Metropolitan Faith Church

Metropolitan Faith Church Rockefeller Center Station Box 2024 New York, NY 10185 917 719 0564 MetropolitanFaith.org

Contact:

Steven Dilla [email protected]

Pastor:

Redeemer City to City, New York, NY Sent Network, Annapolis, MD

Networks:

http://MetropolitanFaith.org

http://MetropolitanFaith.org

METROPOLITAN FAITH CHURCH

The Metropolitan Faith Church of New York is a new faith community forming along 14th street in Manhattan.

Our dream is to form a church dedicated to cultivating the grace and peace of Christ to see the people of New York City flourish.

Currently we are led by a board of directors, which provides strategic guidance and accountability to the church, and will lead until the time when elders are appointed.

We are funded by 90 families and seven churches from outside New York City and are on a five-year transitional plan to local support. The first local supporters began giving in December 2013. We carry no organizational debt.

We will incorporate in the State of New York in the first half of 2014, and apply for our 501(c)(3) in the last half of the year. Currently we raise support and have financial accountability through Sent Network in Annapolis, MD.

Core community formation began in August 2013. We plant to transition to weekly meetings with more liturgy on Easter of 2014 and begin weekly services with music in fall of 2014.

We are starting relationally rather than institutionally. Although this approach takes more time and resources, intentional community formation is the best way to see the most significant source of growth coming from those outside the church, rather than transferring attendees from existing churches.

We believe this grass-roots start is also the best way to see long-term engagement and fruitfulness in Manhattan where 4% of the population is evangelical, and over 55% identify as “none or other.”

The Metropolitan Faith Church of New York | �2

Home Meals and Bible Study Community Formation and Core Team Development August 1, 2013 — Ongoing

Growing a church relationally takes intentional connection and long-term consistency. Our group has been gathering weekly for a meal, Bible study, and extended conversation. Bible study moves in six-week segments, followed by a week at a jazz club, which creates a space to invite those not yet ready to join a more formal community.

This group is forming from the ground up, with over 25 people having attended at least twice, and an average attendance increasing from five to eight.

Hurricane Sandy Relief Disaster Response Project October 31 — December 24, 2012

In the immediate hours after one of the largest storms in New York City’s history made landfall, we formed intentional partnerships to bring critical relief to some of the city’s most marginalized neighborhoods. Here’s some of what happened through our work together:

• Food and water to over 20,000 people, including two hot-meals a day for the six days following Sandy, in partnership with neighborhood churches, the NYPD, National Guard, and NYCHA.

• Jackets and winter gear to 4,500 children, in partnership with neighborhood churches and The American Red Cross.

• Over 200 hats, 150 pairs of gloves, and 100 other winter-apparel items to the homeless in lower Manhattan — all from supporters in Chicago and in partnership with the Bowery Mission.

• Over 30 blankets to kids in partnership with Covenant House in Midtown — all hand-made by our supporters.

• Food warmers for over 4,000 Thanksgiving meals for Sandy survivors. The warmers will further the work of the Bowery Mission for many years to come.

First relief site, bringing food and water to hundreds, ahead of the larger work (pictured above), which served over 20,000.

Winter relief site, in partnership with other churches and The American Red Cross, 4,500 children receive winter coats and hats.

REQUISITE FOR A NEW CHURCH

The population density in Manhattan is 66,940, which means on average, 45,305 people per-square-mile would say they have no religious belief, or their beliefs cannot be associated with one particular religion.

If Manhattan were to have the same ratio of churches per-capita as the sunbelt region of the US, every square mile would need an additional 600 churches.

One in five New Yorkers live below the poverty line, and an additional one in five are low-income earners in one of the world’s most expensive cities. Over 50,000 people are currently in the New York City Shelter Program, with an additional 60,000 homeless, 22,000 of which are children. Additionally, it is estimated that one in four children in New York City go to bed hungry. The church remains one of the most influential difference-makers in fighting poverty, hunger, homelessness, and the abuses that too often harm those trapped in this cycle.

