City Church Eastside

What is the City Church Eastside?

City Church Eastside is a friendly, relaxed, and welcoming Presbyterian church (PCA) serving the east side of Atlanta. A relatively young church, City Church has many young adults and young couples and families, and its building is the historic Hilan Theater in Virginia Highlands. Two things that set City Church apart from other churches are its attention to the emotional health of its members and the church’s distinctive commitment to serving the ‘parish’ or geographic area in which it is located through intergenerational community groups, Bible studies, and service opportunities in the area.

Church Size

City Church has service at 10 am, and there are about 125-150 people in each service on an average Sunday. City Church also has its services streamed for those who prefer to watch from home. On holiday Sundays (Christmas or Easter), City Church welcomes up to 350-400 people in total.

Leadership

Scott Armstrong – Lead Pastor

Kerstin Armstrong – Pastor of Women

Mike Boland – Pastor of Spiritual Formation

Annie Drexler – Worship Director

To see City Church’s full leadership team, visit their leadership page here.

Goals & Objectives

City Church Eastside has the vision to create a family that will join God in His work of renewing the city of Atlanta by proclaiming the good news and love of Jesus Christ and the freedom He brings. The church is committed to a parish model which serves the east side of the city.

Dress Code

The dress code is relaxed, most people wear jeans or khakis, some women wear casual dresses or skirts. For special holiday services, people tend to dress up a bit more.

Worship & Music Style

The worship style at City Church is blended, typically with one hymn per week mixed with more popular contemporary worship songs, all led by an acoustic worship band (consisting of vocals, guitar, drums, bass, sometimes a banjo).

The worship team is led by City Church’s staff Worship Director, Annie Drexler, and is comprised of volunteer musicians.

What to Expect

Upon entering, you’ll see there is coffee served in the lobby before the services start, and people mingle before and after to talk and welcome newcomers.

Each Sunday service includes a responsive call to worship and music led by the worship band. There is always an Old and a New Testament reading, and a time of confession and giving offerings/tithes before communion, which is observed each week. The service concludes with a benediction prayer.

Childcare is provided during service as well. Children up to preschool-age go upstairs to their nursery classrooms. K1 through 5th graders go straight to their classrooms, checking in at 788 N Highland Ave. Last, middle-schoolers gather for class at the Liturgy for the Community.

Doctrine

City Church Eastside adheres to the doctrine of the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA), which includes the belief that scripture is inerrant, and it takes a conservative stance on some social issues. However, City Church has a woman on the pastoral staff, which does not fit with standard PCA doctrine.

City Church Eastside encourages its attendees to thoughtfully engage with current social issues (for example, racial reconciliation or homosexuality).

Messages

The style and format of messages at City Church vary, from topical to textual and expositional. Topical series have included, for example, looking at the meals of Jesus throughout the Bible. In the summers, sermons focus on the Psalms, and other books may be preached at other times in the year. Every sermon included teaching from the Bible, with references to authors like CS Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, NT Wright, and other Christian theologians and writers.

Scott typically preaches, and his sermons are very accessible. Sermons are pretty broadly encompassing, and they are accessible to seekers and others who may not be familiar with Christian theology, as well as those who want to grow further in their faith.

Demographics

The general demographics of City Church are college-educated, typically white, and often families with young kids. In recent years, there has been a surge in young adults attending, both unmarried and recently married. There are some families with older children and a few older adults without kids at home.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming, with a lobby that’s always filled with people chatting over coffee before each service begins. There are lots of little ones, especially at the earlier service.

Find Your Community

One of the easiest ways to get plugged into the life of the church at City Church Eastside is to join a community group. These groups are neighborhood-based on the east side of Atlanta, including Va-Hi, Candler Park, East Atlanta Village, and others. These intergenerational groups are a great place to get to know others in the church across age and demographic groups. Some neighborhoods have multiple community groups, which may cater to certain age groups (eg, in Virginia Highlands there are 3 groups). These groups meet once or twice a month, and also are involved in serving in local neighborhood events.

In addition to community groups, there are smaller men’s and women’s DNA-groups (small groups) that meet weekly or bi-weekly to study the Bible. Other ways to get involved in the life of the church include attending men’s and women’s retreats and events, serving with City Kids (kids ministry), or joining the worship team.

Local Outreach

With neighborhood community groups being at the heart of City Church Eastside’s ministry, many opportunities to serve the community come through these groups. Community groups volunteer at local community events such as neighborhood festivals. Additionally, there are opportunities to volunteer with one-time events such as the annual international craft market City Church hosts, ongoing work with Friends of Refugees in Clarkson, as well as partnerships with overseas missionaries in India and Germany.

Other Fun Facts

City Church is located in the historic Hilan Theater in Virginia Highlands on N Highland Ave.

Contact

Website: citychurcheastside.org
Address: 798 North Highland Ave NE
Phone: 404-856-0183

Social & Other

Facebook: Click Here
Instagram: @citychurcheastside
Twitter: @CCEATL

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