Citywide Collaboration
Key Themes:
What Can We Learn from NASA?
In the 1960s, NASA expanded to collaborate with 65,000 scientists and engineers across hundreds of organizations to achieve a moonshot goal: put a man on the moon and bring him home safely.
Collaboration was essential, with organizations contributing breakthroughs while remaining true to their unique identity and expertise.
In the same way, achieving gospel saturation in a city requires collaboration at a macro-level without sacrificing individual gifts, goals, or callings.
Restoring the Spiritual Soil of a City
Cities are spiritually “barren” in many ways, and restoration requires collaboration across networks, churches, ministries, and individuals.
Like the biodiverse farm from The Biggest Little Farm, healthy ecosystems depend on diversity and interdependence. Each person, ministry, and organization plays a unique role.
Barriers to Collaboration
Siloed Organizations: Ministries and churches tend to focus on their own “logo” and brand, preventing shared goals.
Lack of Vision: Without a unifying “moonshot” vision, people struggle to see beyond their work.
Trust and Competition: Relational disconnects, pride, and comparison make collaboration difficult.
Practical Steps to Build Kingdom Collaboration
Think Bigger: Ask, “What would it take to see flourishing and gospel saturation in the whole city?”
Identify the Champions: Find individuals and organizations already at work in key areas (e.g., education, homelessness, justice).
Fight for Unity: Collaboration requires humility, celebrating others’ successes, and laying down competition.
Create Practical Pathways: Share resources, build relationships, and establish intentional spaces for vision casting and accountability.
Micro-Level Collaboration
On a smaller scale, ask:
“Who is already working in my neighborhood or network?”
“How can I collaborate to see holistic flourishing here?”
Local disciple-makers and microchurches must also collaborate to achieve shared goals within their context.
Why This Matters:
Kingdom collaboration is not just a “nice idea”—it’s essential for citywide gospel saturation. When we lay down silos, fight for unity, and align around a shared vision, the spiritual soil of our cities can be restored.
🔗 Explore tools for mission and collaboration at kcunderground.org/toolkit.
