Taking your
NEXT STEPS
We hope this page becomes a landing place to take your next steps in following Jesus wherever he is leading you, from learning to read the Bible and getting started in prayer, to getting you connected into community.
If there are any resources you would like or there is something you didn’t find on this page, scroll down to contact us with your request and we’ll try to help you find what you’re looking for.
River City meets at Highland Elementary School in Riverside IA
Gatherings begin at 10:00am
Questions? Text or Call: (319) 302-3221
LOVE GOD
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.“ -Deuteronomy 6:5
The purpose of the local church is to equip the people to do the work of living and carrying the gospel in the home, the marketplace, and anywhere else they happen to be. That begins with loving God, and wholeheartedly enjoying him. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with everything we’ve got! This vertical relationship is the most important in the life of a Believer.
LOVE PEOPLE
“Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.” -Leviticus 19:18
The second piece of carrying the gospel is in how we relate to each other, the horizontal relationship that we were created for. No one was meant to fly solo in the Christian life, so Jesus also said, “Love your neighbor as yourself” is the second greatest commandment. We want to be equipped to be faithful in our relationships to each other, as well as with the Lord.
Getting Connected
WITH RIVER CITY
Community Groups
TWO OR MORE GATHERED
Because we were made in the image of God, who is relational, the Christian life was never intended to be a solo project. The primary focus of groups is to help you get connected and build friendships over food, prayer, and Bible Study, among other River City attenders in or near your community. For more information, or to get connected to a group click the link below.
IMPACT
MENS MINISTRY
One of the primary units for community in any culture is the family. And sadly, the family is under more attack in Western Culture than anything.
We want to raise up men who are not afraid to face the day. In the power of the Lord, who is great and awesome, we will fight for our brothers, our sons, our daughters, our wives, and our homes.
KidCity
CHILDREN MINISTRY
The number one responsibility of Christian parents is to train their children in the ways of the Lord. Children’s ministry at River City comes alongside the parents, by giving our children an opportunity to grow in their understanding of the gospel, while parents are being equipped and trained in the main service.
For more information, click here:
Grace Marriage
THE TWO BECOME ONE
Sustained growth rarely occurs without structure and accountability. Grace Marriage provides the church a marriage ministry structure that focuses on wellness and crisis prevention as an ongoing approach created for all couples.
Couples meet once a quarter for grace-filled and positive interactions, growing in their marriage and strengthening their skills to keep at this for the long haul.
Be an Ambassador
VOLUNTEER TO SERVE
The idea of being an ambassador is that we represent Christ as message-carriers. That takes on a whole host of forms in the life of a church. It might mean taking a meal to a neighbor, extending forgiveness to someone who’s wronged you, or giving of your time and talent to serve during a Sunday gathering. From parking cars, to leading singing or playing an instrument, helping with children’s ministry, or working with technology, there is room for you to plug in and be an ambassador of Christ at River City. Become an ambassador to let us know how you want to serve.
Axis & 4G
YOUTH MINISTRY
River City currently does not have our own in-house youth ministry, but we partner with a local church in Kalona for Wednesday evening youth activities. High school (4G) and Junior High (Axis) students are invited every Wednesday night for Bible teaching, community work activities, and fun nights. For more information, either click on the links above or contact Andrew Brooks at andrew@rivercityia.org.
NEXT STEPS
TELL YOUR STORY
The Story of God is a story of transformation. God is a God who restores and renews, taking sinners and enemies and transforming them into his children, people who once were far away now brought near by grace. So we want to hear from you. We want to hear your story of transformation and grace. So click this link to fill out a guided tour of how to tell your story.
BAPTISM
Baptism is the first step of obedience in following Jesus. We don’t believe that baptism saves you, but we do believe it is a symbol of union with Christ, identifying with his death, burial, and resurrection. For more information about baptism, please scroll down and contact us.
PRAYER
In God’s economy of things; in his ordering of the world, he has delighted to use the prayers of his people as the means to accomplish what he has already determined to do. In other words, of all the things an all-powerful God could have chosen to use to do what he wanted to do, he decided to use prayer.
God means for your life — married or unmarried, student or employee, young or old — to run on the power of prayer. Prayer fuels the engine of your heart and mind. It’s not coffee, or Chipotle, or social media buzz; it’s prayer. You need God in and through prayer more than you need anything else. We will not do anything of any real and lasting value without God, which means we will not do anything of any real and lasting value without prayer.
If you want more information on prayer, like what it is, or how to get started, click the link to read blog posts from our 31 Days of Prayer series:
READ SCRIPTURE
If you think about who God is – his power, his creativity, his holiness, his majesty as King of creation – of all the ways he could expect us to know him, he gives us a book! That’s pretty incredible. In the simple act of reading, we can know God, and have a foundation of truth to build our lives on.
One of our goals as a church is to help people understand scripture, and/or provide the tools to help you read. So scroll down for a couple options to get you started, or hit the contact tab and let us know what you’re looking for.
LOCAL CHURCHES
The local church is God’s means of spreading the good news of Jesus around the world. We know that there is no such thing as a perfect church, so if River City isn’t what you’re looking for, you’re visiting another city on vacation, or if you’re logging on from around the country/world, here are some suggestions of local churches for you to attend:
NATIONAL:
OUR NETWORK • OUR PARTNERS
LOCAL CHURCHES:
Cornerstone – Kalona
Lower Deer Creek – Wellman
Grace – North Liberty/Iowa City
Veritas – Tiffin
Jordan Creek – Solon
Reading
THE WORD OF GOD
We know getting started reading the Bible can be a daunting task. It’s a big book, full of smaller books that don’t seem to always fit together. But they do! The Bible is one unified story, and it all points to Jesus. We want to do whatever we can to help you find a place to start, and understand what you’re reading. The following are some good resources we’ve used to get us into the Bible, and to understand what we’re reading.
