Following Jesus As a Family For Sonoma County
Sunday gatherings
-
Our Sunday Gatherings have an intentional liturgy (literally the ‘work of the people’) that reflects both ancient and modern expressions of our Christian Faith. You’ll likely notice that we’ve intentionally leaned on the historic church by putting ‘the Table’ (with the eucharist/communion elements on it) at the center of the room and organizing our seating around it. Similarly, we’ve moved our music leaders away from the ‘stage’ or center and more in line with the rest of us participating in the liturgy. Our music is thoughtfully chosen and Christ-centered to help us reflect on the goodness and mercies of God. Our preaching is most often expositional (tied to a specific text) and always honest, challenging, and engaging in real-life and cultural issues.
We partake in communion every Sunday and it is open to every person who has professed faith in Christ. If that’s not you, there’s zero judgement. We hope you’ll see/meet Jesus in the beauty of believers gathered around ‘the Table’ and the reality-altering message it represents. No matter where you are in your spiritual journey, you'll get to meet and engage with a community of people gathered around Jesus who care for the welfare and renewal of our city. There is zero expectation that you come having it all figured out—God knows we certainly don’t. We are a broken people being restored in/through Jesus and graciously inviting others to do so with us.
-
We believe that our kids are resilient and hungry for spiritual growth, so we welcome them at our Sunday Gatherings and offer kids’ notebooks for them to listen in on and participate in the entire liturgy—sermon, songs, sacraments, and so on. We recognize having kids as a part of the liturgy can be challenging (both for parents and others), but we’re confident that pressing against some of our modern notions of ‘comfort’ and ‘control’ can be a good thing. We’re equally confident that inviting our kiddos into the whole liturgy will reap dividends in their long-term spiritual formation.
All that being said, we also know it’s unrealistic (and probably unfair) to expect our younger kids to focus and stay quiet(ish) for an entire liturgy. On top of that, we want to be intentional and diligent to provide the opportunity for them to worship and learn as well in a more age-appropriate environment. Thanks to our new meeting space, we’ve been able to relaunch City Kids for all ages Newborn through 10-years-old. Every Sunday when you arrive, you can check your kiddo(s) in and put a security sticker on their clothing (someone will be there to assist you if you’re a first-time visitor). Nursery through 3-year-olds can then be dropped off in the nursery after the passing of the peace (we’ll make an announcement). Our elementary-aged kids (TK-10-years-old) will be dismissed after communion where two of our amazing City Kids volunteers will take them to their classroom for a lesson, activity, and and then to the playground to expend some of that beautiful, God-given energy. You can even pre-register your family here.
-
We meet on Sundays at McDowell Elementary School at 10:15 AM. The closest parking—as well as the Multipurpose Room that we meet in—is on McGregor Ave (on the South side of the school campus). Additional parking is near the front of the school on McDowell. Look for the yellowish-orange flags and signs and you can’t miss us.
We would absolutely love for you to join us on a Sunday morning. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions ahead of time at info@cityparish.church.
MISSIONAL COMMUNITIES
-
Because we believe that the church is “a people who” and not “a place where,” we aim to be the church beyond Sunday and into the everyday. With this conviction in mind, we’ve committed to primarily organizing City Parish around smaller groups that we call Missional Communities (MCs). Each MC has different weekly rhythms, but they all gather together regularly and consistently to encourage, bless, serve, and care for one another and their neighbors/cities in and through the everyday rhythms of life. It’s in these places and with these people that we grow in living out a life that flows from the gospel and we do it on display for our neighbors to see. They are open to anyone/everyone and we’d love to connect you to one.
-
MCs are intentionally subversive to the normal paradigm of church small groups. Instead of being an activity (something we go to or do), they are an identity (who we are). And instead of being organized by affinity or life stage, they are organized by shared mission (usually geographical — where you live). Each Missional Community has their own rhythms in how they live that identity out but all of them have a weekly time that they gather together called the ‘Family Meal.’
-
You can get connected with an MC closest to you here.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
-
We get this question a lot and we promise, it wasn't to be cool/hip/trendy. The word 'parish' goes way back into church history and represented the smallest, most organic, boots-on-the-ground branch of 'The Church.' Parishes took spiritual, social, and cultural responsibilities of their cities/towns. They were in the mix of everyday life and flourishing of their community.
We want to be that kind of church. Far from isolationists who exist in the city (or even against it) but also a church that lives that "exists to set up in the world a new sign which is radically dissimilar to the world’s own manner and which contradicts it in a way that is full of promise" (to quote Karl Barth).
-
Another question we're asked often... And one that likely would garner a lot of different responses from different church leaders.
First, we have no illusion that we have it "right" (not that anyone totally agrees on what that would actually mean). We're far from perfect and celebrate much of the diversity that exists in the body of Christ. We're constant learners and are always seeking to attentively follow the Spirit's lead through what he's doing in/through our brothers and sisters across a broad spectrum of church 'models.'
Second, we recognize that there is a broader culture of discontentment within the American church that often leads to 'new' churches (read "church splits"). That's not part of our story. None of our core team came together with a primary impetus of being disgruntled. On the contrary, many were sent by other churches in a healthy way. We're thankful that the Lord birthed City Parish out of other healthy churches that have co-labored with us rather than lamented or existence.
Third, we believe that some of the 'distinctives' of City Parish were distinct enough to plant a new church. We truly desire to put our rhythms where our values are. It's not enough for us to say that we believe being a disciple of Jesus requires all of life and then simply provide 'discipleship' structures that don't encompass all of life. Though challenging to our cultural moment's way of life, living as the family of Jesus (i.e. disciples who make disciples) is the only way we see the Scriptures calling the Church to live. There are a lot of churches striving towards this, we're just choosing to do with through a Gathered/Scattered approach.
-
With the name 'Parish,' a ton of people make the assumption that we're Roman Catholic, but we're not. The word 'denomination' has gone 'the way of the dodo' these days, but we do intentionally and joyfully partner with a few networks—the primary one being the Soma Family of Churches. You can find a list of our partnerships and networks on the 'About' us page.