Our Story
In January of 2017, Sacred City - Moline was planted by Pastor Sam and a core team of 40 others who were sent out from Sacred City - Iowa. We began meeting weekly for Sunday Gatherings in the gymnasium of a youth center and in October of that same year we purchased a church building in the heart of Moline. Our mission has always been to make disciples, plant churches and renew the city, specifically on the Illinois side of the Quad Cities. As we continue to live out of our gospel identities in community and on mission, God continues to slowly grow our church. In addition to having Missional Communities scattered throughout Moline, we even have one in Aledo, IL.
We are a small church with a big mission and our story is just beginning. We realize there are more people in our cities who need to hear the good news of Jesus Christ and need biblical community in order to grow up in the faith. Not only do we have a desire to see new people come into the fold of God, we have a generational vision for our kids and grandkids. We are setting the trajectory for culture shaping faithfulness so that our kids can stand on our shoulders and continue the good work the Lord has begun here.
If you are looking for a church where you can grow as a disciple of Jesus and be part of city-wide reformation, we would love to see your story intersect with ours.
The word sacred means "devoted to God". We chose the name Sacred City to reinforce the fact that all of life is sacred, not just the “religious” part. Hebrews 4:13 says that “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” This means that there is no division between the sacred and the secular. As disciples of Jesus, our lives are not meant to be divided between church life and normal life. Rather, all of life is meant to be lived in worship to God in the every day rhythms of life (Romans 12:1). Therefore, it is not our goal to simply build a large church. We want to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ into our cities, our families, and our everyday lives to see Jesus transform the desecrated into the sacred.
We exist to glorify God by making disciples, planting churches,
and renewing our city through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
OUR MISSION STARTS WITH THE GLORY OF GOD
Every human being is driven by a sense of glory. We live for the fame, praise, honor, and enjoyment of something. The gospel invites us to trade the lesser glory of created things for the infinite glory of our Creator. Compelled by His greatness, we orient our lives around Him and His mission.
THEREFORE, WE MAKE DISCIPLES WHO MAKE DISCIPLES
To be a Christian is to be a disciple of Jesus (Acts 11:26) – a learner, a follower, an apprentice. Jesus commissioned His church to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20), which involves baptism (a symbol of initial faith in Jesus Christ) and teaching (the ongoing re-forming of our lives in Christ). The primary mission of the church is to lead people to faith in Jesus and to form them as disciples of Jesus. Everyone who follows Jesus is a disciple who has been empowered for ministry by the Holy Spirit to make new disciples of Jesus. We believe that most gospel ministry should be done in the everyday rhythms of life by normal Christians outside of the four walls of a church building.
WE PLANT CHURCHES
As more and more people become disciples of Jesus, new churches are birthed. Church planting refers to the active multiplication of new churches – and this is the primary mission strategy we see in the New Testament. The book of Acts depicts the spread of a church-planting movement throughout Asia and Europe. Almost all of Paul’s letters were written to new churches either he or someone else he knew had started. We follow this biblical pattern by investing time, resources, and energy to launch, grow, and sustain new churches.
WE RENEW OUR CITIES
The gospel draws us in, changes us from the inside out, and then sends us back out into our cities as missionaries who work for the renewal of all things. We believe that the gospel has a deep, vital, and healthy impact on the arts, business, government, and media of any society. Therefore we are highly committed to support Christians’ engagement with culture, helping them work with excellence, distinctiveness, and accountability in their professions. The gospel changes how we work, what we work for, and will eventually even change the places that we work. As more and more disciples are made and sent back into our city to bring the gospel to bear on their spheres of influence the city will be renewed. This is more than just an individual’s mission, all of our Missional Communities are on mission to a specific people or place in our city and work together for the redemption and renewal of that people group together. We are committed to sacrificially serving our neighbors whether they believe as we do or not. We do this by using our gifts and resources for the needs of others, especially the poor. And more than just meeting individual needs, we work for justice for the powerless.