A Kingdom Category for Our City

Why “For Columbus” Must Capture the Imagination of Every Christian Leader

By Nick Nye

When N. T. Wright writes that “the whole point was never for your soul to get to heaven, but for heaven to come to earth,” he’s reminding us that Jesus didn’t start a religion of escape — He announced a Kingdom of embodied renewal in front of us. Wright states, 

“The unity of the Church is supposed to be a sign to the powers of the world that Jesus is Lord and they are not.”

This insight changes everything about how we see our faith, our churches, and our city. Because if the gospel is not about leaving the world but transforming it, then the people of God are called to live as agents of that transformation. We want to be agents of transformation right here in Central Ohio.

That’s the vision behind For Columbus. And it’s why I believe For Columbus must become more than an organization we know about. It must become a Kingdom category in the imagination of Christians across our city.

Beyond a Brand

When I say “Kingdom category,” I’m not talking about branding or marketing. Those are tools, not the goal.

A brand says, “Here’s who we are.” A Kingdom category says, “Here’s what God is doing, and how we join Him together.”

For Columbus isn’t a slogan or a single initiative– it’s a framework and an infrastructure for participating in God’s redemptive work across our whole city. It’s the shared language and support that helps congregations, nonprofits, and marketplace leaders collaborate for the flourishing of Columbus under the reign of Jesus.

The Church, as Wright puts it, is meant to be “a small working model of new creation.” That means unity in our diverse expressions. Collaboration, not competition. Not retreat into a heavenly future, but the renewal of a local place.

For Columbus exists to make that kind of visible gospel-shaped unity possible, to serve as the trellis where gospel life can grow across neighborhoods, denominations, and vocations.

Why Category-Creation Matters

When something becomes a category, it reshapes imagination.

If For Columbus becomes a Kingdom category in Central Ohio, then when pastors talk about citywide gospel unity, when civic leaders look for faith partners, when business owners think about sustainable impact, they instinctively think, “We Are For Columbus.”

That shift matters because categories influence participation. When believers see For Columbus as the way the Church of the City moves together, they begin to:

• Pray for the city as one body.

• Collaborate across lines that once divided us.

• Give strategically toward Kingdom infrastructure that sustains unity.

• Imagine their everyday work as a sacred mission.

It’s more than the recognition that God has an invisible city-Church at work. It’s the belief that we, the Church, can have real missional energy to shape our city. It’s about the whole Church learning to see itself as one movement for one city.

The Biblical Vision

The apostle Paul writes that God’s plan is “to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ” (Ephesians 1:10). That’s the storyline of Scripture: God reconciling and renewing everything through Jesus.

And we see Jesus Himself prayed for this in John 17:22-23:

“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one, I in them and you in me, so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me.”

Those two phrases “so that” and “then” form the hinge of our calling.

• “So that” points to the purpose: unity is not a preference, it’s the very means by which God displays His character. Jesus gives His own glory so that His people would live as one. 

• “Then” points to the result: when that unity becomes visible, then the world knows who Jesus is and how deeply they are loved. 

What if the credibility of the gospel in Columbus hinges on the visible oneness of the people who bear His name?

How to Step Into the Movement

Pray with a Kingdom lens. Ask God to unite His Church in Columbus. Pray for pastors, networks, and leaders to work shoulder to shoulder for gospel renewal.

Engage with a city posture.In every meeting and ministry, ask, “How does this serve the city?” not only, “How does this profit my church, organization, or business?"

Give toward the Kingdom framework.Collaboration requires real infrastructure – shared gatherings, leadership development, network training, communication, and more. Your generosity builds the trellis that allows the citywide Church to thrive.

Speak the story.Use the language: “We Are For Columbus.” Help others see that this is not just an organization, but a movement to join.

For the City, as in Heaven

For me personally, this is not about organizational ambition, it’s about obedience. We must seek, discover, and unveil the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33) and let Christ build his church (Matthew 16:18).

When we live as For Columbus, we’re saying:

The gospel is not just for me—it’s for my whole city. The Church is not just my church—it’s the Church of Columbus. And our calling is not only to go to heaven but to embody heaven here.

This Kingdom category is worthy of your imagination, your energy, and your prayers. Let’s believe together for a unified, gospel-saturated, city-renewing movement.