The Worship Network

IKON Christian Community, a brand-new church in San Francisco, just held its first services this past Sunday. But this young church already has a clear vision for building community in its community.

"San Francisco is the second densest city in America and, despite being within a mile of almost 20,000 people, it often feels lonely," IKON shares. "Urban loneliness is more than a myth; for many it's reality. Yet, in our present day we have more tools for communicating than ever before. These tools allow us to have a greater number of connections but often with lesser depth and intentionality. It seems as though it is becoming more and more difficult to truly connect with one another.

It is for this reason IKON chooses to embody three relational rhythms: Triad, Families, and Gathering. It is through these rhythms that we seek to live life together. We do not do this just for ourselves, but for our adversaries, our neighbors, our city, and ultimately the world."

IKON uses three relational gatherings to foster this connection.

Triad, the smallest groups, involve 2 to 6 people. "Each group has the freedom and flexibility to create their own sacred space for connecting with one another and with God. Our hope is that the Triad settles into a rhythm of gathering together weekly to realize a greater relational connectedness," the church writes.

Family groups range from 8 to 20 people focused on "holistic gospel integration"---getting together regularly to share meals, celebrate life events, pray together, serve the city together, and offer emotional support.

Gatherings are the large, all-church times of worship and study. In addition to the music, prayer, teaching and other elements of typical church services, IKON intends its weekly gatherings to be a synthesis of the other two experiences. "Gatherings are also a time for bringing harmony to our various Families and Triads, " IKON says. "Through a weekly time of teaching, the community orients itself around the story of Scripture which then can be used as a starting point for various conversations throughout the week. It is important for us to center around Scripture so that we may show unity, gain momentum, and share a common language."