Timothy Keller says urban dwellers “tend to have a disproportionate impact on how things are done in our culture.” Nearly every major vertical of culture is created, guided, and exported by those living and working in New York City. The city is globally recognized as the hub for finance, media, the arts, and fashion. Manhattan is also home to the publishing industry, major news and entertainment networks, the largest TV and movie production houses outside of L.A., the United Nations headquarters, a massive body of students, and thousands of startups that will continue in the trend of uprooting industry models in the future.

While seeing unprecedented growth from 1% to 4% evangelical over the past two decades, existing churches continue to voice the need for ongoing church planting in New York City. Their belief is that a diversity of pastors, approaches to ministry, and investment in the city, is a key to reaching this nation’s largest, most diverse, influential, and skeptical city.

Although it is difficult to track, one estimate shows that in the last decade 90% of pastors who moved to Manhattan to start a new church no longer live in the city — most leaving between three and five years of their original move date


The gospel can

meaningfully link

these two groups.

DEMOGRAPHICS & ETHNOGRAPHY

Our primary focus is those living in neighborhoods surrounding Union Square. (Central Greenwich, East Village, Gramercy).

• 151,000 people in 70,361 households (2.14/household).

• Nearly equal male to female ratio.

• 35% percent are 25-44 years old; 15% are 45-54.

• Over 70% rent, 79% do not own a car.

• 64% white, 18% asian.

• 37% have a bachelors’ degree; 31% have a graduate degree.

• Average household income is $155,853.

Union Square is also the primary transit hub along 14th Street, along which stops every train running uptown and downtown, the L train from Brooklyn, and the PATH train from New Jersey.

Understanding the heart and values of the city has helped us tailor our communication and posture to reach young professionals in Lower Manhattan.

• Highly-specialized expert culture, nearly everything is merit-based.

• Suspicious rather than trusting.

• Disdain for spin, polish, niceness, courtesy, and modesty.

• High value for authenticity, integrity, passion, and decency.

• Approach everything with intensity and tenacity.

• Approach to career is unique and defined by personality.

• Intelligence and sophistication are essential — overall disdain for the obvious in art or communication.

• Language for the soul/spirit/heart is paltry — although exceptions can be found in the art community.

• Vestiges of Christianity have been washed out, or blended with other religions and ideologies, effectively marginalizing Christianity in the culture.

• Religion is generally viewed as either untenable or dangerous (i.e. extremism) — either way it is assumed religion has no redeeming value in the public square.


Refresh 2013 Community Outreach, Block Party July 27, 2013

Continuing partnerships formed in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, our community partnered with others to make an investment in the people living in the housing developments of the Lower East Side.

Together we served over 5,000 meals, opened the stage to neighborhood DJs, and saw people’s view of the Church shift as we served, laughed, prayed, and enjoyed an afternoon together. Most exciting, we built trust which has given access to neighborhood leaders and opportunities for ongoing work.

Our Work So Far A lot has happened since we started forming a foundation for a new church in August, 2013. Here is a quick glance at some of what’s been going on.

Twenty weeks of Bible study, averaging eight in attendance with 22 attending two or more times. Of the 31 unique individuals that have attended, just over 20% of have no religious affiliation.

Two Discipleship Groups started, which multiplied into five groups over the course of the first year. Formation of the “101” curriculum and leader’s guide, focused on gospel renewal and laying the groundwork for future discipleship modules on faith in the workplace and faith in relationships.

Partnerships with Hope For New York, The Bowery Mission, Redeemer Presbyterian, Trinity Grace Church, Abounding Grace Church, and others as we work together to serve and care for New York City.

$18,473 spent directly in on-the-ground ministry. Over $10,000 of which went directly to Hurricane Sandy victims in the housing developments of the Lower East Side. The remaining was allocated to ongoing care for the homeless, community outreach to those living in the Jacob Riis and Lillian Wald Housing Developments, meals for the Sunday night community, and benevolence.

