About Us - The Church Cooperative of Denver

Mission:

The mission of the Church Cooperative of Denver is to maximize kingdom impact by creating an interdependent network of relationships among like-minded church leaders to facilitate ongoing collaboration and multiplication among churches in the city.

The Challenge:

In post-Christian America, leaders and churches are being pushed to find new (or reclaim ancient) ways of engaging people with the good news of Jesus and his kingdom. The evidence of the decline of Christendom and the rise of a secular and pluralistic age in America has been well-documented and attested to by rise of the ‘nones’ – those Americans who claim no religious affiliation and make up the fastest-growing segment of religious identification in our society. This changing landscape is forcing church leaders to operate differently and face the failure of old organizational and ecclesiastical paradigms to navigate this new reality. In the midst of this shifting cultural landscape, the Spirit is working through the creativity and courage of leaders to initiate new communities of faith and kingdom-oriented enterprises to share the good news of Jesus. Often these organizations function in isolation and without networks of support.

How CCD Faces This Challenge:

Denver Leaders Gathering

We believe one of the greatest strengths of the church in our time is found in this diversity of expression and in the faithful entrepreneurial and apostolic spirit of its leadership. Our goal is to bring unity out of diversity by committing to cultivating relationships of interdependent cooperation and collaboration among leaders in the city. We accomplish this by inviting leaders and their organizations into a collaborative relationship of mutual submission and mutual benefit with one another around six key distinctives:

Six Distinctives of CCD Churches

ONE: Missional Impulse
God’s mission is to bring his kingdom renewal to all people and all of creation. Specifically, our churches join in his mission by tangibly sharing his love in word and deed with those in our spheres of influence, with the poor and marginalized in our city, and with those around the world who have never heard the good news.
TWO: Holistic Discipleship
Following the way of Jesus brings transformation to all aspects of our lives and forms God’s people for his mission. Our churches create environments where people participate in rhythms and habits that form our minds, hearts, souls, and strengths.
THREE: Theological Simplicity
Our statement of faith is grounded in the authority of the Bible and the central tenets of historic Christianity as expressed in the Apostles’ Creed. While there are other important matters of theology, our churches embrace a generous posture of “majoring on the majors and minoring on the minors.”
FOUR: Communal Ethos
Communities of faith between a few dozen and a few hundred people retain a culture that promotes hospitality, intimacy, locality, organic flexibility, and programmatic simplicity. Our churches embrace the benefits of this communal ethos and see numerical growth as a potential for multiplication.
FIVE: Empowered Leadership
Developing and empowering staff and lay leadership is crucial for healthy communities of faith. Our churches utilize organizational structures that employ effective teams of people in key roles (such as elders and teaching teams) while also empowering individual leaders according to their character and gifting.
SIX: Interdependent Cooperation
At the heart of a cooperative family of churches is a commitment to work interdependently. This means a willingness to give of our time, our finances, and our expertise to see other churches within the cooperative flourish.