We are an online church for those that don't see the point of church but want to know more about how Jesus can help us live a meaningful life.
In the UK, 11% of the population attending a church, of which there are an estimated 2 million evangelical Christians. Our society is growing further away from the church, more secular and more agnostic. They are unsure about God but increasingly sure that church is not the answer. Yet over two-thirds of the population are on Social Media and over 90% are connected to the Internet, so our aim is simple: to be an online church for those that don't see the point of church but want to know more about how Jesus can help us live a meaningful life.
Currently, City is a Digital Church that streams on Facebook and uploads video content to YouTube. This has presented a unique place for City to operate and have a wide impact for the Gospel -> The Digital Space.
And it's through the Digital Space that we help people rediscover Jesus for who He truly is. We help them realise that He's absolutely lovely and that He is absolutely relevant to their daily life.
We've broken people down into two key groups: their age group and also their faith journey status to identify the key area of focus for the online church, it's the group that we have our strongest sense of relevance with. Folks in their mid 30s that are maybe on their way towards a healthier place.
They are logical. They're smart, practical people trying to live better lives. They possibly run their own business and have experienced some 'success'. Maybe they've heard of God in the past. Maybe they've been intrigued. Maybe they went to church, at some point in their life, maybe God's knocking on their heart.
When we look at the Gospels, we see separate and distinct places mentioned:
We are aiming at those in the crowds, who are in their mid 30's who are smart, practical people. We want to be a church for those that don't really do church. This is going to be the online church that the people who didn't know they'd like church would love and want to get deeper into.
I believe that as we reach this group of folks, our impact will grow and expand.
It's all about money
The church is irrelevant
The leaders are hypocritical
It doesn't make a difference to life
God is missing in the church
You can't ask doubting or hard questions
Not learning about God
Not finding community
Work
Don't want to sacrifice family time
No place to play my part
Low standards in our broadcast/videos
The big dilemma that they don't see the point of church, they don't need church:
But Why?
They are looking for:
How do we communicate and do church in a way that overcomes these barriers and reach the Crowds?
Design wise, our demographic like simple clean design with bold colours and organic materials. They tend to dress in a smart casual way, preferring dark blue jeans with a T Shirt, sweater or open shirt and jacket. Fonts tend to be sans serif, spaced and simple. Furniture involves organic materials, including wood mixed with light industrial (they are not as rustic or industrial as hipster or Gen Z). It's around this age that our Crowds start to marry, have children and buy their first house. Geometric shapes are popular, especially with strong contrasting colours, but the shapes are simple and not complex or over bearing. They are professional, often working from home (especially during the pandemic). The furniture is simple and clutter free, and colours usually come from cushions, rugs, throws, books, plants etc. Popular colours include a deep blue, a pastel pink (especially when aimed specifically at women), natural colours that resemble wood and plants as well as colours that are off-white, and off-black.
This needs to be much tighter, and not the Matt show. Ideal time to aim for is 45 minutes.
CROWDs are a small group of people (2 - 4 people, or two families if you include kids) that gets together to watch the Livestream and discuss what’s raised in it.
CROWDs are different to small groups in that they are smaller, and no real work is needed by the organiser of the group short of hosting. This makes the groups easy to organise and manage, build church in the home, creates connection and is missional in focus.
The people in the pod could be Christians, but ideally - it’s People of Peace.
For example, we would invite our People of Peace round on a Sunday. We would have some cake (so it’s not a big deal to sort), catch up and then watch the Livestream. The Livestream would hit a topic that feeds the Christian but is also presented in such a way as to help our PoP see that Jesus is absolutely lovely. We could pray with our PoP (demonstration) when the opportunity arises and we can discuss the Livestream.
Another example would be someone who is heading off to uni. They could start a CROWD in their halls. They invite a Christian and a PoP around on a Sunday with a view to winning the person of peace and training the Christian to run their own CROWD.
The aim would be to make these totally natural and easy to do with no prep needed for the CROWDs (apart from prayer). It’s organic, church in the home and it enables people to physically meet and connect too.