Citizens
Citizens is a year-long journey a group of workers takes together to discover how the gospel changes them and their work. It takes a daily journey with God in scripture, reading works written by Christians through the ages, an authentic community of prayer and thoughtful consideration of the heart to make sense of work. The story of scripture alters how we understand ourselves, God’s world and the work before us. It is worth spending a year making sense of what most of your life is about.
Why Citizens?
The gospel of Jesus Christ changes everything. Yet, we are not always sure what that means
for everyday life. There is a point many believer reach in their walk where they are not sure
how to live out Jesus’ lordship over their lives. Often this comes in the realm of work and the
increasing complexities to live faithfully in all of life. When we come to this point in life, we
need to delve deeper into the reality of Jesus Christ and grow a vision of how the good news
alters everything we are and do. Citizens offers a place to take this journey with the gospel.
The Philosophy of Citizens – How Transformation Happens:
Only possible through the gospel of Jesus Christ
So we study him and what he has done.
We seek the power to change from his death and resurrection
Occurs in community with others.
So we need to be vulnerable and commit to listening anddoing life together
Begins with the heart
We cannot do good work without a new heart. Our first step is to let the gospel transform our hearts
Is a journey
We need a whole year of seeking, praying, thinking, reflecting and longing to be molded more deeply into the image of Jesus Christ.
Requires the God’s voice in scripture.
Citizens takes the unfolding revelation of scripture as God’s voice. Through living in the story of scripture, we find our identity and task as part of God’s plans.
What to expect during Citizens
Weekly Meetings
Citizens meets for two hours weekly for 28 weeks in a year. One hour is spent sharing and praying about what is happening at work and life. One hour is spent considering the reading of the week.
Citizens takes a journey with the gospel:
THE GOSPEL
THE GOSPEL IN THE HEART
THE GOSPEL IN THE WORLD
THE GOSPEL IN THE WORKPLACE
Term 1 - The Gospel of Jesus Christ
In the first term of Citizens we consider the gospel. We trace its full depth an beauty as the captivating story of Jesus Christ. God’s word tells the story of Jesus Christ and lays claim to our whole view of reality and ourselves
‘There is a sense in which the whole of Christian theology… is an exposition of the gospel and its implications. Two thousand years have not exhausted the wonder of it.’
- Mark Thompson, A Clear and Present Word, p.56.
- Mark Thompson, A Clear and Present Word, p.56.
Term 2 - Gospel in the Heart
In the second term of Citizens, we turn all the realities of the gospel we have learned and seek by faith to let the gospel reorder and change our hearts, kill sin and lead to a new life of love. We cannot do good work before the gospel reshapes us.
‘For wherever the soul of man may turn, unless it turns to you, it clasps sorrow to itself. Even thought it clings to things of beauty… beauty would not exist at all unless they came from you.’
- Saint Augustine, Confessions, p.80.
- Saint Augustine, Confessions, p.80.
Term 3 - Gospel in the World
In the third term of Citizens after considering what the gospel says about our hearts, we let it speak to the world of our work. Essential for this is comprehending: the nature of common grace, God’s future, creation and the way culture is shaped and changed.
'The church is to go out into the world to enact parables of God's kingdom, loving the world with an extraordinary outpouring of its own life as Christ poured out his life for the church.'
- Kevin Vanhoozer, Faith Speaking Understanding, p.233.
- Kevin Vanhoozer, Faith Speaking Understanding, p.233.
Term 4- Gospel in the Workplace
In the fourth term of Citizens we consider some different areas of work and how we can bring to bear the theological resources upon each of the areas that God has placed us in. How do scripture and the gospel re-shape our vision for different domains of God’s world?
‘The early church was not simply to be conformed to the strange world of sickness and healing it entered but to be transformed -- and transforming -- by the renewing of its communal mind.' -Allen Verhey, Reading the Bible in the Strange World of Medicine, p.2.
Citizens involves three retreats
RETREAT 1 (Feb) - Orientation to the Course.
Seek to share our stories and get to know each other and what God might do in the year.
RETREAT 2 (July) - Heart Transformation.
We seek to understand the patterns of our hearts that underlie the way we go about work and life and how the gospel
RETREAT 3 (Nov) – Situational Clarity.
We consider what God is doing in specific instances in our workplaces and reflect on our lives as a whole and how to live faithfully to Christ.
Seek to share our stories and get to know each other and what God might do in the year.
RETREAT 2 (July) - Heart Transformation.
We seek to understand the patterns of our hearts that underlie the way we go about work and life and how the gospel
RETREAT 3 (Nov) – Situational Clarity.
We consider what God is doing in specific instances in our workplaces and reflect on our lives as a whole and how to live faithfully to Christ.
Citizens involves two projects
PROJECT 1 - ‘Clothed with Christ’ – a look at our hearts for retreat #2.
PROJECT 2 -‘Whatever is good’ – a look at a specific work issue for retreat #3.
SIgn UP NOWPROJECT 2 -‘Whatever is good’ – a look at a specific work issue for retreat #3.