The heart of each neighborhood congregation is a network of missional communities: medium-sized groups (30-50 people) that meet throughout the neighborhood and provide the ideal environment for building relationships while connecting to the heart and mission of the church. To join a missional community is to enter into the journey of Christian discipleship. The missional community is essential, as it keeps the church small enough for everyone to have a real identity and be involved in the work of ministry, each using her own gifts to build the church.

Missional communities are organized around a shared mission to a neighborhood or industry. They cultivate partnerships with schools, organizations that provide social services, business leaders, activists, community organizers, and anyone else who loves his city and wants to make it a better place to live; they then leverage those partnerships to implement strategic projects aimed at redeeming and renewing that neighborhood.