We are a community of real people learning to live faith in real life.
An authentic, approachable
community of faith.
A people with Jesus as its center.
An others-focused,
neighborhood church.
An authentic, approachable
community of faith.
A people with Jesus as its center.
An others-focused,
neighborhood church.
About the Neighborhood Church
Never heard of the Neighborhood Church? Let's take a moment to describe it.
The Neighborhood Church is a community of people learning to follow Jesus together in the ordinary places of everyday life. Rather than existing for itself, it exists for the flourishing of the neighborhood God has entrusted to it. It is less concerned with attracting people to a building than with joining the Holy Spirit in the places where people already live, work, grieve, celebrate, and belong. The Neighborhood Church understands itself not as an institution to be preserved, but as a Spirit-led movement of witness, hospitality, reconciliation, and hope. It believes that the Kingdom of God is breaking into the world here and now, and that every follower of Jesus is called to participate in God's renewing work by becoming a faithful presence among their neighbors.
The Neighborhood Church is a community of people learning to follow Jesus together in the ordinary places of everyday life. Rather than existing for itself, it exists for the flourishing of the neighborhood God has entrusted to it. It is less concerned with attracting people to a building than with joining the Holy Spirit in the places where people already live, work, grieve, celebrate, and belong. The Neighborhood Church understands itself not as an institution to be preserved, but as a Spirit-led movement of witness, hospitality, reconciliation, and hope. It believes that the Kingdom of God is breaking into the world here and now, and that every follower of Jesus is called to participate in God's renewing work by becoming a faithful presence among their neighbors.
The way of the Neighborhood church
For the Flourishing of the Neighborhood
We believe God always forms a people in a place. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus' ministry is rooted in particular neighborhoods, particular tables, and particular relationships. The early Church likewise took shape within the communities where the Holy Spirit was already at work. We believe the Church is still formed this way today.
For us, the neighborhood is not simply where mission happens—it is the relational ecology through which God forms us into the people of Jesus. As we share tables, practice hospitality, bear one another's burdens, and seek the good of our neighbors, the Spirit shapes both the community around us and the church within us.
We therefore exist not for ourselves, but for the flourishing of the neighborhoods God has entrusted to us. We measure our faithfulness not simply by what happens within our gathering, but by whether the life of Jesus is becoming visible in the ordinary places where people live, work, celebrate, and struggle.
Belonging Creates Believing
Faith is rarely born in isolation. It grows within communities where people are welcomed, known, and loved before they have everything figured out. We believe discipleship begins around tables, in conversations, and through shared life. As people experience the welcome of Christ through his people, they are invited to discover what it means to follow Jesus together.
We Become the Church Together
The Church is not a place we attend but a people the Spirit is forming. Following Jesus is not an individual pursuit but a shared vocation where we learn from one another through vulnerability, hospitality, encouragement, forgiveness, and mutual accountability. We do not simply go to church—we become the Church as Christ forms us into one body.
Formation through Participation
We believe spiritual formation happens as we participate in the life of God together. Following Jesus is not a spectator sport or merely the accumulation of knowledge. It is an invitation to join the Holy Spirit in the everyday work of the Kingdom. As we gather around tables, love our neighbors, practice hospitality, serve one another, and bear witness to the resurrection, Christ is formed within us. We are not transformed before we participate—we are transformed through participation.
The Spirit Is Already Here
The Holy Spirit cannot be managed, predicted, or contained by our plans, preferences, or imagination. Like the wind, the Spirit is always moving in ways that surprise us, calling us beyond what we expect and inviting us into God's new creation. We believe the mystery of the Spirit requires a posture of humility, curiosity, and continual discernment.
Because every person bears the image of God, we trust that the Spirit is already at work in our neighborhoods long before we arrive. Our calling is not to bring God into a place, but to prayerfully discover where God is already moving and faithfully participate in that work. We therefore seek to listen before we speak, to receive before we lead, and to remain open to the unexpected ways God continues to reveal the life of Jesus through the people and places around us.
Jesus Shapes Everything
Jesus Christ is the fullest revelation of God and the center of the biblical story. We believe Scripture finds its coherence in him, and that the life, death, resurrection, and reign of Jesus become the prism through which we understand both God's Kingdom and our vocation within it. We therefore seek to read the Bible through the life of Jesus and to order our lives according to his way.
