Behind One City Week: Unity Through Faith and Collaboration

Fort Wayne is often called the City of Churches, and with hundreds of congregations across dozens of traditions, that reputation holds true. But with so many expressions of faith, working and praying together with one voice can be easier said than done.

That’s why I’m honored that MDM has partnered with Love Fort Wayne this year to support their signature initiative, One City Week — a weeklong, citywide movement designed to bring churches, families, and leaders together in prayer, worship, service, and shared mission.

In case you don't know, Love Fort Wayne is a collaborative movement working toward city transformation by focusing on strengthening four key pillars of the community: leaders, pastors, families, and schools, with prayer as their foundation. Their mission is simple but ambitious—to see Fort Wayne flourish by building unity and love across every corner of the city.

At the center of it all is Geoff King, CEO of Love Fort Wayne and a good friend. Geoff has a gift for linking vision with community, and I’m grateful he took the time to sit down with me and share the heart (and the strategy) behind One City Week.

Here’s our conversation.

about one city week

Q: What inspired the idea of One City Week, and why do you feel it’s so important for Fort Wayne right now?

Geoff King

CEO, Love Fort Wayne

A: One City Week was partly inspired by similar gatherings we’ve seen in other cities across our region. Our friends at For Columbus — a city movement organization in Columbus, Ohio — hosted an extended gathering that created a catalytic space for unity among churches in their city. It amplified their collective call to bring believers and local churches together in meaningful ways.

From my perspective, it cast vision for what that kind of posture — one of intentional, daily unity — could look like. It led me to start praying about what that might mean for our community.

The idea also flows from a deeper spiritual truth: we already have oneness in Christ. As His bride, the Church is called to live that out — to exemplify the unity we’ve already been given. And here in Fort Wayne, we’re seeing that happen. There’s a growing sense of shared purpose and unity among believers, and we felt the time was right to create space to lean into that more fully. One City Week is about amplifying that oneness and giving the Church practical ways to show up together.

Q: This year’s theme is “Amplifying Our Oneness in Jesus.” What does that look like in practice?

A: When the Church prayerfully and actively pursues how we can love our neighbors, serve the least, and make disciples as one in Christ, that’s when our unity becomes real — not just in theory, but in practice. As we lift our eyes from the places God has called us to faithfully serve — our churches, ministries, faith-based nonprofits — and look around at others with similar missions, we start to notice something: they’re hearing the same things we are. They’re doing the same Kingdom work. That realization invites a new question: What more could we be doing together, as one?

Across our community, people are already loving the lost, the vulnerable, the overlooked. But when we do that together — in unity — it becomes something unmistakable. The world begins to see and believe that the Father truly did send the Son.

I’d also add that a foundational focus for One City Week comes from John 7:37–39, which reminds us that rivers of living water flow from within us — the result of our belief in Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

We want that truth to be more than just a verse we read — we want it to become a declaration that the Church embraces. When you picture a unified, Spirit-filled body of believers moving throughout the city with Kingdom transformation in mind, it’s a powerful image. That’s what we’re leaning into together.

Q: The schedule is packed with prayer, worship, leadership, and service opportunities. Which part are you most excited about, and why?

A: Every gathering throughout the week will be meaningful in its own way, but I’m especially excited about how we’ll start the week — with churches across Fort Wayne sharing a unified message and praying for one another.

I’m also deeply looking forward to the moments when we’ll have space to entreat the presence of the Holy Spirit. That’s going to happen all week long, in different ways — at the Together Tables, during the worship night, at the launch of the Women’s Leadership Network evenings… really, everywhere. It’s in those moments of shared presence that something special happens.

Q: How do you hope participants will feel or be changed after the week is over?

A: My hope is that participants walk away with a broader view of the Church in Fort Wayne — that our eyes would be opened to the diversity of people, churches, and traditions that make up the local body of Christ.

Beyond that, my prayer is that this week sparks something lasting: new relationships, meaningful conversations, and a desire to share space and mission more intentionally — so that we continue moving forward together.

impact & vision

Q: What’s the biggest impact you’ve seen from past One City Week gatherings?

A: Last year, we hosted One City Together during One City Week, and it revealed something significant: we’re living in a community where leaders no longer need to be overcoached to “root for their rivals.” We’re seeing faith-rooted leaders across Fort Wayne who genuinely long for collective Kingdom impact — and they’re forming relationships like never before.

Now, that’s not to say everything is perfect. There are still occasional tensions or territorial dynamics between similar ministries. But overall, there’s a growing hunger for shared time, shared space, and a deeper understanding that it’s God who makes things grow. Our role is to plant and water together.

That gathering was a turning point. We’ve even been asked to host more like it outside of One City Week — and I believe it could be the catalyst for a network of Mission Networks we could help convene, equip, and launch for long-term, citywide impact.

Q: What would "success" look like for you this year?

A: It’s a simple KPI for me: that God’s people come together to be with one another in His presence, declaring Him as Lord of our city. That is success. The cherries on top are seeing rooms and spaces full of people and churches coming together as one.

Q: Looking ahead, how do you see One City Week shaping the broader story of Fort Wayne’s churches in the years to come?

A: Man, I’d love to see churches praying together more often, hosting shared worship nights, and regularly asking, “How can we serve the least of these more actively — and more collaboratively?” My hope is that when we look back, we’ll see that the Holy Spirit used One City Week to connect people, ministries, and churches in ways we couldn’t have orchestrated on our own — and that those connections led to a greater outpouring of His presence in our city.

Personal Perspective

Q: Why does this event matter personally to you?

