Corner Church is a way to answer the question, “How are we going to plant churches in communities that are not populated with disconnected, disaffiliated, or disgruntled Christians?” Evangelism and discipleship of people who are not in the almost-Christian subculture cannot be accomplished through simple invitations and information. It takes a process of redefinition, moving from indifference or angst to interest and connection. This redefinition process is accomplished by being valuable to the community and through intentionally building trusted relationships. 

Corner Church’s mission is to be multipliers, planting human-scaled churches that are housed in valued in-community businesses. In 2006, they built their first Corner Church and launched their first Corner Coffee. 

Today, they are in four communities serving hundreds of people every day in their four Corner Coffee locations and gathering as churches in their coffee houses every Sunday.

Listen to Episode 32 of the podcast and access the show notes below. 

1. Corner Church’s Unique Model: Corner Church is a community-focused church that operates within coffee shops. Their mission is to have a presence within walking distance of all individuals in urban, dense parts of the city. By meeting in coffee shops, they provide a valuable space for people to come and go throughout the week, while also subsidizing the church’s leases and facilities. This model allows the church to focus on pastoral endeavors, with the coffee shops covering most of the rent costs. 
   
2. The Importance of Discipleship: Corner Church emphasizes the importance of discipling and building relationships with individuals over time. They recognize that discipling takes a lot of time and effort, but it is an essential part of their mission. They have learned that it is crucial to prioritize the church first before focusing on business endeavors, as businesses can be complicated and never become easy. They emphasize the need to be in it for the long game and have a great team.
   
3. The Value of Collaboration and Letting Go: As Corner Church has grown and multiplied, they have shifted from a founder-centric model to a more communal and organizational ethos. They have learned the importance of collaboration and letting go of control, allowing team members and community pastors to have the freedom to make decisions within their communities. They believe in being reachable and open to sharing their experiences and insights with others who are interested in starting similar initiatives.
   

Our calling as a church is to be connecting people to each other and to Jesus. Our mission is to have a Corner Church and valued in-community business within walking distance of the people living in the urban dense parts of our city. Our outreach is through being relational redefiners in the community.

Some desired outcomes are:

• Refine a sustainable planting process that is economically and missionally sustainable in post-Christian communities.
  
• Create principles and systems that allow for replication in other cities around our country.
  
• Accelerate the replication process to live out our calling of connecting more people to each other and to Christ.
  

https://www.corner.church/

“When we spend the time to learn about the stories of those around us, it helps shape the way we see the world, and the way we are able to recognize what God is doing in those around us.” 

“Society seems to have lost the ability to see value in their neighbors. Sharing our stories is an opportunity for redefinition and an opportunity for hope that God really is at work.”

“We want to see a healthy church within walking distance of everyone.” 

“True community doesn’t happen by accident but through a continual, intentional relationship with one another.”