The vision of The City Church Canterbury is:

"To be a big community of radical disciples which impacts Canterbury and beyond for Jesus."

In order to practically move in this vision, we have the following goals to fulfil:

Bible-based/Word-centered teaching linked to our vision
  • Ensure application of teaching through excellent cell discussion notes.
  • Consistently promote the importance of personal Bible study/devotions.
  • Teach into grace, prayer, evangelism, baptism in the Spirit, reading the Bible, discipleship, giving and our church vision.
Being Spirit-led, Spirit-shaped and Presence-centered in all we do
  • Regularly pray for people to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
  • Encourage the use of spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.
  • Weigh, remember and apply prophecies in the church.
  • All to come to church gatherings on time and prepared for the Lord.
Cell development
  • Develop outward-looking cell groups.
  • 100% cell group participation by church members. All cell members encouraged to join the church.
  • Support cell leaders, with all leaders living the cell church values.
  • Improve cell leaders training and run a training programme.
  • Develop more cell leaders and co-ordinators to support cell growth.
Leadership development
  • Elders and other leaders to continually develop through reading, learning from other leaders and Newfrontiers leadership conferences.
  • Define role of and develop a wider leadership group.
  • Identify, train, empower and release more leaders into areas of gifting.
Team development
  • Maximise effectiveness of eldership through teamwork.
  • Elders to meet with all the different teams at least once a year.
  • Encourage ministry to emerge and develop through well-led teams.
  • Provide training on team development.
Every member in ministry
  • Each member to identify and use gifts or skills to serve others.
  • Cell leaders to mobilise every member.
  • Review membership forms "area of gifting" section and create database.
Culture of prayer
  • Maximum participation in our Sunday prayer meetings (numbers, passion, faith, engagement, enjoyment).
  • Encourage more prayer for healing.
  • Encourage each other through answered prayer.
  • Promote praying in tongues for self-edification.
  • Cell groups to gather and pray once a term.
Discipleship - personal spiritual growth
  • Cell leaders to oversee the discipleship of cell members (within or beyond cell).
  • Promote the whole range of approaches that Jesus used.
  • Identify the best materials and promote within the church.
  • Ensure post-Alpha follow-up (equipping track).
  • Introduce discipleship materials for cell group use.
Community - being an authentic and inclusive family
  • Be more family-friendly, honouring children and children's workers.
  • Be a church with balanced age distribution, from babies to the elderly.
  • See genuine friendships emerge among diverse people in the cell context.
  • Encourage wider cell-based communities, including non-Christians.
  • Create a culture of freedom to express and meet needs.
  • Provide social opportunities and community-building events.
  • Get out of our comfort zones to welcome/integrate visitors on a Sunday.
  • Be a welcoming family to all races; see people from the nations join us.
  • See all students integrated into the life of the church.
Mission - 24/7 witness, Alpha, reaching the nations
  • Review our church evangelistic efforts, sustaining and growing the most effective areas.
  • Review operation of the Alpha course and build on success.
  • See people saved and added to the church through cell group witness.
  • Each cell group to bring at least one person to an Alpha course.
  • Be actively involved in the new city-wide Kids Klub.
  • Support the Newfrontiers initiative into France.
  • Work out the best ways to reach international students in Canterbury.
  • Be passionately involved in church planting throughout East Kent and beyond.