Home › FAQ's

FAQ's

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS YOU'RE ASKING

Scroll down, or pick from the categories on the left, for answers to the most common questions we get, and for links with more info on many of the answers. Have a question we didn't cover? Email one of our Pastor-Elders & we'll get back to you... Who knows? It might even make it onto this page!

 

GENERAL FAQ'S:

Why call it "The City Church"?

In the A.D. 300’s, an African bishop called Augustine wrote a book called The City of God. In it, he reintroduced the idea from Jeremiah 29:4-7, that Christians are called to carry out God's mission, actively involving ourselves in, and seeking the redemption of, the “city of man” (as Augustine called it), where we work, play, and live. These ideals lay the dual foundation on which we want to build our church. But “City of God” as a name sounded both cult-like and pompous. We don’t want to be either of those, so we settled on “The City.” [MORE ON OUR NAME]

When did The City Church begin?

The first-ever vision dinner for The City Church happened in July, 2009. We begin forming a core team, of both followers of Jesus and some who weren't, in September 2009. And our first Villages and All-Church Gathering occurred January 2010.

What's it mean that you're an "Acts 29" church?

We know that the book of Acts ends at chapter 28! Acts 29 is a church-starting network, who is devoted to seeing gospel-centered, Christian, evangelical, missional, and reformed churches take root in as many places as possible, across the US and the world. The name "Acts 29" reflects the belief that God is still at work today, continuing the building of his church and the expansion of his kingdom, as he did in the 28 chapers of Acts. Our role is to prayerfully, boldly, continue that work. [MORE ON ACTS 29]

What do you believe about....?

Our doctrinal beliefs can be summarized by the fact that we adhere to both the (original) Apostles and Nicene Creeds. We are first Christians, then Evangelical, then Missional, then Reformed, in our understanding and practice of the Bible. [OUR FULL DOCTRINAL STATEMENT CAN BE FOUND HERE]

 

FAQ'S ABOUT VILLAGES:

What IS a Village?

Villages are the centerpiece of life in The City Church. More than a "small group/Bible study/prayer group/social club/service group," these "communities on mission" exist in neighborhoods across the Fort Worth area, and live our our gospel identities together. In Christ, we are DISCIPLES, so we encourage each other from the Bible, toward a life that glorifies God in all things. We are FAMILY, so we do life together, pray for each other and meet each others’ needs. We are MISSIONARIES, so we strive to live everyday with Gospel Intentionality, and regularly carve out time to love our neighbors and serve our city together and to form new Villages, for the sake of God's mission. [MORE ON VILLAGES]

Why call them Villages?

"Village" is a word with many unique connotations: more than an "interest group" or "small group," the term references shared geography, shared characteristics, shared goals, shared community, shared common good, and a general sense of "having all things in common." You get a sense of the closeness in the African proverb, "it takes a Village to raise a child." Villages are about sharing life, mission, and all things. As an interesting sidenote, in old England the next-smallest municipality was called a "hamlet," and the distinction between the two was the presence of the church...  

How many people are in a Village?

Villages vary in size, but the "ideal" size is generally around 12. They can begin as small as five or six people, who are devoted to living as missionaries in a certain area in/near Fort Worth, and we try not to let them grow beyond 20 - at that point, the familial nature gets lost, and the "shared life/all things in common" begins to break down. Generally, when a Village gets to be about 12 people strong, we begin the process of prayerfully sending out a new Village, on mission to a new neighborhood, for the glory of God and the good of Fort Worth. 

 

FAQ'S ABOUT SUNDAYS:

Why don't you worship every Sunday?

Contrary to "popular belief," we DO worship every Sunday! In fact, as a church, we encourage our people to worship EVERYDAY, instead of just an hour or two, one day a week. The Bible teaches that all of life is worship - worship involves - but surely isn't limited to - a weekly gathering with singing and preaching! So the first three Sundays of each month, we "gather" for worship, and the fourth Sunday, we "scatter": we worship through loving neighbors/serving our city, sabbath, or "family" gatherings around the area. [MORE ON OUR SUNDAY SCHEDULE]

What is "Scattered Worship"?

