Mission Yearbook Minute for Mission: 1001 New Worshiping Communities

“The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.” — John 3:8

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Since 2012, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has launched over 800 new worshiping communities. Today, around 650 are active — from storefront sanctuaries to living room liturgies, prison circles to farm fields. Each one is an outpost of grace, shaped by the neighborhood it calls home.

Here’s some back-of-the-napkin math: The average new worshiping community gathers between 30 and 50 people. Multiply that by 650, and you’re looking at anywhere from 19,500 to 32,500 people connected to these new expressions of church.

Now consider this: Roughly 45% of them are either brand new to the Christian faith or returning after years away. That means at least 10,000 people have encountered the living Christ because a Presbyterian shared a story, opened a door or made space at the table.

This isn’t about flashy programs or perfect plans. It’s about listening for the Spirit and showing up when She nudges. It’s about curiosity over certainty, hospitality over control.

If your presbytery is walking alongside a new worshiping community, get to know them. Listen well. Support generously. If your neighborhood is still waiting for one, ask why. Ask how. Ask what the Spirit might already be doing outside the walls you know so well.

Because the Spirit is not an institution — She’s a movement. And She’s already ahead of us.

Nikki Collins, Coordinator, 1001 New Worshipping Communities, Interim Unified Agency

Let us join in prayer for:

David Myers, Director, IT Finance & Administration, Board of Pensions
Lisa Myers, Event Coordinator, Presbyterian Association of Musicians 

Let us pray:

Spirit of the Living God, stir our imaginations. Teach us the holy art of noticing. Give us courage to start small and give us faith to follow your lead. Where doors have closed, show us windows. Where walls have risen, plant seeds of welcome. Breathe through us again. Amen.