As the Holy Spirit forms us into the likeness of Christ, we become a people who embody his hospitality, compassion, courage, reconciliation, and hope. Our calling is not simply to believe in Jesus, but to participate in his continuing life in the world, bearing witness to God's new creation through the neighborhoods we are called to love.
We believe God always forms a people in a place. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus' ministry is rooted in particular neighborhoods, particular tables, and particular relationships. The early Church likewise took shape within the communities where the Holy Spirit was already at work. We believe the Church is still formed this way today.
For us, the neighborhood is not simply where mission happens—it is the relational ecology through which God forms us into the people of Jesus. As we share tables, practice hospitality, bear one another's burdens, and seek the good of our neighbors, the Spirit shapes both the community around us and the church within us.
We therefore exist not for ourselves, but for the flourishing of the neighborhoods God has entrusted to us. We measure our faithfulness not simply by what happens within our gathering, but by whether the life of Jesus is becoming visible in the ordinary places where people live, work, celebrate, and struggle.
Belonging Creates Believing
Faith is rarely born in isolation. It grows within communities where people are welcomed, known, and loved before they have everything figured out. We believe discipleship begins around tables, in conversations, and through shared life. As people experience the welcome of Christ through his people, they are invited to discover what it means to follow Jesus together.
We Become the Church Together
The Church is not a place we attend but a people the Spirit is forming. Following Jesus is not an individual pursuit but a shared vocation where we learn from one another through vulnerability, hospitality, encouragement, forgiveness, and mutual accountability. We do not simply go to church—we become the Church as Christ forms us into one body.
Formation through Participation
We believe spiritual formation happens as we participate in the life of God together. Following Jesus is not a spectator sport or merely the accumulation of knowledge. It is an invitation to join the Holy Spirit in the everyday work of the Kingdom. As we gather around tables, love our neighbors, practice hospitality, serve one another, and bear witness to the resurrection, Christ is formed within us. We are not transformed before we participate—we are transformed through participation.
The Spirit Is Already Here
The Holy Spirit cannot be managed, predicted, or contained by our plans, preferences, or imagination. Like the wind, the Spirit is always moving in ways that surprise us, calling us beyond what we expect and inviting us into God's new creation. We believe the mystery of the Spirit requires a posture of humility, curiosity, and continual discernment.
Because every person bears the image of God, we trust that the Spirit is already at work in our neighborhoods long before we arrive. Our calling is not to bring God into a place, but to prayerfully discover where God is already moving and faithfully participate in that work. We therefore seek to listen before we speak, to receive before we lead, and to remain open to the unexpected ways God continues to reveal the life of Jesus through the people and places around us.
Jesus Shapes Everything
Jesus Christ is the fullest revelation of God and the center of the biblical story. We believe Scripture finds its coherence in him, and that the life, death, resurrection, and reign of Jesus become the prism through which we understand both God's Kingdom and our vocation within it. We therefore seek to read the Bible through the life of Jesus and to order our lives according to his way.
As the Holy Spirit forms us into the likeness of Christ, we become a people who embody his hospitality, compassion, courage, reconciliation, and hope. Our calling is not simply to believe in Jesus, but to participate in his continuing life in the world, bearing witness to God's new creation through the neighborhoods we are called to love.
What This means in practice
Our convictions shape the way we gather, the way we relate to one another, and the way we live in our neighborhoods. While no community practices these things perfectly, these are the rhythms we continually return to as we seek to follow Jesus together.
We Live with Open Boundaries
We intentionally blur the line between "church" and "neighborhood." Rather than asking how people can become part of our church, we ask how we can become part of the life of our neighborhood. We seek to be accessible, collaborative, and deeply invested in the flourishing of our community. We gladly partner with schools, nonprofits, local organizations, businesses, and neighbors because we believe God's work is always larger than any one congregation. We want Summit Street Church to feel less like a destination people visit and more like a community people naturally belong to.