"Scattered Worship" is our monthly, corporate reminder of an everyday, personal truth: the Bible calls us to worship not just by singing, taking communion, and discussing the Bible. It also commands us to worship by resting and dwelling in God (Sabbath), by loving our neighbors and seeking the welfare of our city (SERVE), and by investing in each other in deep, familial relationships (District Gatherings). [MORE ON SCATTERED WORSHIP]

Why no building?

When God first brought The City Church together, we agreed that philosophically, we didn't want to pour money into a "church building," which gets used a few times a week by "churchy" people, for "churchy" things. We felt that was poor stewardship, and that we'd rather use that money to build God's kingdom, rather than our church building: invest it in our city and abroad, as we live on mission; use it to help hurting couples who can't afford counseling; give it to the needy; etc. A building is typically 30-40% of a church's annual budget, so our hope and prayer, from before "day one" of the church, was to avoid this cost. 

What's the "Samuels Ave Building"?

Read the question above, and then laugh with us: God's sense of humor showed in the face of our pride. After taking a stand against a "church building," we were literally given one (completely paid off; we own it outright), within weeks of The City Church becoming a reality. 715 Samuels Ave sits just north of downtown, on a great property overlooking the heart of our city. It's too small to use for Sunday Gatherings, but we try to steward it as best we can: classes, bands, groups, and meetings happen there; we use it as an "outpost" to invest in the neighborhood; and it's available for community use. As we said above, we don't want a building just for "church use," so we try to use it as best we can, for the good of the city. [MORE ON THE SAMUELS AVE BUILDING]

 

FAQ'S ABOUT KIDS & STUDENTS:

Where do I drop my child off on Sundays?

That depends on how old your child is:

  • If they're preschool-aged or younger, head for the "KidCity Check-in" banner, easily seen from the KidCity Drop-off, or to the right from the main entrance of 4449 Camp Bowie. After you check your child in, you'll take them to one of two doors: "Babies" (birth - 2 years) and "Preschool" (3-5 years), where our friendly KidCity team will greet you.
  • If your child is about kindergarten-aged or older, you'll bring 'em into the Gathering with you. We have activity sheets if you'd like to use them, but in our biblical belief that "the church is a family," we believe that fom the youngest logical age, families should be worshipping together. [MORE ON KIDCITY]

What does "children's ministry" look like?

There are three major elements to our KidCity ministry, in addition to periodic events for kids and families.

  • First, our focus is on equipping you, the parent, to be the primary influence and spiritual leader in your child's life - it's your joyous role and your heavy responsibility, so our goal is to give you materials and teaching, to help you "train your child" well. Each week, we give you questions to ask your child; periodically we'll send parenting ideas, resources, etc. and we offer classes on various elements of parenting too.
  • In Villages, kids are generally part of the family for hang-out, meals, mission, SERVE projects, prayer times, etc. Different Villages choose different methods of involving kids in biblical discussion: some Villages rotate through leading their kids, both in play time and in the questions we send out weekly; others involve children in the discussion along with everyone else. The principle is that "the church is a family," and families are multi-generational. So gatherings of the church should be multi-generational too.
  • On Sundays, KidCity is a safe, fun, interactive environment for the youngest kids in our church family. It's centered each week around a biblical story/concept, where your child will learn, create, play, pray and be prayed for, eat, and participate in other fun age-appropriate activities based on that week's theme. Older kids get to sing with, pray with, learn with, and take communion with their families, learning from a young age what the gathered body of Christ is and does. [MORE Q&A ON KIDS MINISTRY]

What does "student ministry" look like?

We are beginning to offer college-specific events and gatherings about once a month, and as our church and its needs grow, will do the same for middle schoolers and high schoolers. But much like our ministry to children, above, we believe that biblically, "the church is a family." Families are multi-generational, and every voice and opinion matters to God and each other. Teens and college-aged students need to be surrounded by older adults who they can respect, and who respect them. They need to see and share struggles, pain, joy, and life with both peers and older folks. So in day-to-day life in The City Church, students are involved and invested, in Villages, gatherings, discipleship relationships, and mission, alongside everyone else in our church family. [MORE ON STUDENTS]

Why do you believe this about kids & students?

