A Message From Our Pastors:

Learn why we’re having this conversation and the prayerful vision that’s guiding this journey.

Overview

What

Trinity Church & City Life Lansing Church are embarking on a Dating process of becoming ONE, and launching a NEW church. This project has a code name of Project: Forge. 

Why

Jesus prayed that we would be one (John 17). The heart and passion for oneness has been inviting us into deeper connection, and leadership from both churches have been stirred. We have been sensing a stirring that Jesus’ prayer, relational chemistry, and additional confirmation keeps happening which is why we are continuing the process of “Dating” for potentially launching a “New Thing” as one church. 

When

There is a process at play and we are currently in a Dating phase that could lead to Marriage.

Upcoming Events

Worship, Prayer, & Fasting

Starting Wednesday, August 20th.

Every Wednesday at noon, we’ll unite in prayer and fasting — individually, with a friend, or through the guided audio. More details here

Worship & Prayer Night

Sunday, September 14th, 6:30pm at Trinity Church

We will join together for a combined night of worship and prayer.

Timeline & Proposed Practices

Because we are viewing this process more like a possible Marriage than a Merger, we like using the idea of “phases” for our relationship both thus far, and also beyond as we continue the process of seeking and seeing what the Spirit of God is doing in potentially leading us together. As a result, please note the following as the key phases we anticipate engaging together.

  • Both local churches ask whether or not they “Should” be pursuing Marriage? This is a deep assessment of their own Mission, Vision, Values, Theology, Praxis and other elements, as well as an assessment of those same qualities in their potential partner. This is a potentially longer phase, and involves both the wisdom of each congregation, as well as partners who love both, and also professional counsel (legal and otherwise) to steward the process. 

  • Both local churches begin to believe that God is leading them together, and so move away from whether they “Should” be married to the idea that, “Yes, we SHOULD be, but now need to ask HOW we would” be married. This involves pragmatic questions regarding the envisioning of Mission, Vision, Values, Theology and Praxis that both honor the heritage of each congregation, but also craft something new, and begins to ask the deeper questions of how each will actually come together as One new church, with all the complexities of merging Staffs, Budgets, Facilities, Leadership, Governance Models, etc., as well as all the necessary legal and related documentation. 

  • Both local churches have agreed to marry, and become One new congregation. There is One local church with One Mission, Vision, Values, Theology and Praxis. Things have been effectively merged, blended, and joined, and only the outworking and pragmatic learning of how that looks on a day-to-day basis remains. The two congregations are no longer asking if they “Should,” or “How” they Should, but rather simply are able to state that, “We Are.”

  • In this phase, the focus shifts away from the Dating and Marriage process to this point, and begins to move toward the broader goal of what “We Become.” The new church moves more fully into its new Mission, Vision, Values, Theology and Praxis to experience the fullness of all that God has for it, and it embraces its new strengths and complimentary giftings to begin to achieve it. 

Our Stories

  • Click to see the Story of Trinity over the Years

    Trinity Church is a 75 year old church in South Lansing that has a long history of valuing and reaching the nations through the Love of Jesus. Trinity thrives as a “Multi” church, with multiple ethnicities, generations, socio-economic strata, families and individuals as part of its life. It has a strong Global and Local presence, and values Biblical teaching and deep Disciple-Making in Programs that allow people to Heal through Programs, Prayer, and Community.

  • Click here to see the story of City Life over the Years

    City Life Lansing is a 10 year old church in the Greater Lansing Area that has both proclaimed and demonstrated the Love of Jesus in incredible ways in the Lansing Community. It is known for its contextual cultural influence, its relentless commitment at the grass roots level to communities, neighborhoods and schools, and its innovative approach to leveraging business-as-mission, Gospel-centric gatherings, and Disciple making through Internships and leadership development. 

    Some helpful links to learn more:

FAQs

  • We are in the process of dreaming, exploring, discerning, as this journey continues. Several leaders from each church are helping formulate drafts for Vision, Mission, Values, Formation, and more specifics. 

  • We aren’t at the deployment stage yet, so too early to tell. We do know - if it is God’s will, then it will be a beautiful Movement with the Good News being proclaimed and more disciples made in new ways!

  • Thus far, the leaders of both City Life Lansing and Trinity Church have found that “Marriage” language is the best descriptor for what joining together might look like, and have continued to insist on that concept over others that might be suggested such as Mergers, Acquisitions, Adoptions, or Cohabitation. A Marriage where we are one and in unity. A Marriage where we are deeply formed with Christ at the head of us building His Church. 

    Ultimately

    Marriage language is what we have been sensing from Holy Spirit and has brought a closeness with our Teams thus far. We complete one another, and each church has noticed strengths that are complementary in beautiful ways. 

    The idea of a Marriage has been being talked about, prayed about intensely, and explored for the past few months at various levels, and is now being expanded in an intentional fashion that we are seeking to honor in both congregations, much like informing expanding groups of friends and family in a Marriage context. 

Questions Trinity might have

  • The first and most important answer is we believe the Spirit of God is leading us into a, “New” thing together. That fact that both Churches are actually healthy and there isn’t anything deeply wrong is a testament to something new the Spirit of God is going for the greater purpose of Kingdom impact! A “Marriage” wouldn’t be a rescue on either side or for either church. Both churches are strong and growing. But just like a marriage, both churches sense that each has both mutual and unique strengths that could be built upon to do more than we could do on our own.

