Mission Alive recently had the privilege of leading two dynamic class sessions at the National Urban Ministry Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas—a yearly gathering that inspires and equips Christian leaders for transformative work in the heart of our cities. Mission Alive explored what it means to plant Innovative Faith Communities (IFCs)—creative expressions of church designed to embody the gospel among neighbors in marginalized and rapidly changing urban neighborhoods.
In these interactive classes, participants discovered how IFCs form organically out of the life of a community. Instead of starting with a building or a weekly program, leaders were invited to imagine church emerging around shared meals, after-school programs, recovery groups, or neighborhood organizing efforts—all fueled by the unique stories, assets, and needs of their local context. Each IFC becomes a living, breathing expression of God’s presence, tailored to its community’s culture and rhythms.
The second class took a deeper dive into how we measure real impact. Rather than simply counting activities or attendance, Mission Alive encouraged participants to look at how ministry fosters human flourishing—spiritual, relational, and social. Attendees were introduced to the Human Flourishing questionnaire, a practical tool currently used in IFCs to help leaders listen more deeply to their communities, observe transformation over time, and discern how effectively their ministries are nurturing holistic well-being.
By weaving together theological imagination, missional innovation, and practical assessment, Mission Alive’s sessions invited urban leaders to reimagine church planting as a movement toward neighborhood flourishing. The energy and hope from these conversations continue to ripple outward—fueling a vision of the church as a catalyst for renewal in the places that need it most.