Not to over-simplify, but in everything we do, we look first to the Bible. In God's scriptures, we see that a) parents are to be the primary disciplers of their kids; b) children are found in gatherings of god's people throughout the Bible; c) Jesus valued children, even - or especially - when they were distracting/unwanted; and d) there are things about God's kingdom that onl children can teach us. Additionally, for the first 1900+ years of church history, there was no separate "kids ministry." We're happy to discuss more, and to show you where these principles are found in scripture. But bottom line, the church has always been, and is intended to be, a family. And good healthy families exist together.

 

FAQ'S ABOUT GETTING INVOLVED:

What's the best way to plug in?

In The City Church, we like to say that we have two front doors. First, you're always welcome to join us for a Sunday, at one of our All-Church Gatherings or Scattered Worship. See our calendar for events, including Sunday schedule. Second, Villages are the best way to get to know true life in our church family. Villages often spend time together thoughout each week, so we invite you to find a Village - primarily based on proximity, then schedule. Email the leader (or a Pastor-Elder if you're not sure which Village to contact), and join a Village for one of their official or non-official meetings. [CALENDAR, TO PLAN YOUR VISIT]

How do I become a member?

To fully invest in any church goes far beyond simply signing a role sheet or walking down an aisle. The picture of "membership" in the New Testament is "becoming members of one another" (Romans 12), devoting yourself to the family and to the mission God has called you to. So we take the covenant relationship of membership seriously. We first ask that you be involved and invested in The City Church for at least three months, before even considering membership. Then attend one of our Foundations meals, where we introduce our identities, ministry philosophy, doctrine, etc. Finally, once a Village leader verifies your involvement, you'll read througho our membership packet and sign the covenant. [MORE ON MEMBERSHIP]

 

FAQ'S ABOUT LEADERSHIP:

How are leaders chosen?

Biblically, the two types of church leadership are "Pastor-Elder" and "Deacon." Pastor-Elder and Deacon candidates are chosen by current Pastor-Elders, from qualified and faithful men and women who are already leading in their own right: leading people, living on mission, living out the gospel, modeling our identities, etc. During their candidacy (about four months for Deacons and 12+ months for Pastor-Elders), candidates are led through a process of biblical, theological, and philosophical learning, as well as hands-on tasks related to the role they're stepping into. The rest of the church family helps "test and approve" the new leaders during their process, and at the end of their process they're ordained as a Pastor-Elder or installed as a Deacon.

Who are your leaders, and what do they do?

Pastor-Elders are qualified men who lead as co-equals, in their areas of strength and ministry. Together, they shepherd, oversee, lead, teach, and protect the church family. Each Pastor-Elder also oversees Villages in the Fort Worth area. The City Church's Pastor-Elders are:

  • Ben Connelly
  • Dennis Connelly
  • Matthew Hudson
  • Additionally, Matt Formby and Matt Tatum are currently Pastor-Elder Candidates, and are going through a season of testing and approval

Deacons are qualified men and women who serve under the Pastor-Elders, fostering the gospel and our identities in their realm of ministry. While Village leaders foster specific groups within the church, deacons serve on a more church-wide scale. The City Church's Deacons are:

  • Brayden Hudson, Deacon for Finance
  • Katie Smith, Deacon for Gatherings
  • Luke Byford, Deacon for AV/Media
  • Nicole Tatum, Deacon for KidCity
  • Tyler Turner, Deacon for Music

Why use the term, "Pastor-Elder"?

The most common term for a church leader in modern evangelicalism is "pastor." In the Bible, the term for the same church leader was "elder." The two are used interchangeably in scripture, in role and function, but "elder" is more far-reaching than "pastor." Combining the two titles is our attempt to give the men who serve the role their proper responsibility as elders leading The City Church. They are "elders." But we also recognize that the term is less-used - and thus, potentially confusing - so we recognize them as pastors, so others will too.