Formalized partnership with the NYPD, where Steven graduated from the NYPD Citizen’s Police Academy and began the process of becoming a clergy liaison for the 9th Precinct. This partnership will give our community additional communication channels and resources as we respond to future disasters in the city.

Formation of a board of directors including Steven and two other men who are committed to the formation of the new church, shaping our work, and supporting what we’re doing financially.

PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY — ETHOS

Evangelistic Ethos — Evangelism as a task or ministry front is insufficient for permeating skeptical, post-Christian intellectualism. Instead, we see evangelism as a foundational value to everything we do, from teaching, to equipping Christians to integrate their faith and answer questions at home and work, and to renewing our city and world.

Integrative Faith — Our goal is deeper than understanding and we want to challenge and equip people to work out their faith in their own lives, in the lives of their family, friends, workplaces, and city.

Historically Rooted and Culturally Contemporary — We value connection to the orthodox Christian church around the world and throughout history. We affirm credal faith and seek to be conversant in contemporary culture without abandoning our roots as followers of Christ.

Culturally Refined and Unadorned — We want our message and ministry to connect deeply with the nuance and sophistication of the city in every way that would be beneficial, and within the boundaries of Scripture. We also value simplicity and strive to create a modest and simple body of faith.

Hope-Filled and Intellectual — We want to communicate to intellectuals in a way that is consistent and sufficient without losing focus of our hope in God and his renewing work in our world.

Communal and Empowering — We want to drive people away from individualism and into community while also investing in people and opportunities in ways that set them up to thrive without unhealthy dependence.

Bohemian and Bourgeois — Culture creators from every field tend to process the world artistically at some level. We want to create spaces that are as intellectual as they are artistic.


PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY — PRAXIS

We see the actions of the church as two-fold: spiritual formation and cultural renewal.

Spiritual Formation

• Weekly worship and teaching following the themes of the liturgical calendar.

• Discipleship groups: 3-6 people, Bible-driven, and focused on (1) identifying and displacing idols, (2) the integration of faith in the workplace, and (3) integrating faith in relationships (including Christian friendship, dating, intentional engagement, and marriage).

• Social spaces where Christians can intentionally cultivate relationships with those who are not ready to enter the church.

Cultural Renewal

• Creating a positive civic discourse between the church and the city through collaborative service and investment in long-term social projects, and the creation and support of a lobby for the Christian Church in New York City.

• Third-space creation that will serve as a primary point of connection and contribution within the culture.

• Church planting in other areas where cultural influencers live and work. We are praying about future planting in areas such as the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Greenwich - CT, London, and Singapore.

Together we want to see significant change in our community. Below, in draft-form, are the outcomes we’re fine-tuning for our work over the next decade. These will be accomplished in partnership with the organizations and churches we serve with daily.

• Within our church community, we want to see four out of five marriages thriving. We find the divorce rate and relationship satisfaction trends unacceptable and believe our work starts with cultivating an environment for Christian relationships, beginning with Christian friendship.

• 100% increase of students on the Lower East Side who graduate NYC public schools and are prepared to enter college without taking remedial courses. Currently one in four, and only 13% of African American and Hispanic students, are ready to do so.

• An overall decrease of homelessness, citywide, by 70% over the next decade. This would be a complete reversal of the rise in homelessness that has occurred over the past decade, which has citywide homelessness at its highest level since the Great Depression.

• The creation and management of a social space that can see a minimum of two people outside of the church attend for every one person attending weekend services. This space will be dedicated to the arts, managed intentionally to create flourishing in the city and environments where Christianity can be seen in a positive light in passing, rather than directly.


We don’t want to

just be a big church

— we want to see

change because of

Christ’s work in and

through our work.

Homeless Care Community Outreach January 22, 2011 — Ongoing

During initial survey work in the city we formed a partnership with a number of homeless care ministries, beginning on-the-ground work in 2011.

Our work is centered around taking responsibility for individuals who live on the street and providing for their needs throughout the year. Our goal is to care for immediate needs and help them begin the process of transitioning off the streets. We also participate annually in Don’t Walk By which looks for and cares for the homeless on every city block and subway stop.

