Transforming Cities – The Church beyond the Spiritual Box

church.jpgWhen most people think of church, they envision a place where Christians gather on Sunday.  A building dominates the mind of both Christians or non-believers.  Today, the concept of church has been de-clawed of it's full of meaning.  The gathered people of God (who once overthrew the most powerful empire that ever existed, without political, military or economic power) are now house broken.   

Sadly, even most Christians have reduced the Church to a spiritual box.  It's a place where our spiritual needs are met.  We have compartmentalized our faith and removed it from the rest of our life.  This is something more of us are thinking through, not how do we grow our church, but how are we going to change a city.  At Kaleo Church we seek to re-capture a broader scope of being the church in our city.  Here are some ways we want to express being the church and seek to change our city:  (because of U.S. law some of these would be separate legal entities.) 

Launched

Metro Church Alliance – [Church Partnering/Kingdom] The Metro Church Alliance was created to facilitate partnerships between churches in local cities.  The San Diego Alliance is our relationship with several churches in San Diego to partner in the gospel to see the city changed.  We meet with other churches (12-20 pastors) once a month and seek to continue to broaden this.

Tentmaker Group – [Employment, Education, Resources & City Investment]  The Tentmaker Group allows us to fund church planter/planting but it also lets us re-invest in the city.  Part of our goal is to provide jobs in a company that will bless the city.  Many of the things we seek to do (stripper ministry, homeless work, etc) requires money.  The Tentmaker Group will be a company that use it's profits for the good of the cities we are in.

Kaleo Counseling Center –  [Counseling] This ministry seeks to provide gospel counseling to both people in but also outside of the church.  Counseling is the modern hope and we would like to be able to provide free (or low cost) counseling to those in need.

Church Bootcamp – [Church Planter Training] conferences to train church planters.  We believe church planting is the best way to change the city through effective transformation of individuals by the power of the gospel.

Church Planting Resources – [Church Planting Resources] A site to provide resources to assist church planters.

Developing

Think San Diego – [Social Concerns, Government/Politics, Society & Awareness]  Think San Diego will be a vehicle to create awareness to the issues surrounding our city/county.  The goal would be to influence thought on laws/voting, to help foster positive social activism and to present issues (eg. illegal immigration) through the lens of the gospel.

Imagine San Diego – [Mercy Ministries, Environment, Cause]  Imagine San Diego is an gathering of people to mercy ministry.  It will call businesses, leaders and churches to participate in city renewal.  We have begun to gather groups in other cities for the Imagine City Group, an umbrella non-profit other churches and cities can participate in.

Gospel @ Work – [Vocation & Stewardship] Gospel AT Work is is a ministry that will offer programs, groups, and ministries focused on integrating the Christian faith with our work.

Geneva San Diego Academy – [Education] Classical Christian Education to train the next generation with a gospel worldview.

San Diego Artist Forum – [Culture & Art] Engaging culture and the arts through the lens of the gospel.

the Courtyard – [Performance & Art] Events/Performances and shows hosted as a 3rd place to engage the city.

The Cloud Network – [Technology] Using technology and search engine optimization to connect & gather Christians and be on mission to the world online.