  • Short answer is, No. We believe God has given each of our lead pastors unique giftings that complement each other. We aim to have a stronger team with our pastors working together as one. We are thoughtfully working our way through the entire staffing structure. The posture and heart of all has been, “Where am I best placed to most support the movement of God?”

  • We will! Our Main Auditorium seats over 1,700 people, and we have plenty of room to grow. But wouldn’t it be an amazing “problem” to have to increase our space, find alternative gathering options, launch more venues, or plant new churches in other contexts to further the Kingdom in new and unique ways?

  • We’re committed to maintaining stability and honoring what’s already thriving. As we unify and seek God’s direction, we’ll evaluate everything through our Mission, Vision, and Values.

  • We are still seeking God on Timeline, and, as you might imagine, there are a boat-load of questions that have to be answered before we would be able to say that we are moving from “Dating” to “Engagement.” So, the short answer is, we are moving forward with a bias for action and results without trying to “shove” or “force” anything along the way. Right now, we anticipate that our “Dating” relationship will at least continue through the Summer of 2025.

  • Conversations with a small group of Pastors and Elders began in September of 2024. In November of 2024, Elders from both churches were brought into the process of Prayer and Discernment. In December of 2024, key Staff leaders were informed, and we have been increasing the circles of influence carefully to key volunteers and members.

  • We see so much beauty for the Lansing community in this kind of potential relationship. City Life is unprecedented in our community in regard to the way that they Love the City in practical and tangible ways. Trinity has a deep history of international engagement and a global network that has been built over decades. Both churches are “Multi” - multi-ethnic, multi-generational, multi-economic, multi-national, and share common passions to both include and reach all nations and all peoples for God’s Glory. Amen!

  • At this point, we are hoping to make some targeted upgrades and refreshments to the main campus building, but we are also hoping to be able to maximize the space in some ways that will make it more accessible to the community. In short, our building is a magnificent asset for the Kingdom of God, and we still have a high desire to see it maximized for God’s Glory and our Good all through this process and beyond!

  • The TEDCenter is important, and actually serves as the first among many ideas to serve the community, generate revenue, and expand the influence of God’s Kingdom in our context. We have no plans to stop or pause TEDCenter, and will continue to pursue maximum enrollment and the full utilization of that ministry for all who utilize it.

  • We’re moving through definitive stages in this process: Dating, Engagement, Marriage, Movement. When we get to the Engagement stage, we’ll need to do some deeper work to involve our memberships in critical ways before we proceed with Marriage. Right now, we’re definitively in the middle of the Dating phase.

  • We’d love you to join our Combined Prayer Gatherings (CPGs) as we have them. These are opportunities to get together with both church communities, worship together, and pray and discern together. We’d also love for you to pray specifically for our “Core” Team (Elders and Senior Staff from both churches) as we operate behind the scenes to move things forward legally, process-wise, and structurally.

Questions City Life might have

  • Absolutely! Even more is the dream and plan.

  • They will be strengthened! The prayer is that Love the City will only be enhanced by Trinity and City Life becoming one. We are praying big things for Love the City. You ready?

  • We aim to have a stronger team with our pastors working together as one. We are thoughtfully working our way through the entire staffing structure. The posture and heart of all has been, “Where am I best placed to most support the movement of God?”

  • God has been writing a story in both churches in a deep way for a long time. The leadership teams are paying special attention to the journey of each church and its respective nuances, special touches, and more. Practically, there will be continued events and opportunities to connect and grow together. This will allow us to become one culture in a healthy way while bringing our full selves to the table in preserving what makes each church so special.

  • There is no one size fits all person for our church nor in the Kingdom of God. You fit in with God, and you will fit in with His body if a new expression together as one happens as well. We encourage you to pray and ask God what part He wants you to play in the season ahead!

  • Assumptions aren’t always reality. Trinity has a large building, yes, but our Sunday attendance is actually really close to the same size. Both cultures have a radical focus on loving people from all walks of life right where they are at.

  • Yes, the heartbeat to train and raise up the next generation of leaders is one we both share and are dreaming for even more ways we can continue doing that.

  • Absolutely, there will be many opportunities to continue what each member has been contributing.

  • Nope. We have been praying since the conception of City Life to be in a movement such as this conversation. We have had several building options over the years, and recently, all to which we have not sensed were God’s “yes” for us. Trinity Church and City Life have had grace and favor, with wind behind the sails in divine ways. God is writing the story and we trust that He will do what only He can do.

  • We spent over 9 months discerning in stages and with increasing leadership circles, in order to give this the proper weight and filtering warranted before bringing this before the congregation. It’s been beautiful to see God orchestrating and weaving hearts together in each tier and with each step.

  • God will continue to build His church at City Life and we would continue the call we are one to Love the City One Life at a Time. It is important to note though, you never want to have one foot in a relationship and one foot out. We are inspired by God to continue to move in this direction with obedience one moment at a time. To God be the glory!

We are asking for both congregations and for people who love them to be involved in the following ways:

You might be thinking, how can I help?

Pray With Us

The MOST important thing you can do is offer and commit to pray alongside us. Join us in seeking the Spirit of God alongside your leaders at whatever part of your local body you currently connect or serve within. Let us know how you’re praying, or how we can pray alongside you in this matter.

Serve with us

This entire process requires significant time, energy and focus from both our congregations. If you have specific gifts, skills, time, talents, or resources that could be utilized along the way.

Contact us

Let us know any questions you have, how you are praying for us or how we can be praying alongside you, and if you would like to serve with us on this process.