Soma Austin: A Community of Renewal

May 14, 2009 | 0 Comments

This is the first of an ongoing series of introductions to the churches that are part of the PlantR network.

Soma Austin Community Church exists to renew people and communities by declaring and demonstrating the gospel of Jesus Christ. The biblical concepts of the ‘body’ of Christ and renewal have come to be identifying characteristics for our community. We find the metaphor of Christians as the ‘body of Christ’, with Jesus as the head, beautifully compelling. In searching the bible to know Jesus more deeply, we see him continually engaged in the mission of renewing peoples and the whole world. As the body to his headship, we participate in that renewal as well.

Soma Austin is a church dispersed across the city, connecting with one another in life via relationship-based missional communities and gathering together on Sunday mornings in south central Austin for corporate worship. In April 2009 we began meeting on Sundays at 10:30am at The Hideout Coffeehouse and Theatre at Congress Avenue and 7th, but would like to get back into the 78704 when we have the resources to do so. The biggest challenge that Soma Austin currently faces is the paradigm shift from spectator Christianity to a truly missional posture as renewed people of God. With that challenge comes a lack of lay leadership in the new missional posture. We have lots of young people learning what renewal looks like in their own lives, and they are learning how to offer that renewal to others as well. Our average age range is from 24-34. Most of our community is made up of the following: about 1/3 actively ‘churched’ in the old paradigm who find missional life challenging, about 1/3 ‘dechurched’ who are nervously excited about missional living and about 1/3 of whom had been spiritually undecideds but who in community and learning about Jesus and life. I know we are not ‘numbers’ people, but we are currently running about 45-50 on Sunday mornings, and have most of those in missional communities.

The pastor of Soma Austin is Jacob Vanhorn. Jacob was previously on staff at The Village Church in DFW as the College/Singles Pastor. After a journey with some twists, he and his family landed in south central Austin and started gathering people in their home in February 2008. He has been married to Christie Vanhorn for five years and they have two children: Caleb is 3 ½ and Hannah is one.

To learn more about Soma Austin…
Soma Austin Website
somaaustin on Twitter
jacobvanhorn on Twitter
512 565-9363

Categories: Churches