We Make Space to Discover Jesus
We believe people learn the Way of Jesus by participating in it. We don't expect everyone to arrive with the same background, vocabulary, or understanding of faith. Whether gathering around the Communion Table, serving a neighbor, praying together, or sharing stories, we invite people to participate first and allow meaning to deepen over time. We trust the Holy Spirit to form people through shared practices and relationships rather than pressure or performance.
We Hold Our Traditions with Open Hands
We treasure the Christian story while remaining attentive to the movement of the Holy Spirit in our own time and place. Rather than assuming every inherited practice must remain unchanged, we continually ask, "How is the Spirit inviting us to embody the life of Jesus here and now?" We gladly preserve what continues to form people in Christ, revise what no longer serves that purpose, and create new expressions when faithfulness requires it. Our commitment is not to novelty, but to ongoing discernment.
We See Church as a Way of Life
Church is far more than what happens on Sunday morning. While gathering for worship remains central to our life together, we understand the Church to be a people scattered throughout homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, parks, coffee shops, and dinner tables. Every shared meal, conversation, act of hospitality, moment of reconciliation, and opportunity to serve becomes another place where the life of Jesus can be practiced and made visible. Sunday gathers us; the Spirit sends us into the neighborhood.
We Listen Before We Lead
Because we believe the Holy Spirit is already at work, we begin with listening. We pay attention to our neighbors, to one another, and to the unexpected ways God is moving around us. Rather than arriving with predetermined answers, we cultivate curiosity, humility, and discernment. We believe faithful witness begins not by speaking first, but by learning to recognize where God is already inviting us to participate.
We Build Shared Ownership
We believe every person has something to contribute to the life of the Church. Rather than concentrating ministry in a few leaders, we intentionally create opportunities for people to share their stories, exercise their gifts, lead alongside one another, and participate in shaping our common life. The Neighborhood Church is not built by a handful of experts; it grows as ordinary people discover that God is already inviting them into the work of his Kingdom.
We Live with Open Boundaries
We intentionally blur the line between "church" and "neighborhood." Rather than asking how people can become part of our church, we ask how we can become part of the life of our neighborhood. We seek to be accessible, collaborative, and deeply invested in the flourishing of our community. We gladly partner with schools, nonprofits, local organizations, businesses, and neighbors because we believe God's work is always larger than any one congregation. We want Summit Street Church to feel less like a destination people visit and more like a community people naturally belong to.
We Make Space to Discover Jesus
We believe people learn the Way of Jesus by participating in it. We don't expect everyone to arrive with the same background, vocabulary, or understanding of faith. Whether gathering around the Communion Table, serving a neighbor, praying together, or sharing stories, we invite people to participate first and allow meaning to deepen over time. We trust the Holy Spirit to form people through shared practices and relationships rather than pressure or performance.
We Hold Our Traditions with Open Hands
We treasure the Christian story while remaining attentive to the movement of the Holy Spirit in our own time and place. Rather than assuming every inherited practice must remain unchanged, we continually ask, "How is the Spirit inviting us to embody the life of Jesus here and now?" We gladly preserve what continues to form people in Christ, revise what no longer serves that purpose, and create new expressions when faithfulness requires it. Our commitment is not to novelty, but to ongoing discernment.
We See Church as a Way of Life
Church is far more than what happens on Sunday morning. While gathering for worship remains central to our life together, we understand the Church to be a people scattered throughout homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, parks, coffee shops, and dinner tables. Every shared meal, conversation, act of hospitality, moment of reconciliation, and opportunity to serve becomes another place where the life of Jesus can be practiced and made visible. Sunday gathers us; the Spirit sends us into the neighborhood.
We Listen Before We Lead
Because we believe the Holy Spirit is already at work, we begin with listening. We pay attention to our neighbors, to one another, and to the unexpected ways God is moving around us. Rather than arriving with predetermined answers, we cultivate curiosity, humility, and discernment. We believe faithful witness begins not by speaking first, but by learning to recognize where God is already inviting us to participate.
We Build Shared Ownership
We believe every person has something to contribute to the life of the Church. Rather than concentrating ministry in a few leaders, we intentionally create opportunities for people to share their stories, exercise their gifts, lead alongside one another, and participate in shaping our common life. The Neighborhood Church is not built by a handful of experts; it grows as ordinary people discover that God is already inviting them into the work of his Kingdom.