ReadScripture
ReadScripture gets you started in the beginning, with helpful videos, hand-drawn sketches, and daily reading plans. They also now offer a Study feature that is really, really amazing!
VISIT WEBSITE
YouVersion
One of the most popular Bible apps available, which features hundreds of reading plans to help you get started, from short plans to reading the entire Bible in a year. Never worry about where to start – just set a reminder, and every day, the app will tell you what to read next.
VISIT WEBSITE
Bible Study Method
If you’re looking for a tool in how to read the Bible, check out the RANSOM method. Using the acronym to help you remember the steps, this method is simple and powerful for those who want to go deeper in the scriptures.
VISIT WEBSITE
Praying the Word
In the Spring of 2021, we spent the month of March focuses on prayer. We worked together through a prayer guide each week, learning to read scripture by asking good questions of the text, and then learning how to pray what we read. Click the link below to see a sample of how we did this, and feel free to download the prayer guides for your own times with the Lord.
VISIT WEBSITERecommended
RESOURCES
You're Not Crazy Podcast
This podcast, while geared toward young pastors, is very good for understanding the kind of church culture we are aiming to create at River City.
Pastors Ray Ortlund and Sam Allberry help the listener wrap their arms around what a church with a gospel-centered culture could look like where the fruits of the Spirit are on full display. Podcast by The Gospel Coalition.
Christian Standard Bible
We preach from the Christian Standard Bible at River City. If you need a Bible, this is a great place to start, and is relatively affordable.
Kids Worship Music
If you’re looking for great music to play for your kids in the home, in the car, these albums are jam packed with gospel truth!
Click the images for an Amazon link
The Explicit Gospel - Matt Chandler
Too few people attending church today, even those in evangelical churches, are exposed to the gospel explicitly. Sure, many will hear about Jesus, and about being good and avoiding bad, but the gospel message simply isn’t always there–at least not in its specificity and its fullness. Inspired by the needs of both the over-churched and the unchurched, and bolstered by the common neglect of the explicit gospel within Christianity, Matt Chandler has written this punchy treatise.
Rodney’s notes: This was one of those books that helped me put all the pieces together. It was important to help me see that my belief about God really has an effect on how I live my life.
She Reads Truth / He Reads Truth
She Reads Truth / He Reads Truth is a great website and app for getting into the word of God on a daily basis. Available in print or via an app, SRT and HRT provide in depth studies tailored to men, women, and most recently, kids.
Children's Storybook Bible - Sally Lloyd Jones
This is a great Bible for kids who are either too young to read, or are learning to read. The Bible stories are simple and well illustrated, but most importantly, they are designed to make the whole Bible one unified story that points to Jesus.
Rodney’s notes: Every Christian should be required to read this book. It is a beautiful piece of art that does an amazing job telling the whole story of the Bible as one unified story. It is easy for young kids to understand, and it’ll bring adults to tears with it’s simple gospel message.
The Ology - Marty Machowski
An excellent book to help tweens and teens learn good theology. One page for each entry, along with multiple Bible verses that point to each truth.
Rodney’s notes: Our family has been reading this book together off and on for a couple years. It’s a very family-friendly book that is deep enough for adults to learn from as well. If you want to learn simple theology, this is a great place to start.
Gospel Fluency - Jeff Vanderstelt
Even if they want to, many Christians find it hard to talk to others about Jesus. Is it possible this difficulty is because we’re trying to speak a language we haven’t actually spent time practicing?
To become fluent in a new language, you must immerse yourself in it until you actually start to think about life through it. Becoming fluent in the gospel happens the same way―after believing it, we have to intentionally rehearse it (to ourselves and to others) and immerse ourselves in its truths. Only then will we start to see how everything in our lives, from the mundane to the magnificent, is transformed by the hope of the gospel.
Rodney’s notes: No other book I’ve ever read has had the kind of impact on me that Gospel Fluency has had. It’s an easy read, packed with the simple application of the gospel to the everyday stuff of life. It is safe to say I probably would not have planted River City without this book.
True Worshipers - Bob Kauflin
The question is not “Are you a worshiper?” but rather “What kind of a worshiper are you?”
Rooted in the gospel of grace and filled with practical application, this book aims to connect Sunday morning to the rest of your life―helping you fulfill your calling to be a true worshiper each and every day.
Rodney’s notes: What exactly happens when the church gathers on Sunday mornings? Why couldn’t we just stay at home and call it good? Maybe watch something on YouTube? This book is small but packs a punch on the beauty of gathered worship.
Family Worship - Donald Whitney
This practical guide by Donald S. Whitney will prove invaluable to families―with or without children in the home―as they practice God-glorifying, Christ-exalting worship through Bible reading, prayer, and singing. Includes a discussion guide in the back for small groups.
Rodney’s notes: This book is super small, but in it’s few pages lays out some practical wisdom and advice for leading family worship in your home. You don’t have to have children to read this book and do something with it. But it’s been helpful for me to understand the importance of worshiping in my home between Sundays.
Delighting in the Trinity – Michael Reeves
Why is God love? Because God is a Trinity. Why can we be saved? Because God is a Trinity. How are we able to live the Christian life? Through the Trinity.
In this lively book, we find an introduction to Christianity and the Christian life that is from start to finish rooted in our triune God – Father, Son and Spirit. Not only to we understand the person and work of Christ through the Trinity, but also prayer, the church and every aspect of our faith. (Taken from the book cover)
Rodney’s Notes:
This book is a must-read for all Christian believers. It helps us understand why the Trinity is so important to the Christian life. It’s such a fun read, and one that I can’t recommend enough.