Rooted Churches Embodying the Way of Jesus

Here are Cultivating Communities, we equip churches to develop:

  1. A deeper life together among their members,

  2. A holistically robust witness to the gospel of Jesus in the places where they are embedded, and

  3. Significant contributions to the flourishing of their neighborhoods and communities.

A deeper life together :
In an age when superficiality reigns supreme, we desire to see churches that, in contrast, are rooted in: a meaningful life together, following Jesus, taking scripture seriously, and deep love for their neighbors. Click here to read more about deepening life together through congregational conversation.

Robust witness to the gospel of Jesus :
All communities embody a shape that displays who they are, and in Christian communities, this should be the shape of Jesus. But it is, and always has been, easy for churches to fall prey to temptations like exclusion (consider all the New Testament stories about Jewish Christians who wanted to keep out Gentiles), greed, hate, and violence—which all look very little like Jesus as we encounter him in the Gospels. It becomes very easy to justify why our church doesn’t look or act like Jesus, but a different way is possible. Click here to read more about the shape of our lives together in community.

Significant contributions to the flourishing of their communities:
Every place is unique and contains a unique mix of people, each with their own gifts, passions, challenges, and brokenness. And there, God gathers communities of Christ followers that have the capacity to pay attention to their place and its inhabitants and to embody Christ together in ways that communicate good news to the neighbors there. Click here to read more about becoming attentive to our place and its flourishing.

Our Team

  • Josh Livingston

    Josh is the Director of Congregational Engagement at the Englewood Community Development Corporation (ECDC) and serves as the Director of Cultivating Communities. He lives in Indianapolis, IN with his family.

  • Chris Smith

    Chris Smith is a writer, editor, and communications specialist at ECDC in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is also the founding editor of The Englewood Review of Books and the author of several books, including The Virtue of Dialogue and Slow Church.

  • Mike Bowling

    Mike Bowling is a pastor at Englewood Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana

  • Katy Lines

    Katy Lines is a pastor at Englewood Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.

  • Jonathan Brooks

    Jonathan Brooks currently serves as Lead Pastor at Lawndale Christian Community Church in Chicago. He is the author of Church Forsaken: Practicing Presence in Neglected Neighborhoods.

  • Lisa Rodriguez-Watson

    Lisa Rodriguez-Watson is the National Director of Missio Alliance and is Pastor of Teaching and Outreach at Christ City Church in Washington, D.C.