Why the City?

Why the city? Why is the Epoch Center focused on urban church planting and community transformation? The reality is this ... when it comes to church planting in metro areas across the North America often times it has the resemblance of a donut. Lots of "stuff" on the outside but a big hole of little or nothingness on the inside. Statistically most church planting that we see today takes place in the suburbs (70%). Obviously with the high growth that often times accompany the suburbs this makes complete sense and we need new churches there. But what about the city? While many are flocking to the suburbs who's running to the city? Keep in mind it's not an either/or but a both/and. We need church planting to take place EVERYWHERE.

Church planting books, materials, and strategies often times have a suburban/rural bias to them. Meaning they're geared towards a certain way of doing church that's aimed towards the 35% of North Americans who're somewhat interested in church ... which is by and large the White middle class family values segment of society. What about the 65% who feel alienated from church? Where do they live? Often times in the heart of the city. As cities continue to swell through urbanization and immigration it has a massive shaping and realigning affect on the city. The world collects in our urban centres. How will we respond? As the density of churches thicken the further out one gets from the central city Epoch is about running in the other direction ... towards the city.

The Epoch Center is about finding, training, raising up, and sending urban church planters and community activists into the city. That's our slant, our bias, and our focus. God is truly an urban God and we need to have an urban lens when we comes to Scripture as well as when we think of starting new churches.