Looking Back and Moving Forward
by Matt Miller, Lead Pastor of New City Church
In May of 2010, my wife Jenn and I moved from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Kansas City to plant New City Church. Nineteen months later, on January 8, 2012, we launched our first worship service. Over the past thirteen years, God has allowed New City Church to multiply into 5 local churches, serve as the sending church for 4 others, and become a leading church in Kansas City, committed to making Jesus known. As I reflect on these years, I aim to give God thanks for His faithfulness and share the story of His work through New City Church.
The start of our story sounds like the opening line of a joke: What do you get when a Baptist Church, a Christian Church, and a Bible Church choose to partner together? It’s a rather odd beginning, but true. 3 pastors from 3 different denominations—connected through the What If the Church network—asked a powerful question: What if we planted a church together?
Long story short, these pastors pooled their resources and began looking for the right leader to plant this church. Meanwhile, I was 1,400 miles southeast, seeking God’s will for my next assignment. In May of 2010, Jenn and I, along with our one-year-old twin girls, moved to Kansas City to plant New City Church.
The mission God gave us hasn’t changed over these 13 years. New City Church exists to inspire you to trust in and live like Jesus. From day one we have been passionate in our proclamation of the gospel and our intentionality to baptize new believers and teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded. In addition to our mission, God has asked us to be a church that plants other churches. As God has provided leaders and spaces we have been faithful to start new churches. I believe God has much more to accomplish with establishing new churches in Kansas City.
As we’ve multiplied from 1 church to 5 churches, we have understood new things about New City. We have received an audacious vision, identified key values, established a robust disciple-making pathway, and have come to describe New City as a Holy Spirit-filled, disciple-making, church-planting church. It is this type of church that I believe God wants to establish in every city in Kansas City! (That’s 118 cities!)
I don’t mean to over-spiritualize, but I believe this is all God’s work to accomplish. He’s just allowing us to join Him in what He has already willed to do. I’ve become confident in these 4 truths over these 13 years:
God puts me in situations where I see a need.
I seek God to see how He is going to meet this revealed need.
I keep in step with God as He meets the need He has revealed.
I strive to be faithful to steward what God has established.
Over the years, these revealed needs have most often been leaders and buildings. God reveals a need for a new leader. I seek God’s will on how He will provide the leader (which typically involves inviting people to pray and watching to see how they respond). Or, God reveals a need for a place for a new church plant to gather. I seek God’s will to discover where He wants us to meet (which typically involves me waiting on God to provide).
I’ve learned not to stress about the leaders, buildings, and even the dollars it takes to accomplish what God has asked. I trust that if God has said it, then God will resource it. I’m grateful that God has given New City a vision that we are unable to accomplish by our own resources. What God has asked of us is so beyond our budget or abilities. Only God can do what we believe He has revealed.
I’m guilty of thinking about our future and not celebrating what God has done today! In these 13 years, God has done some remarkable things.
2,000 people worship within a New City campus.
Almost 800 baptisms
Hundreds of adults are engaged within an intentional disciple-making pathway
Hundreds more are getting connected to their local church through City Groups
New City has multiple partnerships with various community organizations, in addition to partnerships with multiple schools.
All I know is this - all that we are and all that we do lead people to being saved by hearing and receiving the gospel. Each week, people are being restored as they learn to follow the commands of Jesus. Each week, a unique need is met through this local church that we call New City Church.
I’m confident God is expanding His Kingdom through His local church. And I want to be a part of His Kingdom expansion! A New City in every city in Kansas City. It is my hope that each of New City’s local campuses will continue to engage their city with the gospel and make disciples. I hope each of our current campuses continues to grow and make a greater impact within their local city. And it is my hope that each of New City’s campuses will identify a leader and a location and plant a New City Church from within their local expression.
I’m simply grateful. I’m grateful to have been a part of what God has done thus far. I’m grateful for my wife Jenn, who has been much more than “by my side.” Jenn has been an instrumental leader in the administration of New City Church. The gifts God established within her have led to much of the unseen work of the ministry. I’m grateful for those who have been faithful since the beginning, specifically Stanton and Summer, Jim and Margaret, Joan, Lisa, Kathy, Clay, Pete and Lyssa, and Charlie and Anita.
Here’s to what’s next. Not the next 13. The next 12—the next 12 months. What might God have planned? How might we join in what He is doing? God has brought so many faithful people to New City Church. I’m eager to see what God has planned for those called according to His good purpose.
Happy 13th, New City Church!
Pastor Matt