As some of you may know, I maintain a local Christian portal website called ChristianCruz which is designed to be an online resource for believers living in Santa Cruz County, California.

When I began the site in 2000, my intention was actually to use it as a vehicle to build a local web design service for churches, ministries, and Christian business folks (I had read somewhere that starting a community portal was an effective way to build a web design service). Before long, however, the Lord changed the direction of the site through a series of what I believe were divinely-appointed connections. Within the space of a week, I came into contact with several people involved in community-wide, cross-church and cross-denominational efforts to reach our county for Christ. Through these connections, I came to believe that there was a greater purpose for ChristianCruz (to play at least a small part in encouraging Christian community across denominational and individual church lines, community which would become the foundation for local outreach efforts).

Because of the way the site was started (sort of haphazardly, without a focused vision), I have never formalized any "reason for being" for the site, although I have certainly thought about it a great deal. Over the past couple of years, I have thought a lot about the need to write a white paper to document what I believe are important reasons for this effort, not only for ChristianCruz.com, but also to support a vision I have had to help other local areas begin similar sites.

I have finally been able to come up with a basic, yet rough, outline of what the white paper would say. I'd like to include that outline here and solicit feedback from the readers of this blog (positive feedback, negative feedback, accusations of mental problems, spelling corrections, suggestions for further resources to study, etc., etc. — all types of feedback will be welcome).

With that as an introduction, here is the very rough outline:

1. An authentic demonstration of Christian community is the foundation of all effective outreach.
2. In John 17:21-23, Jesus said that if His disciples were one and perfected in unity, then the world would know that the Father loves them and that the Father sent Jesus (I believe that also includes an understanding of WHY Jesus was sent to earth).
3. The converse is true – if Jesus’ disciples are not one and not perfected in unity (I would add “in a local area”), OR if it is not evident to the community in a local area that Jesus’ disciples are one and perfected in unity, then the world will not know that the Father loves them and that the Father sent Jesus (along with the reason for His being sent).
4. If a person does not know that the Father loves him/her and that the Father sent Jesus (along with the reason for His being sent), they will not be converted to Christ.
5. MAIN POINT: If unbelievers in a local area do not SEE (whether it exists or not) a vivid, ongoing demonstration of authentic Christian community (across denominational and individual church lines), that local area will not be reached for Christ.
   • Robert Banks illustrations regarding going down to the harbor and the first century house being open to the street – the life of the church lived out in full view of the unbelieving community (this is a note to myself that will remind myself of supporting material)
6. With the current state of the church — being expressed in multiple individual churches and denominations (as vs. the city wide church of the first century), it is vitally important that the authentic demonstration of Christian community across denominational and individual church lines be PUBLICIZED to the unbelieving community.
   • Another note to self – check Francis Shaeffer, book on Christian media, and book on City Reaching for supporting material
7. The role of Christian media in publicizing authentic Christian community across denominational and individual church lines is important – without such publicity, any demonstration of authentic Christian community within a single congregation risks being superceded in the unbelievers’ minds by the apparent division between individual churches and denominations which may appear to exist on a broader scale (but still in the local area).
   • a city set on a hill cannot be hidden
   • let your light so shine before men (so shine = in such a way)
8. Local Christian media is uniquely positioned to publicize ongoing demonstrations of authentic Christian community across denominational and individual church lines
   • It can report on multi-church projects
   • it can publish the collective voice of the evangelical church in a local area
9. Online media (website) is the most cost-effective approach for local Christians to demonstrate their authentic community
   • citizen journalism
   • blogging technology cuts costs