Missional communities are spiritual and relational gatherings that foster authentic, transformational relationships between the church and its neighbors.
Missional communities create spaces for the fabric of our lives – our passions, identities, hurts, and hopes – to be knit together with our neighbors.
What this tends to look like in practice is a regularly occurring gathering that…
- includes church members and community members
- builds authentic relationships around a shared purpose or passion
- nurtures courage, compassion and connection
Missional communities invite us to explore how the sacred longings of our hearts – for conversation, shared meals, spiritual practices, physical wellness, play, creativity, and justice – can be met and nurtured in our local context.
These communities – planted in the rich soil of mutual transformation – allow us to do the awkward, holy work of bearing witness and being witnessed in communities of belonging and bridging.
If you’re interested in learning more, please contact
Kelley McRae, Missioner for Congregational Vitality: kmcrae@epicenter.org
Seeking God’s story in our communal, unfolding story through…
Belonging:
Building community around a shared identity or passion.
Bridging:
Gathering people from different social and economic realities in order to build transformational relationships and transformed community.
Combating Isolation:
Creating connection for people who are isolated by the circumstances of their lives.
Transformational Conversation:
Building community through the practice of courageous conversation or storytelling.
In a landscape of disconnection, missional communities are emerging as sanctuaries of belonging.
Youth Soccer League – San Pedro/St. Peter’s, Pasadena
Lupita Garza started The San Pedro soccer league with the hope of creating a healthy, fun community space for local children and their families. The league started with 30 children and has grown to over 120 participants. This missional community has had a significant impact on the mental, physical, and social health of participants.
Additionally, the Rev. Pedro Lopez has noted that lay leaders involved in the league have built meaningful relationships with participating families, walking together through the joys and sorrows of life.
The Youth Soccer League is a continuation of over a decade of deep relational work by the San Pedro community. They have built community trust by reaching out to their neighbors, building authentic relationships, and addressing the needs, concerns and hopes these families have in both creative and practical ways.
Love Notes Chorus – St. Matthew’s, Austin
Love Notes Chorus is a choir made up of persons with memory loss, their caregivers, and volunteers. Realizing the tremendous impact of music on people suffering from Alzheimers and other forms of dementia, Edie Elkjer and Susie Higley were inspired to create this missional community in September 2019.
They have weekly rehearsals in the fall and spring and two concerts a year. Volunteers are present to “help with singing, snacks, water, and genuine fun!” Caregivers note that the community provides ‘camaraderie’ and ‘a refuge.’
This chorus, with over 100 singers, provides a sense of belonging to a community that often experiences isolation. Each week, as they join their voices in song, they experience the transformational power of music, understanding and love.
Laundry Love – Calvary, Richmond
Calvary’s Laundry Love ministry is part of a national initiative to wash the clothes and bedding of individuals and families living in poverty. Deacon Rev. Nancy Wilkes was inspired to start this missional community through a transformational conversation she had with a single mom who came to the church for support. Nancy asked if there was something specific she could do to help, and the mom mentioned that she didn’t have the resources to do her families’ laundry. From that one interaction, Laundry Love Calvary was born, and in the years that have followed this missional community has provided space for hundreds of Richmond residents to do thousands of loads of laundry.
Calvary members are at the laundromat the second Wednesday of the month as a ministry of presence. They do not handle the participants’ laundry; their goal is to put the detergent and quarters in the machines and offer kindness and open hearted conversation.
The Neighborhood Garden Project – St. Paul’s, Katy + Emmanuel, Houston
The Neighborhood Garden Project has one goal: to help people grow. Yes, they grow food. But the real work is about people—helping them slow down, reconnect with creation, and remember who they are.
They’re not your typical community garden. Their spaces are open to everyone—no fences, no gates. And instead of just planting vegetables and hoping people show up, they have full-time garden stewards who are there every day. Their assignment isn’t just to take care of the garden. It’s primarily to take care of the people who come through it. They hold space, they listen, and they walk with folks through the ups and downs of life.
They partner with schools, churches, and other local groups to build community relationships. Whether someone’s planting their first seed or just needs a place to breathe, the garden gives them that. It’s not about production. It’s about presence.
Angleton Community Choir – Holy Comforter, Angelton
The Angleton Community Choir, founded in the summer of 2024 by Eric Brown, includes members ranging from teenagers to singers in their mid-50s. They welcome all who love to sing, regardless of experience.
In May 2025 they performed Requiem by Michael Trotta with a live orchestra. The event featured guest artists from distinguished institutions such as the Houston Grand Opera, Houston Ebony Opera Guild, Opera in the Heights, Texas Southern University, and the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music.
“This is about offering something beautiful to the community,” said Brown. “Not just for the people in the audience, but for those of us singing it, too. This is something we build together.”
Sewing Seeds – St. Luke’s, Lindale
St. Luke’s congregants Becky Henderson and Debbie Stubbs started ‘Sewing Seeds,’ a missional community that partners with the local nonprofit Hope Haven, an organization that supports teenage girls in foster care. The idea was to help the girls gain sewing skills, but they quickly discovered these girls were more interested in the relational connections the gatherings provided.
“We learned that the Hope Haven girls don’t really want to learn to sew. They want undivided attention and someone to listen to them. With this in mind we offer very simple projects and lots of ladies to sit one on one with them. The ladies don’t even have to know how to sew – just care for the girls and visit with them. One or two of us that can sew cover the questions about their project.”
