City Group Strategy

CITY GROUPS

STARTING A CITY GROUP

Whether a new City Group is formed "out of nothing" or one of our existing groups is ready to multiply, there are three things new groups must have in place before forming: a LEADER, a CORE, and a MISSION.

LEADER

A called and qualified leader who must:

  • Sense God’s call
  • Complete the Missional Leader Readiness form
  • Meet the leadership qualifications
  • Complete City Group Leaders Training.

CORE

A healthy community living out gospel-centered missional community. Healthy communities are a core of people that:

  • Practice steady state community
  • Are engaged in mission
  • Share leadership
  • Keep the gospel central

MISSION

A new group starts with a clear missional focus.

The City Group should be focused on engaging a particular group of Austinites and identify ways to show the mercy of God to the poor and marginalized. This clearly defined mission must be accompanied by a plan for engagement. Whether you work with a non-profit or not, your ultimate missional focus should be people. Identify a people group and develop a plan to engage them with the gospel.

Download "3 Marks for City Group Formation" PDF

FORMING A CITY GROUP

A group may start off with bold aims to engage the city with gospel, but eventually everyone drifts from mission and community. In order to remain focused and stay behind Jesus, we need reminders, guides, and communally formed commitments. This is why we created 'Called Together: A Guide to Forming Missional Communities'.

CITY GROUP PRIMER

  • Every City Group goes through ‘Called Together’ at the beginning of the year.
  • The process is very conversational, with the aim of applying our core values into clear, firm commitments
  • We conclude the process by drawing up a Missional Commitment that everyone agrees on
  • We occasionally pull it out through the year to celebrate, repent, or redirect.

SHARED LEADERSHIP IN MISSIONAL COMMUNITY

If you lead a missional community then chances are you are you get tired. There can be a lot of reasons for this. One reason is that we don’t share leadership. We need leaders who lead less, not more. Here are the roles for shared leadership:

  • City Group Leader

    This key pastoral leader facilitates a community that is growing in Gospel, Community, and Mission.

  • Missional Leader

    We serve our neighborhoods together monthly. This leader takes the lead on all the details: the when, where, and how of the monthly service project.

  • Prayer Leader

    This person records all the prayer requests and sends out a weekly update, reminding the community to pray for one another and the city.

  • Host Leader

    This leader opens their home/apartment/dorm room to be an inviting place for the community to share meals, discuss life and truth, and to pray for one another and the city.

  • Hospitality Leader

    We eat together. This leader coordinates the meal schedule and the "who is bringing what?"
Download the "Shared Leadership in Missional Community" PDF to read more about this topic

MULTIPLYING A CITY GROUP

As City Groups grow, leaders emerge, Gospel Community builds and multiplication is necessary. City Groups multiply by following 3 steps for healthy multiplication: VISION, INCUBATION, and CELEBRATION.

VISION

The leader articulates, prays, and casts vision.

INCUBATION

A period of time that allows a new leader-core-mission to form within the mother group.

MULTIPLICATION

A new group starts by celebrating the Spirit's work in growing the church.
Download the "3 Steps for City Group Multiplication" PDF to read more about this topic.