CTCNA INITIATIVES

City to City North America pursues opportunities for gospel impact through grant-funded initiatives led by CTCNA leaders in cities across North America.

Below you’ll find information about each Initiative and its leadership, as well as links to their particular websites and social media platforms.

INITIATIVES AT-A-GLANCE

  • The African American Initiative works to strengthen church planting and revitalization among African American networks, denominations, and catalytic multiplication movements. Led by Dr. Efrem Smith.

  • The Latino Initiative works to catalyze church planting and leadership training across cities in the US and Caribbean. Led by Robert Guerrero.

  • The Thriving Congregations Initiative supports 11 peer groups engaging around 100 African-American and Hispanic churches. Through coaching and collaboration, congregations reflect on their context, renew their mission, and deepen their ability to draw on their Hispanic or African-American church traditions. Led by Dennae Pierre.

  • CPI supports preaching cohorts in cities across the U.S. through our African American, Latino, and Multi-Ethnic Initiatives. Led by Kristin Parke.

  • Empowering diverse congregations to welcome children and develop intergenerational and multi-sensory practices that nurture faith among children ages 0-12. Led by Amy O’Brien.

AFRICAN AMERICAN INITIATIVE (AAI)

The African American Initiative works to strengthen church planting and revitalization among African American networks, denominations, and catalytic multiplication movements. Led by Dr. Efrem Smith, the work of AAI is facilitated through Influential Global Ministries.

AAI TEAM
Dr. Efrem Smith - CTCNA Senior Catalyst
Dr. Robert Owens - Associate Catalyst/Sankofa Project
Dr. Anthony Bobo Jr. - Sankofa Project Manager/Admin
William Kilgore - Communications and Marketing
Donecia Norwood-Smith - Operations

AAI · INFLUENTIAL GLOBAL MINISTRIES

Led by Dr. Efrem Smith, Influential Global Ministries (IGM) is focused on equipping and releasing cross-cultural, reconciling, justice-oriented, and metropolitan disciple-makers through leadership development, church planting movements, and church revitalization.

Visit their website for more details.
Follow them on Instagram and YouTube.
Watch a recap video of cohort testimonials.

LATINO INITIATIVE

The Latino Initiative works to catalyze church planting networks and leadership training across cities in the US and Caribbean. Led by Robert Guerrero.

LATINO INITIATIVE TEAM
Robert Guerrero - CTCNA Senior Catalyst
Helen Baquero - Executive Assistant

AVANCE FELLOWSHIP

Led by Robert Guerrero, AVANCE Fellowship is a fellowship of catalytic leaders proving mutual support to advance Hispanic-led gospel movements in North American cities and the Hispanic Caribbean. AVANCE Fellowship strengthens city networks by fostering inspiration, connection, and community-building among Hispanic church plants and re-plants committed to the shalom of their cities.

Learn more about their mission, values, rhythms and programs here.

Follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
Watch their 2024 recap video.
Read Testimonials of Transformation from participants.
Subscribe to the their podcast on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Podcasts.

THRIVING CONGREGATIONS INITIATIVE

The Thriving Congregations Initiative provides North American congregations will tools and training to help them gain greater awareness of their changing contexts, evaluate and revitalize the mission and values of their church, and deepen their ability to draw on their Hispanic or African-American church traditions. Over a four-year period, Iglesia Floreciente and The Sankofa Project together have provided connection, training and resources for 2,506 pastoral and lay leaders from 921 congregations–and reached 1,802 more leaders at 741 more congregations through events.

THRIVING CONGREGATIONS TEAM
Dennae Pierre - Program Director
Robert Guerrero - Iglesia Floreciente
Dr. Efrem Smith - The Sankofa Project

The sankofa Project

Led by Dr. Efrem Smith and Anthony Bobo, The Sankofa Project is a learning journey for African American churches, designed to help congregations reflect on their history and find fresh clarity for today. It explores three key eras of Black church life—from hidden churches during slavery, to powerful institutions after reconstruction, to the justice-focused churches of the civil rights movement. As churches today face generational changes, gentrification, and cultural questions about justice, the Sankofa Project helps them connect the past to the present—rediscovering their mission, values, and the transformative power of their faith tradition.