Taking Responsibility It doesn't take long in New York City to start recognizing consistent faces among those living on the streets. Our question is, what would happen if we took spiritual responsibility for them?

This begins with prayer and conversation to identify those who are willing to accept help, without an existing support system to receive help, and likely exposed to harm or danger without help. We then

begin a relationship by asking and prioritizing their needs, then rally our community around those needs.

We spend, on average, over $100 on each person. The long-term goal of the relationship, which shares our faith in word and deed, is to cultivate trust and enter the transition process with the person, assisting as necessary and facilitating a move into more sustainable rhythms of living.

LEADERSHIP & GUIDANCE

Steven Dilla serves as the founding pastor for Metropolitan Faith. Steven has worked as a pastor at a large church, leading a staff of 125 and over 450 volunteers, as well as in a Church Planter’s Residency at a community church of just over 100 people. Steven's training is in Historical Theology at Dallas Seminary and Oklahoma Baptist. He previously worked for Apple, Inc. and as a Paramedic and Field Trainer.

Emily Dilla serves as a primarily coordinator for community events and homeless outreach. She also previously worked at a large church, overseeing a staff of 12 and nearly 1,000 volunteers, as well as in an administrative role for a small church plant and planting network. Emily’s training is in World Missions and Family Psychology at Oklahoma Baptist.

Joseph Selvidio serves on the Board of Directors for Metropolitan Faith. Joseph is a vice president and in-house lawyer for an asset management company, specializing in derivatives, capital markets, and financial reform. His experiences from living and working in New York City, and his heart to connect faith and work, have greatly shaped our community’s heart and vision.

Neil Brown serves on the Board of Directors for Metropolitan Faith. Neil founded and was a managing partner at Barnum where he helped co-create and kickstart eight endeavors, and actively supported over 80 entrepreneurial ventures. He and his wife, Jen also co-founded Salt Space, a social venue for a church in New York City that saw over 10,000 people visit in just 14 months. Neil and Jen’s passion and experience for connecting the church with the culture are driving our future plans for high-level connectivity with the city.

John Thomas serves as the Director of Global Training for Redeemer City to City, where he is the lead trainer for Steven and our work in the city. John has a Ph.D. in Anthropology and is the primary author and trainer for the Incubator Program that has helped train pastors and plant over 300 churches in 35 global cities. John’s guidance has greatly reshaped our philosophy of ministry and civic stance.

Mark McGeever is the Director at Sent Network where he oversaw Steven’s residency. Mark provided training, and decades of on-the-ground experience in discipleship, as well as planting and leading an elder-led congregation. Mark’s desire to see new churches throughout the Northeast laid the foundation for our community’s vision to grow and take root.

Bryan Wintersteen serves as the Mid Atlantic Director for Church Resource Ministries and the Coaching Director at Sent Network. Bryan is the primary coach for Steven and our work in the city. Bryan is a credentialed member of the International Coaching Federation and has over 17 years experience coaching pastors and non-profit leaders.



TIMELINE

Foundational Work — In addition to completing an 18-month residency with Sent Network, Steven and Emily also spent a year living in New York City prior to starting regular meetings. In that year, with the help of a group of New Yorkers who have lived in the city at least eight-years and are practicing their faith in their work and relationships, the group rewrote Metropolitan Faith’s philosophy of ministry, reframed the vision, and re-branded the church.

Current Work — Our group gathers weekly for meals and Bible study and keeps regular social events to invite and form relationships with those not yet comfortable with Bible study. We also serve the homeless on an ongoing basis and are forming partnerships with the NYPD, the Mayor’s Office, neighborhood churches, and civic leaders.

Easter 2014 — We will transition from six-week cycles of meeting to ongoing meetings, as well as introduce more liturgy into our community. Additionally a new rhythm of social events will begin, with the goal of keeping a large platform for those outside the church to see Christ in a positive way through the arts, social events, and service.

