Who are we?
How did we get here?
The concept for the Great City Network was born during a conversation between several pastors called into major cities (not suburbs) around North America. Their desire was (and is) to develop and share best practices on conducting meaningful ministry in notoriously challenging settings like Seattle, Denver, New Orleans, Houston, among others.
Frequently thought of questions
What is the Great City Network?
In Jonah 4:11, God commissions the reluctant prophet saying, “And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left?”
Nineveh was a notoriously wicked city, yet God still cared enough to send Jonah. We see ourselves in that story.
The Great City Network is intended to connect modern day called workers with one another so that they may grow together. The network offers a growing portfolio of well built content, access to our professional staff, marketing training, and more.
Is there a cost to join the Network?
Yes, the cost is $200/month all inclusive. You will have access to Illume produce content, access to our team of content creators, the Marketing Training series, and other collaborative meetings.
What is Illume Church’s role in the Network
In simple terms, Illume a managing partner of the Network.
Illume designs events and manages communication within the Network. The Skill Sharing is reliant on Illume’s staff. All Network members have access to Illume produced content which they are free to use in worship, Bible study, or another setting.
What is the Branding & Marketing series?
We have curated and gathered speakers to present on a variety of marketing topics. The series is designed to build upon itself over the course of a year.
All of our speakers are working professionals in their respective fields. Our Brand Development speaker works with the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Wisconsin Lutheran College. Another speaker has a Ph.D in Public Health and Community Development and is currently teaching for Baylor University
You can see the full schedule of topics and speakers [HERE]
How does the Skill Sharing working?
The Illume Staff has a Graphic Designer, Audio Engineer, and Marketing Strategist working collaboratively on weekly content production and distribution. These services (and a handful of others) can be offered to Network members on a project by project basis.
Each project will be scoped out with the relevant personnel to determine the timeline, feasibility, and precise deliverables. Be aware that our team does have an existing workload and schedule to maintain. Please request your projects 4-6 weeks prior to the desired due dates.
Who is the Network for?
The Network is primarily designed for pastors (WELS & ELS) serving in major metropolitan cities. Secondarily, those serving in the suburbs of large cities. The Network is open to any pastor who wishes to join, but be aware of the intentional focus of this project.
We are working to develop fresh perspectives on ministry in major cities. These best practices will often be relevant in smaller settings.