Visit their website for more details.
Download their info sheet here.
Watch this video of Sankofa cohort testimonials.

Iglesia Floreciente

Led by Robert Guerrero and Nilza Oyola, Iglesia Floreciente is a training program that inspires, provides coaching, and equips Hispanic leaders with the tools to engage, identify local resources, and impact their communities as they advance the gospel and seek the shalom of God for their city. Cohorts are hosted throughout North America.

Visit their website for more details.

COMPELLING PREACHING INITIATIVE

The Compelling Preaching Initiative (CPI) aims to strengthen urban churches by helping active and aspiring preachers engage their diverse audiences more effectively. As urban churches are strengthened, cities across our country will be transformed by the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. CPI will develop and run preaching cohorts across US cities for preachers through our African American, Latino, and Multi-Ethnic Initiatives.


CPI TEAM
Kristin Parke - Program Director
Isabela Schiavinato - Project Manager

CPI · AFRICAN AMERICAN INITIATIVE

Dr. Efrem Smith, founder of Influential Global Ministries, heads up the African American Initiative of CPI through a preaching cohort, The Clarion Call Of The Reconciler - African American Preaching In A Diverse Culture. The cohort examines approaches to preaching and teaching for ministry in a 21st century context still grappling with racism, sexism, classism, and other forms of systemic injustice and oppression. It will explore practical ways in which preachers and teachers in the local church can engage the complex and multi-layered social issues impacting their communities and neighborhoods through the art and science of biblically rooted, theologically informed, and justice-oriented homiletics.

Visit influentialglobalmin.org for more information and to register.
Follow IGM on Instagram for current updates.
View a video intro from Dr. Efrem here.

CPI · LATINO INITIATIVE

Compelling Preaching (Predicación Persuasiva) is a four-month cohort based program by Avance Fellowship in partnership with the CTCNA Latino Initiative. It is designed to equip Hispanic pastors and leaders to preach Christ-centered messages with clarity, power, and cultural relevance.

Their mission is to raise up a generation of scripture communicators who exalt Christ as the hero of every story, proclaiming the good news of forgiveness and freedom to people and places in need of hope.

Predicación Persuasiva (Compelling Preaching) es un programa de cuatro meses en formato de cohortes, ofrecido por la Confraternidad Avance en colaboración con la Inficiativa Latina de CTCNA. Está diseñado para equipar a pastores y líderes hispanos con herramientas para predicar mensajes centrados en Cristo con claridad, poder y relevancia cultural.

Nuestra misión es levantar una generación de comunicadores de las Escrituras que exalten a Cristo como el héroe de cada historia, proclamando las buenas noticias de perdón y libertad a personas y lugares necesitados de esperanza.

Questions? Email Executive Assistant Helen Baquero.

CPI · MULTI-ETHNIC INITIATIVE

The Multi-Ethnic Initiative equip preachers with training, resources, and coaching to help them engage their diverse audiences more effectively. Participants engage in peer learning, cultural engagement, and coaching through virtual training and classes, in conjunction with in-person preaching labs. The initiative emphasizes gospel centrality and aims to deepen participants’ ability to preach to the heart of non-believers.

Carter Brown is the Program Director of the Multi-Ethnic Compelling Preaching Initiative for City to City North America, and serves as Lead Pastor of Crossbridge Church in Miami, Florida.

Visit their website for more information on training and registration.
Questions? Email Program Director Carter Brown.

Nurturing Children Initiative

The Nurturing Children Initiative empowers diverse congregations to welcome children and develop intergenerational and multi-sensory practices that nurture faith among children ages 0-12. The CTCNA Nurturing Children Initiative is funded through Lilly Endowment’s Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative. 

Learn more here.


NURTURING CHILDREN TEAM
Amy O’Brien
Rachel Ojo
Kimberly Deckel