WHAT WE DO

Our mission is to put Jesus on display through the collective witness of God’s people in every part of our city.

Ministry is not something reduced to what happens inside the church, but includes all the various callings, vocations, and locations the Spirit sends Christians in their day-to-day lives. Surge wants to see healthy churches and disciples multiplied. Our prayer is for Jesus-centered communities to grow all across our cities with an outward focus to the world around them.

Surge exists to equip leaders to engage every member of their church as an active participant of God’s mission. We provide tools and relational platforms to strengthen and activate the entire body of Christ.

This is how we do it.

  • Surge curates tools that equip gospel-centered, missional congregations.

  • Surge creates space for relationships across denominational, socio-economic, and ethnic lines.

  • Surge fosters a spirit of collaboration to help make disciples throughout the body of Christ.

In addition to these things we desire to see healthy congregations planted in neighborhoods across Arizona.

  • Churches plant churches and we have several training and coaching opportunities to help established churches birth new congregations and to resource new church planters with training and coaching.

FORMATION

Surge School - is one of the main tools congregations connected to Surge use to train lay leaders in their congregation. Read more.

The Neighbor’s Table - was designed to bring together neighbors who are culturally different from one another around meals and relationships. Surge has worked in partnership with various leaders and pastors to develop curriculum to support the Neighbor’s Table experience. Learn more.

Missional Training Center - in partnership with Covenant Theological Seminary infuses congregations with rich theological education that trains pastors and local church leaders for the realities they face in equipping God’s people to be a faithful presence in today’s world. Learn more.

Regional Learning Center - Cohort participants will join with other local church leaders to engage in an experiential learning journey that features some of the nations best missiologists, theologians, and practitioners while also providing space for collaborative projects to emerge that equip them to engage their neighbors in more active ways. Learn more.

Faith, Work, and Rest Initiative - is designed to help lay leaders in congregations discern their vocations and reimagine their occupations for the good of their neighbor and the glory of God.

NETWORKS

We like to eat together. Each month we have regional gatherings where pastors and local ministry leaders can share a meal, pray with one another, and have important conversations around healthy leadership and strengthening healthy, missional congregations. In addition, Surge facilitates affinity networks as an opportunity to provide more specific training and collaboration around particular focuses.

Look for upcoming events.

The Daniel Initiative - is a network of pastors and church leaders from all over the world who have moved to Arizona. These global leaders are committed to serving the local church by seeking and equipping the next generation of “Daniels.” Daniel lived faithfully before God in a foreign land by serving as a leader who blessed both God’s people and his new nation. We desire to see the next generation of multicultural leaders bless our cities and lead multicultural churches in the 21st century.

Women in Leadership - Surge creates space to strengthen women. We host a monthly lunch for fellowship and peer mentoring. Every year we also host a Women’s Peacemaking Conference to encourage women to use their vocation as peacemakers in our city.

Surge Latino - in partnership with City to City, Surge Latino provides meals and training for pastors of Bi-Lingual and Spanish Speaking congregations. Throughout the year they gather for training focused on becoming missional churches, asset based community development, and church planting.

The Regional Networks - each hosted by a group of local churches in that region. They gather the first of the month in the West Valley, North Phoenix, East Valley, Central/South Phoenix, and Tucson. 

INITIATIVES AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

Arizona is blessed to have many leaders and ministries collaborating across our cities for the sake of unity, prayer, church planting, justice and mercy, and reconciliation. While there are many we celebrate and support, we have key strategic partnerships that we deeply collaborate with through sharing staff, training platforms, financial resources, and ministry design.

Justice & Mercy:

Arizona 127 - Every day approximately 25 children enter the foster care system in Arizona. There is great need for healthy families and supportive communities to care for these children. Arizona 1.27 was born out of a response to this need and is now leading a movement of 90+ local churches across the state that are banding together to provide a long term solution for our state’s most vulnerable children and families. Through a series of pathways we help churches develop thriving,  foster care and adoption ministries and initiatives.

Phoenix Refugee Connections - equips and unites Christians across Phoenix to walk in love with our refugee neighbors toward the fullness of life that God intends. They educate people about the global refugee crisis and a local, biblical response; connect them with volunteer opportunities through other local organizations, and provide ongoing community and nourishment as they serve. Founded in 2008, this decentralized network now comprises more than 1,000 Christians from about 150 Phoenix-area churches.

The Create Commission - The Create Commission (TCC) is a ministry dedicated to and through artists. We are committed to journeying alongside artists in both their faith and creativity, collaborating with local churches to harness the transformative power of art in revealing the Kingdom of God.

Other Strategic Partners:

In addition to these partnerships, there are key ministries that Surge has substantial relationships with. We have a shared city vision with these co-laborers and believe their ministry model is an important discipleship opportunity for churches seeking to love their neighbors faithfully.

CHURCH PLANTING

We desire to see healthy congregations planted in neighborhoods across Arizona. Churches plant churches and we have several training and coaching opportunities to help established churches birth new congregations and to resource new church planters with training and coaching. 

See our Events Page for upcoming meetings.

Redeemer City to City Church Planting Cohort - In partnership with Redeemer City to City, Surge has a monthly church-planting cohort for current and potential church planters. The cohort, led by experienced planters and leaders, creates a relational environment to connect with other planters and utilizes City to City’s outstanding content to provide practical training for your context. Contact us if you are within 18 months of planting or in the first two years of your plant and would like to participate in our next cohort.

Bi-Vocational Church Planting Network - The AZ BiVo Network’s mission is to Assist and support leaders as they learn to leverage their connections to non-believers in an intent to lead them to Christ. As BiVo leaders are a new wave of modern evangelists/local missionaries,  our intent  is to enable leaders to rest, restore and revitalize their ministries.

Coaching & Vision Trips 

  • Get connected. If you are new to Arizona or not yet relationally connected to other planters and intend to plant a church in Arizona, we would love to connect with you or host you for a vision trip. Fill this form.

  • Coaching We have experienced church planters from a diversity of backgrounds, models, and denominations who are available to formally coach or informally support you on this journey.

  • Spouse of a church planter If you are looking for connection, encouragement, or training we would love to meet you!