Our online community
and communication hub.
The City helps everyone at Blackman stay engaged in daily life and ministry. It’s a group-oriented social network that’s all about helping us build a deeper community and extend the love of Christ to the world.
A Secure, Private Environment
You’ll need to join The City via invitation and our instance of The City is just for Blackman Baptist Church and the content you share isn’t mass broadcast but is directed to those whom you have chosen to be connected to. The City is moderated and will remain a space for community and our church’s values. This makes The City a safe place to do things like share a prayer request with your friends, dialogue about theology or practice, and more. Don’t worry! We won’t spam you! You have full control over the amount of emails you receive!
Online Community
The City is made up of groups (many groups), the groups that are representative of our on the ground face-to-face relationships. People who serve and learn and grow together will now be able to easily connect throughout the week. And as a church, this tool will not only allow our people to take better care of one another, but will be the communication and information hub for all things Blackman Baptist. And it functions like a pictorial directory so you can put a name to that familiar face!
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Join?
The City is for Blackman Baptist regulars and members. If you were on our weekly email list you will have received an invitation. Once you receive your invitation, follow the directions to sign up and fill out your profile. If you haven’t received an invitation to The City and would like one, contact us and we’ll hook you up.
What Is The Difference Between The City & Our Website?
The site you’re on now is our public website, which is sort of the front door of the church or maybe the foyer. The City, on the other hand, is like the family room, a private website that is where our online community happens. The City is for those who consider Blackman Baptist their church, and allows them to communicate with each other, share prayer requests, share opportunities to serve, and more.
Is The City Just Another Social Network?
No. Popular social networks like Facebook and Twitter are geared toward individuals and for mass communication. Instead, The City is geared toward groups and the needs of the local church. If Facebook and Twitter are “me” spaces, The City is a “we” space for Blackman Baptist Church.
What Happened To The Email Lists I Was Subscribed To?
They are gone! Email is fine, but all our church communication now goes through The City. You will need to join The City if you want to stay informed.
Do I Have To Join The City?
You’re welcome to just come to Blackman Baptist Church on Sundays and enjoy worshiping together with us, and you obviously don’t need The City to do that (nor do you “need” to join a community group). But once you decide you’re ready to make friends here and want to get involved in giving, serving and growing with us… you definitely want to join The City (and more importantly, get in a community group)! The City is how we communicate and connect when we aren’t gathered.
Is The City Secure And Private?
You need an invitation to join The City, and then you will need to sign in each time to use the website. While it is possible for the staff and leaders to post publicly on The City Plaza, the vast majority of messages will be posted privately and will not show up in search results returned by Google. This makes The City a safe place to share a prayer request with your friends and community group.
Will The City Overload My Email With Unnecessary Information?
It can – but you are in complete control. You can decide to only receive the information you need. NOTE: Set your communication for DAILY DIGEST. That will give you a daily email only on those days when something is happening in your City groups.
Why Do They Call It The City?
There’s a big vision behind The City, and it comes from the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:14-16. It’s a vision of technology being leveraged to help the Church live as a city set on a hill, shining the light of the Gospel to the whole world.
How Do I Sign Up?
You will only be able to join The City by coming to church and requesting an invite when you sign in, or by having one of our ministry leaders invite you to join The City.
How Do I Set Up Or Join A Community Group In The City?
Everyone who creates an account automatically becomes part of the church-wide Blackman Baptist Church main group. Then do a “group search” and if a ministry/community group to which you belong has already set up a “group” on The City, you can send a request to join. If your ministry/small group would like to create a “group” on The City, please contact Kelly. Or you can create an unofficial “seed” group around various interests.
Who Can Setup An Account?
In order to join The City, we ask that you are either a regular attendee of Blackman Baptist or connected to us in some capacity. You must have your own email address, be at least 13 years of age and have parental consent if you are under 18 years of age.
Can I Share An Email Address With My Spouse?
No. Unfortunately each user account on The City must be tied to a unique email address, and The City simply won’t allow 2 accounts to share a duplicate email address. Because The City is based on groups (and group membership) and because many of the groups in The City are gender-specific, no two people will belong to the same groups. We don’t even expect couples to belong to the same groups. It’s the only way The City can provide users with a personalized experience.
Still have questions? Contact us for answers.
We are a community that
grows and learns together.
Our community groups meet throughout the week. Community groups help us connect to others and God. We eat together, pray together, and study the Word of God together. We meet on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings at 5:30. Wednesday evenings start a bit earlier at 5:00. If you would like more information on plugging in to one of our community groups, please email us at CG@BlackmanBaptist.org.
Our church is committed
to the Word of God.
Each week, we meet before worship at 9:10 am to study the Bible in classes for all age groups. People learn to follow Jesus by studying His Word together. Then they are encouraged to pattern their lives after Jesus. We use Gospel Project materials to help us in our study. We fellowship and pray for each other, but the main focus in these classes is the study of God’s Word.