Vision
Our vision is gospel saturation within our local community and region, so that every man, woman, and child would experience every day encounters with the good news of Jesus in word and deed.
Identities
We collectively aim to live out our shared identity as a family of servant missionaries.
Family
We are a spiritual family, having been adopted by God the Father.
Servants
We are servants, as our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, came to serve and give His life.
Missionaries
We are sent by the Holy Spirit as missionaries to display and declare the good news of God’s redemption through Jesus in our immediate communities and beyond.
Rhythms of Life
We believe that salvation and redemption through Jesus is all-encompassing, and therefore affects all areas of our lives. We are committed to a lifestyle of consistent rhythms:
Storyformed
Connect our story to God’s story and be shaped by God’s story of redemption.
Listen
Tune in to God’s voice through His Spirit and through scripture. Listen for ways friends’ stories intersect with God’s story.
Celebrate
Remember and proclaim God’s extravagant blessings in our lives.
Bless
We are blessed to bless others through words, gifts and actions.
Eat
Share meals with friends and invite them into the community of God.
Recreate
Rest, play, create & restore beauty in ways that reflect God to others.
Rule of Life
A commitment to the mission of Soma Detroit carries with it a commitment to regular community practices. These are not rigid rules to be followed. Rather, these practices are spiritual disciplines and a means of grace that are used by God as a healthy expression of the body of Christ to facilitate growth into maturity. These spiritual disciplines are opportunities to live out our identities and partner with God as He works in us and through us. We say ‘we get to’ because these are beautiful opportunities to regularly live by and practice.
We stand on five pillars of a grace-filled lifestyle.
These are general practices we aim to follow. The specific practices are fleshed out in each Missional Community.
Life in Solitude
Connect with Jesus daily
- Bible reading (Seeing Jesus Together plan)
- Daily prayer plan
- Regular fasting
- Silence retreat (Manresa – A Day to Call Your Own)
- Sabbath rest
- New rhythm – new pace, new space
- Spiritual disciplines…
Life on Life
Meet with your DNA at least 2x a month
If you do not currently have a DNA, then your initial focus will be to find one or form one. We are here to help. Reach out to your Missional Community leader or an Elder.
Life in Community
Meet with your Missional Community 3x a month
- Church In The House & two other times
Gather with Soma 2x a month
If you do not currently have a Missional Community, then your initial focus will be to join one. We are here to help. Reach out to an Elder.
Life on Mission
Doing something missional with POPs once a month
- Communal rhythms of mission
- With your missional community
- Personal rhythms of mission
- In the workplace
- In your personal spaces
Life of Generosity
Give financially once a month to Soma Detroit. Serve one another with joy in MCs & Gatherings.
5 Capitals
- Spiritual – Wisdom and Power
- Relational – Family and Friends
- Physical – Time and Energy
- Intellectual – Creativity and Knowledge
- Financial – Money and Possessions
Guiding Principles
1. Talk to each other, not about each other.
Being family can be messy. We will have moments where we disagree, argue, offend, and potentially hurt each other. We desire to protect the unity of our body from the sin of gossip by talking to each other and not about each other. Not every conversation about each other is wrong, but we recognize the temptation to take conversations to an unhealthy place, especially when we are hurt. A commitment to our community is a commitment to repent and ask forgiveness in any instances where we hurt one another with our words.
2. Respect the leadership of the local body and elders.
God gave us the local church as a spiritual family with Jesus as the head. As a community, we look to Jesus as our ultimate authority and high priest. As we covenant together, we submit to the spiritual discipline of the elders as they submit to Jesus, to one another, to Soma National, and to the Soma Detroit accountability board.
3. Commitment to communicate.
Read communications and respond in a timely manner.
4. Live in accord with the Soma Distinctives. (Hebrews 13:17)
Soma Detroit is part of the larger body of the Soma Family of Churches and we look to them for leadership. We also submit to the Soma Servant Leadership Team. The goal here is to follow Jesus as individuals and as a community. Through our partnership with Soma, we can draw on a deeper collective pool of wisdom as we continue on the journey of following Jesus in metro Detroit. See Soma Distinctives for more info.
5. Live in accord with the Soma Detroit Statement of Faith.
We adhere to the authority of God’s Word, with a deep respect for church history, church tradition and the Body of Christ. For more information, see the Statement of Faith (Nicene Creed, Apostles’ Creed).
