We Are Soma
by Mikey Walter
Last week, New City Church took steps to officially join the Soma church network. It's been a thoughtful and prayerful two-year-long conversation between Soma and New City.
Rather than explaining everything about Soma here, I will point you to their website and really encourage you to read and learn. If you've been a part of the New City family for any length of time, it should be pretty obvious when looking through their site why New City and Soma are a great fit. Our vision, values, beliefs, and strategies are very similar. This is because, though not being a part of the Soma church network up to this point, Soma and some of its leaders have been a huge influence on and support to New City ever since we planted as a church 16 years ago. Many of the ways we “do church”, including our Missional Communities and DNA groups, have been shaped by Soma churches and leaders. Their website describes a Missional Community as “A family of missionary servants sent as disciples who make disciples in the everyday stuff of life.” Sound familiar?
What benefits will New City have in being a part of this church network?
Let me first say that New City has already experienced direct benefits from Soma, particularly during this adoption assessment process these past two years. Soma has been a great support to our leadership in multiple ways, from helping Amanda, our Director of Operations, with putting together church policies, to general encouragement with consistent reaching out and checking in with Pastor Keith. We wholeheartedly expect that to continue as we officially join the family.
Although our leadership is familiar with a number of other church networks and we’ve looked into some others in this season, there are several things unique to Soma that we greatly appreciate. One of these is their holistic approach to church support. Most church networks seem to provide aid almost exclusively to lead pastors. Under their core value of “Shared Leadership” on their website, Soma affirms that “Leadership in the New Testament was based on teams of co-workers rather than exalted individuals.” Because of this belief, Soma strives to find ways to support and equip all of its churches’ leaders, including staff, elders, MC leaders, and others. Soma offers various trainings, conferences, and resources that are available and designed for church leaders of various kinds, and they value the giftings of the whole body to support and engage in the network as a whole.
There are other networks that share our vision, values, and beliefs fairly well, but Soma is unique again in that their strategies are also aligned with ours. Soma churches distinctly have missional communities, not Sunday schools or particularized small groups. That’s a big deal when we consider the practical support and learning we can have from other churches in the network who are striving to help others live in light of the gospel in similar ways as us.
Unlike many traditional denominations, church networks like Soma (and Acts 29, and the SBC, etc.) value the self-governance of local churches. They (and we) see that as the model in scripture. Joining the network is a voluntary partnership and New City will remain New City and continue to be governed by our local elders. However, being a part of a network does provide a healthy, appropriate degree of oversight, guidance, and accountability that we don’t have by ourselves. There is strength in numbers. Being a part of a network provides an additional level of safety against ourselves. We value and welcome that.
How will New City joining Soma benefit the greater Body of Christ?
This is really the more important question to ask, but one we don’t ask so naturally. We want New City to be a better church, to be a brighter light in our city, and to have the support that we need. But what about the Body of Christ as a whole? Soma is relatively young as far as church networks and denominations go. It’s also a missional church-planting network. Because of this, many churches in the network are relatively young themselves. Not that we’re an ancient church or that we’ve got things all figured out, but we have learned some things (sometimes the hard way) of how to be a family of missionary servants in the everyday stuff of life. We have the opportunity to not only learn from other churches similar to us, but hopefully share some things that the Lord has taught us throughout the years as well.
Soma, like us, longs to see new churches planted. New churches equals more opportunities for the gospel to transform lives. They strive to do this through Kingdom collaboration, where Soma “regional teams” work alongside (potentially multiple) local churches to help plant new healthy, gospel-centered churches. New City has helped plant and replant multiple churches in our area and we desire for the Spirit to continue to lead us and use us in planting more. Now we get to do that in collaboration with a greater team.
New City longs to see Macon transformed by the gospel, but we also desire to see the gospel reach the nations. That's hard to do alone, and it's an area in which we are admittedly weak and want to grow in. Soma is an international network with churches in Australia, Canada, Japan, and Mexico, and Lord willing, more to come. We are excited for the bond of family we will now have with brothers and sisters around the world. Though we don't know what it may look like yet, there is a huge open door of opportunity in partnering with international sister churches for the sake of the gospel.
Under their core value of “Kingdom Collaboration” their website states, “We pursue partnerships, connections, and genuinely shared ministry with other churches, organizations, and nonprofits. We choose the kingdom over logos.” This is New City’s heart as well, and we believe that this is Jesus’ heart. Though we are joining the Soma family of churches, our current relationships and pursuit of new relationships with other like-minded churches in Middle Georgia will not diminish. Soma supports and encourages these relationships and will support New City as we assist and collaborate with other local churches, Soma or not.
A Biblical Perspective
“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:20-21)
Before going to the cross, Jesus prays specifically for you and me and for all of his future church. He prays that we may all be one and then he asserts something that few of us functionally believe: that our unity is a key factor in the world believing in Jesus! Reread the passage above. Do you see it?
The New Testament consistently emphasizes the importance of unity among believers. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, calls for the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3). He also warns against divisions within the church, emphasizing that the body of Christ is one (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). The unity of the church is a powerful witness to the world, demonstrating the love and grace of God.
This unity is not merely a superficial agreement on doctrine or practices, but a deep-rooted bond in Christ that transcends cultural and geographical differences. It is a living, serving, and working together as one family for the sake of the gospel. Joining a network is far from us fully fulfilling this biblical call to unity, but it is an important and intentional move towards that goal.
To our New City family
We are grateful for your prayers, your support, your questions, and your involvement. We have an amazing family here who cares deeply for New City and for the Gospel. Thank you. We want to share what we have with the greater body, and we want the greater body to come alongside us and help strengthen us. We need each other. We are excited for what's to come. Would you continue to pray for us and for what the partnership will look like in the future? Pray with us that Jesus would be glorified in it all.