Summer 2014 — Refresh 2014, the second annual block party that we help plan, fund, and coordinate, serving those who live in the housing developments of the Lower East Side. This event will also serve as a launching point for new citywide initiatives to begin in the fall.

Fall 2014 — Weekly services begin. We will also launch civic work in participation with neighborhood churches and the Luis Palau association.

Mom’s Group Intentional Social Engagement September 1, 2012 — Ongoing

Ministry is built on relationships, and those in our community intentionally invest their time and energy in ongoing social groups that allow them to connect with and serve those outside the church.

Below, a mom’s group where women and their children connect weekly. Without our community’s commitment there would be no Christian presence in the group.

CURRENT MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES

Bibles for Weekly Meetings and New Followers of Christ — We would like to purchase the ESV Outreach Bible (paper cover) by the case to use in meetings and give to new followers of Christ. Estimated cost: $75/case of 48 (with shipping).

Refresh 2014 — Refresh 2014, the second annual block party that we help plan, fund, and coordinate, serving those who live in the housing developments of the Lower East Side. This event will also serve as a launching point for citywide ministry initiatives to begin in the fall. Estimated cost, $2,200 (increased from $1,600 in 2013).

Incorporation and 501(c)(3) — As we move toward incorporation in order to expand our community's ministry and begin cultivating local financial support we will need to secure an attorney and file necessary paperwork. Estimated cost: $5,000, one time.

Meeting Space for Sunday Evenings — Prior to launching services in the fall we will need a short-term space for 30-50 people to continue Bible study and prayer together. We have a growing short-list of spaces around Union Square, like yoga and dance studios. Estimated cost: $3,000, one time.

Ministry Staff — Maintaining a living and working presence in Manhattan is essential to the relationships that are forming our community. Steven and Emily Dilla have raised over 70% of their compensation from a generous group of supporters outside of New York City. Additional support is needed to finish pastoral support for the year, fund a stipend for a 2014 summer intern (who will raise his or her own support as well), pay for part-time office space, and seed the beginnings of compensation for a second staff minister. Estimated cost: $100,000 for 2014.

Seed for Weekly Worship Space — As we begin planning and praying for weekly services to begin, this fund will provide the initial investment for both space and equipment. Estimated Cost: $50,000, one time.


FINANCIAL MODEL & PROJECTIONS

We are six-months into a five-year plan to being fully locally supported. The time period was determined with the help of three churches that have made similar transitions successfully in Manhattan during the last decade. Each year calls for a minimum of a 20% increase in local support.

The first New York City donors began giving in December of 2013, and the next three have committed to start giving when we incorporate.

We are currently researching grant possibilities to fund specific elements of our civic work, as well as church planting grants to fund overall work.

2014 requires an additional $150,000, as of March, 2014.

2015 will require a minimum of $380,000, dependent on the worship space we secure.

Projections for 2016 and beyond will be set in Q1 of 2015.


REFERENCES & CONTACT

Neil Brown — Metropolitan Faith Church Board of Directors, Managing Partner at Sweat Ventures, [email protected].

Steven Dilla - Pastor, Metropolitan Faith Church, [email protected], 917-971-5241.

Bethany Jenkins — local supporter and key relational connector within the city, Founder, The Park Forum, Director of Every Square Inch for The Gospel Coalition, [email protected].

Mark McGeever — Director at Sent Network, [email protected].

Joseph Selvidio — Metropolitan Faith Church Board of Directors, vice president and in-house counsel for an asset management company in Manhattan, [email protected].

John Thomas — Director of Global Training at Redeemer City to City, [email protected].

Bryan Wintersteen — Mid Atlantic Director for Church Resource Ministries, Director of Coaching at Sent Network, [email protected].

Sunny Yoon — volunteer and regular attendee, Paralegal for Business Solutions, Governance, Restructuring & Bankruptcy at Proskaur Rose, [email protected].

!MetropolitanFaith.org


We got to give him

new boots for his job!

Metropolitan Faith Church

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