1. The Whole Church The Whole Gospel The Whole City
Our vision is to mobilize the whole church with the whole gospel for the whole city. The Lausanne movement has been pursuing this mission for “the whole world” since 1974 as a global coalition of Christ followers. Eric Swanson’s book, To Transform a City, uses this framework and we have found that it expresses the heart of the One City One Church pastor’s prayer network.

2. The Whole Church
Mobilize the Whole Church: Under the broadest Christian umbrella there are nearly 700 churches in the city of Louisville. Expanding throughout the metro area would push that number beyond 1,000 local congregations. Conservative estimates by the ARDA in 2010 identify over 400,000 (55%) people in Jefferson County alone that self-identify as Christian (leaving 335,000 “unclaimed”). Imagine the impact if one out of every two people in our city awakened to our calling to love our neighbors as we love ourselves!

3. Proclamation & Demonstration
Love & Truth
The Whole Gospel
Salt & Light
Good Words & Good Deeds
With the Whole Gospel: The good news announced and accomplished by Jesus Christ was always a combination of good words and good deeds. Jesus not only proclaimed the arrival of His Kingdom but showed what that meant by healing the sick, casting out demons, welcoming children and restoring outcasts to loving community. As Eric Swanson points out: “good words clarify good deeds and good deeds verify good words.” People need to hear the truth of the gospel that God wants to have a personal relationship with them and also experience the love of God in tangible ways. Proclamation and demonstration must go hand in hand if the church is to be both salt and light in our city. Good deeds create goodwill so that people are receptive to good news.
Proclamation & Demonstration

4. The Whole City Business Media Religion Church Arts/Ent. Family Gov’t
For the Whole City:The most influential structures in an urban society are 1) Business, 2) Religion, 3) Family, 4) Government, 5) Education, 6) Arts & Entertainment and 7) Media (Bill Bright & Loren Cunningham, in Swanson, p. 150). Often the tendency among churches is to work hard to attract people from all of these areas into our congregations. That is good and necessary for people to grow in their personal faith journey.
Education
Gov’t

5. The Whole City Business Media Religion Church Arts/Ent. Family Gov’t
To really transform a city we need to flip this trend and instead mobilize every follower of Jesus, equipping them to carry the good news and good deeds of the gospel back into the places to which God has called them.
Education
Gov’t

6. The Whole Church The Whole Gospel The Whole City
Prisoners
Elderly
The Whole Church
Orphan care
The Whole Gospel
Abuse Victims
Homelessness
The Whole City
A Network to Foster Partnerships: One City One Church is a citywide network of pastors and Christian leaders. We gather once each month, at noon on the second Wednesday in various locations, to pray for revival in Louisville. Then those who can stay enjoy fellowship over lunch. This is a “centered set” gathering united by our love for Jesus and the city of Louisville and is open to anyone. Our hope is that out of this prayerful fellowship hundreds of partnerships will form throughout the metro area where like-minded brothers and sisters agree to labor together toward a common goal. If we are to bring holistic renewal – physical, spiritual, social, emotional and educational – to every part of our city then we must work together. These partnerships may be centered on a geographic region (i.e. Shively or Middletown) or a common cause (i.e. orphans, the homeless, at risk youth, literacy among children, prison ministry, care for the elderly, etc.). Some will be open to anyone with a common interest, others may be “bounded” by theological convictions.
At-Risk Youth
Refugees
Poverty
Education / Tutoring

7. The Whole Church Centered Set
The One City One Church network is a “centered set” association uniting people with a common concern for the city of Louisville. Whereas some partnerships are “bounded set” connections with more defined parameters for involvement (e.g. for church planting, overseas missions), the overall network is open to anyone of good will who wants to help our city flourish. Bounded Set thinking asks, “Do you believe what I believe?” Centered Set thinking asks, “Do you care about what I care about?”

8. The Whole Church The Whole Gospel The Whole City
Trust & Agreement
Mobilize Partnerships
Share Resources
The Whole Gospel
Overcome Obstacles
Lead w/ Our Churches
The Whole City
Understand City Needs
Next Steps:
The foundation for our network is prayerful unity – this can only grow through relationships over time. In addition to our regular prayer meetings we should probably consider an annual prayer retreat. Real partnerships will only emerge out of trust and agreement.
As we continue to bring key city leaders into this discussion we need to keep refining our mission, vision and values – forming our identity and articulating a contagious vision that can rapidly spread.
The key effort right now is to expand the network – each key leader in One City One Church needs to be actively reaching out to other pastors and leaders, inviting them to prayer and strategy meetings.
At the same time we need to be listening well to discern the greatest needs and opportunities right now.
And since we are talking about mobilization, we need to be actively engaging our own congregations to set the pace for other churches as they join. As much as this may appear to be an outreach initiative it is actually a discipleship initiative with the goal of encouraging and equipping all believers to live out the great commission and great commandment.
There will be obstacles to this kingdom work – both spiritual, relational and physical. We need to prayerfully anticipate them and be prepared to work through conflicts and damaged relationships in Biblical ways (Matt. 18, etc.)
As the network begins to launch partnerships we will increasingly be able to share skills, knowledge, resources and best practices – taking advantages of the gifts and strengths of different churches, ministries and individuals
The purpose of our network and the real means of city transformation are active partnerships among believers, churches and ministries. As the whole church is mobilized we should see geographic “missional communities” working together to reach every man, woman and child in their neighborhood or workplace; we should see groups emerge to take on some of the most challenging problems in Louisville; we should see region-wide church planting initiatives; we should see tangible “boots on the ground” manifestations of the fact of our unity in Christ.
Expand Network
Form Identity & Vision
Pray & Connect

9. The Whole Church The Whole Gospel The Whole City
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
John 17:20-23
The Whole Gospel
The Whole City
Our Prayer: Our vision flows from Jesus’ own prayer for his followers in John 17. May our unity of heart and unity of action validate the truth of the good news of Jesus Christ. May the people of Louisville, KY, come to know that his message is true as they experience the reality of his love.