WHAT TO EXPECT

Sundays at City Life are warm, lively, and centered on Jesus Christ. When you walk into one of our gatherings, you will find that our church is made up of all kinds of people. You will find young and old, married and unmarried, various ethnicities, kids of all ages. There is no dress code for worship. Please come as you are, make yourself at home, and jump right in with us as we worship our Savior, Jesus! 

LITURGY

Liturgy refers to the order of public worship. At City Life, our worship gatherings are a blend of structure and freedom. There is an intentional flow to our services that we believe helps us to clearly remember and rehearse the good news of God’s salvation every time we’re together. We begin each week with a call to worship as God invites us to draw near to Him. As we enter into a time of focused worship, we move from a vision of God’s holiness and glory to a recognition of our sin and neediness. We take time to confess our sins to God and to ask for His mercy. Then are reassured of  God’s forgiveness and the hope of salvation we have in Jesus. We sit under the preaching of God’s Word to discover more of what it means to live as sons and daughters of God, and then we celebrate our union with Christ and one another through the Communion (The Lord’s Supper). Finally, we are commissioned to go back into everyday life and to live in relationship with Jesus, by His Spirit, and for His glory. 

Within this framework, we leave room for God’s Spirit to move among us to convict of sin, encourage, and lead us. There is freedom to worship God as the Spirit prompts and leads: if you want to clap or shout, then go for it. If you need to sit in quietness, there is freedom to do so. Every gathering provides space and time to respond to what God is saying during a time of response. The goal of worship is for God to be exalted and for every person to be edified and encouraged by the gospel.        

MUSIC

Music moves and shapes us. It is a powerful medium for engaging hearts and minds, which is why the primary focus of music at City Life is God. Whenever you come to a gathering you can expect to find people passionately singing to God and joyfully declaring the wonder of who Jesus is and what he has done to save sinners. We intentionally mix the style of our songs so that the diversity in the room is reflected in our singing. Our hope is to be hospitable in style, while remaining gospel-centered in the content of every song we sing. 

PREACHING

Because we believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, we aim for every sermon preached at City Life to be driven by the text of Scripture. Jesus said in Luke 24 that the entire Bible is about him, so we aim to see and exalt Christ in every sermon, and then to apply the truths of God’s Word to our lives in meaningful ways. We believe God has ordained preaching to be a key way His Spirit works in our hearts and lives to make us more and more like his Son, Jesus. 

COMMUNION

We observe Communion (The Lord’s Supper) on the first Sunday of every month as a visible, tangible way to remember Jesus’ sacrificial death and the unity believers have in him. We believe that because Jesus instituted this meal to be partaken by his followers until he returns, it is a particular means of grace that nourishes and strengthens our faith. Jesus meets with us in this ordinance; he is spiritually present with us in the partaking of bread and wine as we look to him in faith. This is also a time for repentance and renewal. We invite people to examine their lives, to relinquish any sin held onto, and to devote themselves afresh to God before coming to the table. Communion is a sacrament reserved for followers of Jesus, so before participating in communion we encourage you to speak with a pastor if you have not trusted in Jesus as your Savior.

CITY LIFE KIDS

Kids are really important to us! Jesus loved and welcomed children and said that their simple faith is a model for all of us. For that reason, they are never viewed as a distraction or a disturbance. At City Life, children are a priority! As early as possible, we want to begin pointing our kids to Jesus, helping them understand the gospel, and discipling them to become faithful followers of Christ. 

We provide childcare for children ages infant through fifth grade. We are diligent to protect the health and safety of our kids, and all of our volunteers are background checked and go through training. Parents are encouraged to check children into City Life Kids before the service begins.

All children are welcome in our worship gatherings. We think that involving our kids in song worship is a great opportunity for parents to model what it looks like to worship. The words of the songs we sing, the prayers we pray and recite, and the scriptures we read are great conversation starters for helping children understand the gospel. In fact, our elementary kids begin their time in the service each week and are dismissed to their classes during the “passing of peace,” or greeting time (approx 10:50 am). We ask that parents/caregivers check their children in prior to coming into the service, and then to walk them to their teacher on the south wall of the auditorium during the greeting time.

At City Life Kids, your children will be taught the scriptures in a fun, interactive way. They will sing more songs, memorize scripture, do crafts, and play in a safe environment designed to help them encounter Jesus. All kids will also eat a yummy snack, so please let us know if your kids have any allergies.

Deaf Ministry

We have an amazing team of certified interpreters who faithfully provide ASL interpretation at our 10:30 services.