FAQ

Q: What denomination is CityView?

A: While we affiliate with several churches and entities from various denominations, we are a self-governing, independent church, in keeping with the majority of evangelical churches in the United States. Without shame, we partner with other churches and entities that help CityView fulfill it's mission and vision.

Q: Who’s in charge? How is CityView led?

A: CityView is led by a plurality of male pastors (also known as elders). Our model of church leadership comes directly from the Bible in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus, chapter one. From these passages (and others), we form our understanding of church leadership and the qualifications for leaders. In addition to pastors, we will have both male and female leaders that manage vital areas that support our ministry. The biblical equivalent of these leaders are called deacons in the New Testament. Unlike the use of the term "deacon" in other churches (which can actually describe the role of an elder or overseer) we use the term "deacons" to describe those that manage specific areas under the oversight of our pastors.  To learn more about our views on Deacons, please read this article.

Pastors and ministry leaders are to lead with competence, humility and integrity. Each pastor has particular areas and deacons they oversee. When a pastor leads in an area, the other pastors tend to defer to his authority in the given area, while they collectively share the responsibility for decisions made.

See a list of our current leadership team.

Q: Do you have a youth group or a youth ministry for my teenager?

A: Yes...and No. 

Next Generation {5th - 7th}

11am Service Only

We want our middle school students to love, worship and enjoy God through a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Class begins and ends in the main sanctuary with coporate worship. During our time together, we have group teaching, bible reading and spend time in prayer.

We also plan group activities throughout the year which allow our students a time to engage with their friends and leaders.

Next Generation {8th - 12th}

8th-12th graders attend our main service each week. We beiieve incorporating students into the life of the church is key in discpleship making.

Gospel-centered community is the means by which we make disciples, and CLC's are the primary way to engage in this type of community. Led by trained adult leaders, our (8th-12th grade) CLC's will begin meeting Fall 2013 to foster community, accountability and friendships. Stay tuned...

Since part of our vision is to empower parents to lead their kids, we will not have a youth ministry in the traditional sense of many churches. To understand what we mean by this and the rationale behind this decision, read these: (Article 1 & Article 2). We encourage our parents to stay informed since ultimately you are responsible for your children--not a youth pastor, a church or a particular type of youth program.

Q: Do you have Sunday School or something like that?

A: For children, CityKids is the closest thing to what’s known as Sunday School. For adults and older children, we utilize CityLife Communities for many of the same purposes that Sunday School is used in some churches. While we value many of the principles that have historically been valued in Sunday School, we do not consider any particular program as sacred--our CityLife Communities included.

Q: Why do you use the ESV translation of the Bible?

A: While every pastor is free to use whichever translation he chooses, we primarily use the ESV because it is probably the most accurate translation of our ancient texts that maintains a minimal level of readability.  If you don’t own an ESV translation, you may take one of our paperback versions (just request a copy).  Otherwise, we provide hardback copies for you to use during our worship services (located in baskets at the back of our auditorium). When we preach from other translations, we’ll utilize the on-screen projection, so that everyone can follow along without confusion.

Q: Are your services “casual” or “formal”?

A: Both. Chances are, most people will dress casual.  That means different things to different people, of course.  Therefore, you can come dressed in almost anything you want.  The posture of your heart is more important than your chosen fashion or style.

Q: What do you believe about Speaking in Tongues?

A: While the pastors of CityView do not believe any of the gifts have ceased, this is not a belief held by all people at CityView Church. We are "open-handed" on this issue and do not hold to a formal all-church statement regarding this matter. While we would never discourage someone from the practice of these gifts, we consider it both unwise and unnecessary to practice the charismatic gifts during public worship (taking our cues from 1 Corinthians 14:5, 21-23). Therefore, we encourage those who believe they have these gifts to practice them--under a pastor's authority--in either CityLife Communities or in pre-approved settings.  We assume this would be done in a way that is scripturally consistent and appropriately edifying.