Two main themes - gospel-driven and city-directed - capture the heart of City Church of East Nashville. We desire to see the diversity of people in East Nashville brought into a new and priority community formed of those who live, not for themselves, but for Jesus Christ as Lord.  

Themes

Two main themes - gospel-driven and city-directed - capture the heart of City Church of East Nashville. We desire to see the diversity of people in East Nashville brought into a new and priority community formed of those who live, not for themselves, but for Jesus Christ as Lord.

This community is in East Nashville - we love this part of our city and celebrate the diversity, culture, and lifestyle of its urban neighborhoods.

This community is to the city of Nashville - we seek to be a part of addressing the real and felt needs of the city.

This community is for the city of Nashville - we believe in the promotion of justice, compassion, and community development in our urban neighborhoods and city.

This community is from Nashville - we believe the gospel always moves us to other-centered living, to lay down our lives, to the ends of the earth.

Mission

City Church of East Nashville exists to reconcile the diversity of East Nashville by enjoying and displaying Jesus Christ through worship, teaching, and city-focused communities to, for, and from Nashville to the nations of the world.

('Gospel' refers to the good news of the historical reality of the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. The gospel is the overarching priority for City Church.)

We believe THE GOSPEL IS THE PRIORITY THAT GUIDES ALL WE ARE AND ALL WE DO.

Core Values

Core values are the underlying shapers of everything we do and everything we are.  What are the core values of City Church of East Nashville?

GOSPEL CENTRALITY
God has intervened in our world to restore all things to their rightful order through the power of the gospel, that is the teaching and historical reality of the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus of Nazareth.  The righting of the relationships between God and humanity, humanity and humanity, and humanity and creation comes from God through Jesus Christ.  Therefore, the person and work of Jesus Christ fuels all our relationships and ministries. 

PRAYER DEPENDENCE
The gospel secures our access to God so we can enjoy communion with him.  We believe prayer is that communion and is our first and continual resort and not just a last resort, as the Spirit of God leads us into praise, repentance, thanksgiving and requests.  We pray for God's kingdom to come and will to be done in our neighborhood and city.  Therefore, we are committed to and dependent upon bold, specific, concerted and continual prayer. 

PARISH FOCUS
The gospel creates a new community and culture of transformed lives through geographic and relational proximity.  God values and loves uniting diversity into his family more than we ever will.  We believe that we are in East Nashville to promote the beauty, prosperity, justice, and overall well-being of our neighborhood and, through that, the city of Nashville.  We are committed to sacrificially give of ourselves and our resources for our neighborhood and city.

 
Vision

Colossians 1:19-20 - For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

City Church of East Nashville seeks to play a role in the reconciliation of all things to God through Christ. Our neighborhood has many concerns - crime, single-parent homes, addiction, homelessness, socio-economic/racial diversity but relational distance, just to name a few. All of these issues stem from poverty, which is best understood as broken relationship. Design for community is the vision to "humanize the work of the kirk," based on a parish model, which will help restore wholeness to our neighborhood and city.

Fourfold Vision for City Church of East Nashville

1. From Pulpit to Parish ("Come hither and go unto")

A. Worship - Goal: Every heart into Christ's heart

1. Gather (Corporate)

2. Scatter (Daily and Neighborhood Groups)

3. Oikos (Family and immediate sphere of influence)

B. Gospeling - Goal: Speak of the good news of God in Jesus Christ

C. Community Development - Goal: Moving toward what God created us to be

1.  Neighborhoods / Visiatable Villages

2. Financial Planning / Literacy

3.  Jobs for Life

4.  Individual Development Accounts (IDAs)

5.  Micro Enterprises

6.  Health Care

7.  Art

D. Relief - Goal: Alleviate the impact of the crisis, "Stop the bleeding"

1. Benevolence resources

2.  Immediate, crisis-based

2. Parish to Church ("Establish church as central to culture")

Goal: Support civil/cultural servants and leaders; incremental movement toward sphere sovereignty 

Relationships with political, government, and cultural leaders

3. Church to Kingdom ("Kingdom expansion")

A. Neighborhood Groups - Goal: Covenantal relationships grow and prosper (dying to self & living to God; a disciple relates to God, others and truth)

B. Church Planting - Goal: Multiply gospel-driven, city-directed communities

C. Ministry Training Center - Goal: Train urban pastors for gospel-driven, city-directed ministry

4.  Kingdom to Nations ("To the nations!") - Goal: From Nashville to the nations

Supply and support local, national, international works - Goal: From Nashville to the nations 

Conclusion

We believe God restores humanity in Christ by means of his people, the Church. In so doing, the "howling wilderness" of the city is "transformed into a garden again."

City Church of East Nashville is part of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). For more information on the PCA visit www.pcanet.org/general/aboutpca.htm