Our Story
Ignite Church NYC started out as a small fellowship in New York in December 2015; just a few people coming together to worship and build their relationship with Christ. Tobi and Bukky Atte led the fellowship and grew it into a community that has now become part of the global Church. Our mission here is simple:
"Build a community where people discover a family, realize they are more than they think, and become catalysts for positive change in the world"
Today Ignite Church NYC is a Manhattan church plant of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and part of a global network of over 20,000 parishes in 196 countries. RCCG has an amazing legacy of God working through the most unexpected and ordinary people..like us!
We invite you to come along on this journey with us!
our Values
The Bible adds.
Following the instructions in the Bible doesn't somehow take away from us. It adds. No, it does more; it secures; it protects. If we understand what it says and we apply it correctly, we end up with better relationships, better satisfaction out of life, and more peace in our hearts.
Jesus Christ is the standard
Following the example of Jesus Christ is the absolute best way to manage our relationships with each other, and our relationship with God.
We are not
We are not the standard. So, if you think you're coming to see a bunch of perfect people, you’ve got the wrong church. We are just like everyone else...needing God to teach us how to love and how to live.
And we are sorry
We are sorry that in an attempt to live passionately for Christ, many of us in the global body of Christ could have made you feel somehow inferior, neglected you when you needed help the most, or used you to feed our our own natural need for self-righteousness. This is not right and while we are uncompromising in our passion for Jesus Christ, we constantly try to remind ourselves that no one was (or is) deserving of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and yet he did it. So, we must follow his example of love for all. Otherwise, we disrespect his sacrifice.
We are driven by relationships and community.
Yeah! We are high-fivers! We are huggers! And we love to build relationships. The relationships we build drive the budget, the building and the programs, not the other way round.
We want to build authentic friendships and relationships. We want everyone to feel that they have arms around them when they need that, and we want everyone to feel that they can be that for someone else.
we are God’s children AND creativity is part of our DNA.
We are always looking to create better ways of “doing church” and reaching people. We stay flexible and watchful for what God is doing and inspiring us to do. So who knows, things might be totally different next Sunday so pardon the occasional “spiritual construction” as God helps us creatively “do church” and community.
When it comes to people, we are more concerned about the content than the container.
We are happy that you come and less concerned about what you look. Come as you are comfortable.
If God used a donkey, he can use us and he can use you.
You don't have to be "put-together" and you don't have to be a “church person”. If you love what we are about and what we are trying to be about, we’d be privileged to have your help in any way
our culture
Worship
We adopt a lifestyle of declaring how awesome God is in every area of our lives.
Love
We are in awe of God's love for us so our only response is love. We love God. We love ourselves. We love you!
Evolve
We believe there's always room to grow. No one is stuck in their ways if they let the life transformation of a life in relationship with God happen.
Our Heart
teach
To see that look on your face when you realize that you are so deeply loved by God that he put his life where his mouth was by giving up his life on the cross.
empower
We want to help you discover that you can; that you have the grace (empowerment) of God to really truly achieve your destiny in life.
disciple
To see you live your life by the assistance of the beautiful Holy Spirit of God inside you; helping you make good decisions, showing you opportunities to touch others, and helping you live a life that is a reflection of the the loving example of Jesus Christ.
DEploy
We want to help you develop to the point where you are not only grounded in who you are in God, but also are capable of being a source of love, inspiration and direction for others too.
