Coming Soon!

Has Arrived!

Yes, that’s right ladies and gentlemen, The City has arrived. Well, mostly. The software is in its alpha phase, which means that it is a rough draft but up and running. I’ve been on The City for about two weeks now and its been a wild ride. Already a number of lines of communication that have been difficult to manage directly have been assisted by this online network, but there isn’t a replacement for reality the way that other networking sites operate. I’ve actually tried to waste time on The City, but just haven’t been able to. I don’t know how the IT guys did it, but they’ve done it well.

I bet you’re asking how to get on to The City. Right now all new users must be invited. The good news is that this morning there are 2306 users who can all send invites. Almost all community groups are set up on the City as well, so talk to your community group leader and I bet they can get you connected. There will also be kiosks up in the commons to help you sign up on Sunday. Once you are on, you can search for ministry groups, community groups, service groups, or any other kind of group that you are actually active in to connect and pray, plan, discuss, or anything else the group actually does.

The big question I haven’t answered yet is “what is The City?” Mostly, I would rather you take a look for yourself because its just too awesome to explain. Also, I’ll let Pastor Zack explain from the Codex Blog:

What is it?

The City is an online meeting place for Mars Hill that ties together existing community groups, service groups, and interest/strategically-based affiliations into a social network. This social fabric undergirds many forms of ministry and greatly enables the Ground War. It also enables linking the Ground War of many large communities (ie. networks of churches).

What are key themes in The City?

• Attractional - The City invites those not yet connected to form deeper relationships, get more involved, and become on mission with Mars Hill
• Developmental - The City is designed to show you the next step according to serving in your area of gifting
• Content Finds its Target - The City shows you information that you need/want to see (which you can fine tune). It does not deluge you with so much unimportant information that managing your involvement at Mars Hill through The City becomes a part time job. It also doesn’t show you information you shouldn’t be able to see.
• Administration at the Edge - The City is not centrally managed; every group leader is given the tools and ongoing training they need to effectively lead those they’ve been entrusted. For those business book readers, it’s more like a Starfish than a Spider.
• Real, not Virtual, Community - The City is all about real relationships, real ministry, real life and community change.

I look forward to seeing you there.