weeping with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice. City Groups are meant to facilitate this kind of “life together.”[2] They are flexible church structures designed to facilitate the people of God living out their intended life together. While City Groups are not a “purer” expression of church than Sunday gatherings, they are a much-neglected expression of church in North America.

Steady State Community

What then does “life together” look like? City Groups are encouraged to view church, not as two events during the week, but as a steady state of community.[3] Instead of seeing community as something that primarily happens during a meeting, we need to adjust ourselves to see all of life as community. Steady state community is a constant flow of social, gospel, and missional connections throughout the week. It’s not adding special “community building” events to your already full calendar. It’s inviting people into your existing calendar. Invite people into your life not just to your City Group meetings.

*This is an excerpt from my forthcoming book: City Groups: Gospel-centered Missional Community.

Jesus is Cultural (and so are you)

Posted on April 22, 2010

Culture is everywhere, interwoven in everything, for everyone. Your attire, your values and your behaviors — artifact, assessment and action. Wearing flip-flops is cultural. Driving to work is cultural. Talking on a cell phone is cultural. Going to church is cultural. Covenants are cultural (patterned after Hittite treaties). Your Bible is cultural (a product of Gutenberg’s press). The cross is cultural (Roman torture device).

No one is culturally neutral. We are all enculturated from infancy to grave. To be human is to be cultural, and when Jesus became man, He became cultural. Jesus spoke Aramaic, went to Jewish temples, drank wine, wore sandals and grew a beard. Jesus is cultural and so are you.

Read the rest of this article.

Arts & Mission

Posted on April 22, 2010

This morning we had the privilege of hearing from some great practitioners who make Art on Mission to renew Austin.

  • Nate Navarro: founder and co-director of Austin non-profit Music for The City, and City Group Director at Austin City Life
  • Steven Bush: photographer and musician who specializes in Music, Portrait, Documentary, and Travel photography. stevenbush.org
  • JJ Placensio: Dove Award Winning, Grammy nominated bassist for the the groups Sixpence None the Richer and Plumb, founding engineer and producer at Hot Pepper Studios

Here are a few thoughts that emerged:

Missional Tension in the Arts

  • Who should get the credit in making art in the city? The church or the artist? Who should get the credit for non-profit work in the city? The church or the non-profit? If the non-profit, do we miss out on an opportunity to credit Christ change the reputation of the church in our cities?

The Church & Artists

  • How can the church re-engage burned artists to join them on mission?
    • Teach them to be ministers first and artists second.
    • Empower artists to make good art that is kingdom-minded.
    • Find out who they are and get to know them, really.
    • Discover non-musical artists and figure out how to empower them.
  • How can artists use art on mission?
    • Work with egotistical artists in humility to demonstrate a counter cultural way of being an artist who embodies Jesus and still makes good art.

Art in Church

  • What is the role of art in the Church?
    • A visual story is often more powerful than a aural story. People weep over a scene in a movie before they would by hearing the story. Allow art to tell the story of the gospel.
    • Appreciate artists instead of assuming and using them.

Primer on the Holy Spirit

Posted on April 22, 2010


Winfield Bevin’s Pocket Guide is a helpful introduction to the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. His generous use of Scripture, clear instruction, and concluding prayers make this ebook a unique blend of theology and devotion, a blend that invites the reader to know the Spirit. Great for new believers or Christians who are unfamiliar with the Spirit.