Introducing Vision New York...

Vision New York is a strategic initiative of SCPI (Saturation Church Planting International) and a partner ministry of The Chapel in Buffalo, NY and Summit Church in SW Florida. What is Vision New York? A fellowship of Christian leaders committed to the common vision of giving every man, woman and child in the New York Metro area the repeated opportunity to hear, understand and respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Led by the leadership of Jim Hines, Vision New York will envision, network, mobilize leaders and facilitate training in the Metro New York area.

New York City is arguably the most strategic and influential city in the world and is truly a microcosm of our planet. There are 8.5 million very diverse people in this city and 24 million in the Metro Area. People, from almost 200 nations and over 500 people groups, live within a 50 mile radius of midtown Manhattan. Sixty-five percent of residents here are either foreign-born or the children of foreign-born immigrants. This populous represents every conceivable worldview and incorporates the least evangelized of all peoples within its shadow. Within this Metro Region, 1 in every 14 Americans lives and works, and from this epicenter, many others world-wide derive their entertainment, fashion trends, recreation, wealth and education. Yet within this most influential epicenter of world influence, less than 2% self-identify as “evangelical” (American Religious Data Archive). To put this into context, five Metro NYC-area counties claim a greater number of those who self-identify as “Muslim” in faith and practice than of those who self-identify as evangelical.

Currently it is estimated that there are between 400 and 500 evangelical churches in the region. To increase the self-identified evangelical percentage of Greater NYC Tri-State population from 2% (480,000) to 10% (2.4 million), approximately 20,000 churches of 100 persons need to be planted. This strategy is what is known as Saturation Church Planting. The term Saturation Church Planting (SCP) has been coined to define the principles that underlie the successful mobilization and multiplication of churches within a defined Circle of Accountability.

The initial work of Vision New York is relationally focused. Vision New York is currently in the initial stages of meeting with local leaders, discovering God’s activity in the Metro area and creating opportunities to initiate partnering dialogue (envisioning).

We are excited to continue our partnership with Jim Hines as he begins to give primary leadership to Vision New York. We know that God has not only called Summit to own the lostness of Southwest Florida, but also for the 308 million in our nation. Please keep Jim and his family in your prayers. For more information on Vision New York vision www.visionnewyork.org.