If you were to describe our church in two words they would be, “simple church.”  This term refers to a church that seeks to imitate the original church Jesus established, as much as humanly possible.  Most of the people who helped start CityWide Fellowship came from a traditional church experience that was rich and meaningful.  Something seemed to be missing, however.  We desired a deeper level of fellowship than traditional church life provided. 

This church is different -- on purpose.  We want to seek new avenues of service, explore new and deeper relationships, and seek new ways to express our deep love and devotion to Jesus Christ.  We are very much "a work in progress."

The name  "CityWide Fellowship" describes both our plan and our passion as a church.  We have a passion to share the gospel with everyone in our city.We plan to provide small fellowship groups meeting in homes throughout the week at various places in our city.  On Sundays, these different groups will gather in a joyful celebration of the life we share together in Christ Jesus.

The word,  "fellowship," describes a rich and meaningful relationship between two or more people who have common needs, common values and common goals. Fellowship involves more than just a social gathering.  Fellowship involves sharing one's life with others at a deeply spiritual level.  Fellowship also involves mutual encourgagement and emotional support.  Fellowship requires an active, on-going interaction between people at deeply spiritual level. 

The Biblical word, "fellowship," is related to words such as "having in common, sharing, participating or partnership."  Our passion is to share the gospel in small fellowships gathering throughout our city (hence, city wide fellowship).  We call these small fellowships "LifeCircles."  Each of these "LifeCircles" operates as a house church.  This pattern of meeting in homes was established by God to be the typical model for His church. We see this model outlined in the Book of Acts, chapter 2, verses 42 through 44.  While CityWide Fellowship also meets in larger gatherings for celebrations and conferences (using rented space), the LifeCircles are  the heart of our ministry.  At CityWide Fellowship this passage serves as our model for church life -- as much as we are able.  We call this model a "simple church." 

By “simple” we do not mean “shallow.” In fact, the simple expression of the Church that Jesus established addresses the most profound issues of life. Our church grapples with such deep issues as "what is truth?" or “what is the meaning of life?” We address issues such as “science and faith,” homosexuality, divorce and remarriage, child-rearing and any other issue that significantly impacts the lives of common people. We seek Biblical  solutions to every day problems.  Further, we view ourselves as a "movement" not an "institution," a "revolution," not a "religion."

By “simple” we are referring primarily to the “way we do things.”  We are a network of "house churches" (LifeCircles) that work together to represent Christ's Church throughout our cities.  Each LifeCircle is a Simple Church seeking to fulfill the Lord's command to "Go . . . and make disciples" (Matthew 28:19).  Each Simple Church or LifeCircle has its own pastor and carries out its own ministry.  Each LifeCircle also participates with the larger community of the church for worship celebrations and shared ministry.  Our structure is simple.  Our strategy is simple.  Our values are simple.  And, our message is simple. We want to  jettison the baggage of buildings, traditions and rituals that have been collected by the institutional church over the last two thousand or so years. We want to de-institutionalize the church and release it to become what Jesus established it to be: a faith community carrying on the revolutionary work of Jesus Christ in the world.

One hallmark of a simple church is a focus on relationships. This is one of our core values.  We are much more concerned  with establishing meaningful relationships than performing rituals. By meeting  together in small groups (LifeCircles) of ten to twelve people, we have the time to address individual concerns and have meaningful discussions about Biblical truth.  

Another hallmark of a simple church is ministry. We are much more concerned with meeting the needs of people in our community than maintaining buildings and programs. The heart and hub of our church is the LifeCircle.  These LifeCircles are neighborhood groups that reach out to meet the needs of those living  around them.   To meet the needs of the broader community and the world, all the LifeCircles partner with one another for special projects, training, and times of celebration.   

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