Who we are
New City Church of Los Angeles is an inclusive, multi-ethnic, multi-socioeconomic, multi-generational, non-denominational Christian church in Los Angeles.
Who are we? We are a racially diverse church: our congregation is Black, White, Asian, and Latino/a. We are a socioeconomically diverse church: about a third of us live in Skid Row, about two-thirds of us live in the Downtown lofts or around the Los Angeles Metro Area. We are a community of families, singles, and kids.
We believe in being non-judgmental because we know that we ourselves are more flawed and broken than we’re even aware of — yet more loved and accepted by God through Jesus than we’ve ever dared to imagine. So, we say, “come as you are.”
Are We a ‘Liberal’ or ‘Conservative’ Church?
We are neither a conservative church nor a liberal church. The gospel doesn’t fit neatly into those categories at all – it is a third way. Christianity isn’t about adhering to a list of “dos” and “don’ts,” or uncritically aligning with particular political agendas; it’s about being renewed in the right relationship to God through grace and learning how to extend that renewing love in the world through our lives and in our communities. We acknowledge that we are all in a process of formation; we are sinners who are loved by God, in process of transformation by God’s grace and invited to share that grace through our everyday lives.
A Gospel-Centered Church
Our core belief is Christ-centered. We approach the gospel of Jesus Christ in three aspects (we call it the tripod of the gospel): Jesus came (incarnation), he died for us (atonement), and he resurrected, ascended, and is coming back (restoration).
Incarnation: God became human and inaugurated an upside-down Kingdom (where going down is the way up) and a power-under Kingdom (where it is not about power-over, the power of the sword and violence, but about the power-under, the power of self-sacrificial and unconditional love and grace). The Church is called to reflect such Kingdom.
Atonement: Jesus died for us because we are more messed up than we know but God loves us more than we can imagine. We are sinners living in God’s amazing grace. So, the Church is not about dos and don’ts but about embracing God’s love as we face our brokenness. When our heart is transformed by his love, our life also changes. The Church is called to embrace this amazing grace.
Restoration: Jesus resurrected, ascended, and is coming back. We live in between the time of his first coming and his second coming. Our mission now to bring to the present that which is to come. We are called to bring God’s presence, healing, love, grace, and justice to the world now. The Church is called to join God in his mission.
An Inclusive Church
This plays out in a number of ways that we intentionally highlight in our church: (1) we are inclusive of broken, sinful people because we ourselves are broken, sinful people being restored by God’s grace. (2) We are multi-ethnic; we are about evenly spread out among 4 major ethnic groups; we have no dominant culture. (3) we are multi-socioeconomic; we have people who are homeless, working class, and professionals. (4) and we are multi-generational. (5) We are a church that seeks social justice while respecting different political perspectives on how to get there. (6) We are a church that includes women in leadership and challenges patriarchal assumptions; we are egalitarians. (7) We are a church that is inclusive of those who identify as LGBTQ.
We can’t wait to meet you
We can’t wait to worship with you and hope to see you soon!
