About FORCLT

OUR STORY

FORCLT was founded by a group of pastors out of a shared burden that the operating system of the Church in Greater Charlotte is broken. Historically, the Church has been divided, declining, and too often disengaged from meeting the needs of our city, all while leading to epidemic levels of pastoral burnout. While this can be discouraging, in John 17, our Lord Jesus provided the answer when He prayed “…that they may become perfectly ONE, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” This is why the FORCLT Network exists. To Unite the Church to Transform Our City.

As this vision began to take hold with pastors and Christian leaders across the city, it became clear that no single church could lead this unified effort. Rather, it would require a neutral convening organization operating as a platform to connect the Church in order to see pastors, churches, and our city realize the renewal that only comes in Christ.

OUR PURPOSE

FORCLT‘s purpose is to Unite the Church to Transform Our City.

OUR MISSION

FORCLT‘s exists to Connect Pastors for Personal, Church, and City Renewal.

OUR VALUES

Our core values listed below act as an anchor at the center of who we are and drive all the efforts of FORCLT.

JESUS-CENTRALITY – We value Jesus above all else. It is only in Him, we find our life and purpose. It is in Him that we are united. Jesus is the gospel, the good news that God has loved and reconciled the world to Himself through the life, death, burial and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. As the Church, we are called to live our lives for the sake of Jesus and His gospel, and we believe that the gospel when properly understood stands firmly on two legs; Word and Deed. Thus, we are called to proclaim (Word) and demonstrate (Deed) the love of God in Jesus Christ.

CHURCH-UNITY – We value Church Unity. Which means we value Christ’s Church. We believe that the church, when united and operating in the power of the Holy Spirit, is the most powerful change agent in the world, and must be the main driver of any lasting city-transformation efforts. Because we value church unity, we focus on creating network platforms for the church to grow deeper in relationship, trust, leading to gospel-centered collaboration for the good of the city.

CITY-TRANSFORMATION – We value Charlotte. We believe that God has placed His Church in Greater Charlotte as His transformative change agents. The Scriptures call the church to seek the peace (shalom) of the city.

Our Strategy:

FORCLT‘s Strategy is help Pastors and Church Leaders Learn, Connect, and Take Action, Together.

Learn

FORCLT maintains a posture of learning allowing us to better understand both the Church and the City. We create content, resources, and facilitate learning environments to equip pastors and church leaders to most effectively meet the needs of Charlotte.

Connect

FORCLT hosts citywide pastoral gatherings and mobilizes 4 types of networks: 1) geographic pastoral networks, 2) collaborative networks, 3) citywide affinity networks, and 4) geographic prayer networks.

Take Action

FORCLT mobilizes collaborative city-wide initiatives and provides technology tools that unleash the Church on Christ’s mission to meet the most pressing needs of our city.