A: My personal mission is simple: to live every day sent to people and places, firmly rooted in the way, the truth, and the life of Jesus.

One City Week connects deeply to that. It reflects God’s heart — walking with people, declaring His truth, and sharing His life in real ways across our city. Like many, I long to see the Church embrace who we are in Christ first, to lean into the places where reconciliation and forgiveness are needed, and to extend the hand of Christ as one. I believe gatherings like One City Week help us do exactly that.

Finally, I believe God placed me — and all of us — in this time and place with intention. Scripture tells us He marked out the boundary lines in advance. That means He has work for us to join Him in right here. And for me, One City Week is directly connected to that calling.

Q: How has leading Love Fort Wayne shaped the way you think about citywide unity and collaboration?

A: The short answer? A lot.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that what often gets called “collaboration” is really just an invitation to join something already planned, promoted, and nearly finished — with the hope that others will lend their name or support. And to be clear, that’s not always a bad thing. It can be done in good faith, with the right heart.

But oneness is something deeper. True citywide unity is about:

• Presence over programs

• Being together before doing together

• Prayer before process

Those three things force us to ask some honest questions:

• Are we inviting the presence of God into the places in our city where He longs for His Kingdom to come? Or are we just creating new (and often duplicated) programs that serve our own desired outcomes?

• Are we rushing to get something done, or are we willing to slow down, spend 3–4 months building relationship and trust, learning one another’s passions and strengths, before we take action?

• And most importantly: are we willing to pray first — to listen, share, discern, and ask what God wants us to do — even if His direction looks different than what we had in mind?

What I’ve seen is that God is moving in our city. Unity is breaking out — not always in big flashy ways, but like little shoots of fire springing up across the community. Our job is to praise God for that, to pay attention, and to ask Him: How do You want us to join in the work You’re already doing here in Fort Wayne?

Unity in Communication

Q: In your experience, what are the keys to keeping the message consistent when so many groups are involved?

A: For me, it always comes back to this: One City Week is about pointing people to Jesus.

In John 17:20–23, Jesus prayed that we would be one, just as He and the Father are one. That’s the heartbeat behind the week. We want every gathering, every message, every act of service to be a living response to that prayer.

And our hope is that it doesn’t stop there—that it continues beyond the week itself, as the Lord leads us to carry that same spirit of unity into our everyday lives and ministries.

Q: What communication challenges have you faced in planning One City Week, and how have you overcome them?

A: When you’re working with a city like Fort Wayne, with 400+ churches and a long history of believers serving in business and nonprofit spaces, you quickly realize you can’t reach everyone with a single invitation.

So, we’ve leaned into our internal network of communication, rallying those who are already connected to us to help spread the word. From there, we’ve focused on strategic, personal outreach — meeting with pastors, leaders, and community members to share the vision face-to-face and invite them into it.

We’re still learning what the best channels are, but we’re committed to doing whatever it takes to make sure people across our city receive a genuine, personal invitation to be part of One City Week.

Q: From a marketing perspective, what does it take to build awareness for a citywide event like this?

A: I think building awareness starts with the community channels you already have, and then being willing to stretch beyond what you’ve always done.

For us, that means first making sure our internal teams and networks are fully in the loop. From there, we work to connect with those who attend our prayer gatherings or are plugged in through their churches, making sure they know the purpose, locations, and schedule of the week, along with where to find more details online.

Then we zoom out and ask the bigger question: How can we reach people who aren’t already connected?

That’s led us to experiment with:

• Social media advertising

• A "Church-Ready Campaign" (equipping congregations with branded materials and info)

• Press releases that lead to interviews and local media coverage

• And a series of short-form social videos—reels and stories—produced by our new video partner, which we’re rolling out in the weeks leading up to the event.

It’s a mix of personal connection and public communication — and we’re learning and refining it as we go.

Getting Involved

Q: What would you say to a pastor or leader who isn’t sure if they should get involved?

A: The simple answer? Do it!

But beyond that — pray about it. Ask God how you, your family, your organization, or your church might get involved. And if something’s holding you back — whether it’s tradition, uncertainty about the impact, or something else entirely — I’d love to have a conversation.

Let’s talk through it together. We’re not asking for perfect alignment — just a willingness to ask, “What might God want to do through us, together?”

The Strategy Behind the Story

Listening to Geoff share the heart behind One City Week makes it clear how much thought and prayer has gone into this movement. But alongside the vision, there’s also a strategy at work, and that’s where marketing comes in.

Like we said in a previous post, “marketing” is not a dirty word when it comes to churches and faith communities—it’s a tool that can amplify your impact. A clear brand and a compelling story give people a reason to lean in, join the movement, and carry the message further than you could on your own.

Let’s look at how that works:

At its core, branding is about consistency and clarity. It’s the identity that holds everything together, so no matter who shares the message, it still feels like part of the same movement. For One City Week, branding gives churches and ministries across Fort Wayne a shared language: One Body. One Hope. One Lord.

That simple tagline helps make the vision memorable and repeatable. It also ensures that whether someone hears about the prayer walk, the discipleship night, or the citywide worship gathering, they immediately recognize it as part of One City Week.

In this case, branding sets the stage by creating an overall impression of unity. It frames the movement before the individual stories are told, making it easier for people to remember the message and connect the dots across all the events.

Final Thoughts

We’re proud to be able to support Love Fort Wayne by playing a part in One City Week this year. If you’re a part of a church in the Fort Wayne area (or even if you’re not), We’d encourage you to take part this October. You can find all the details at lovefortwayne.com/onecity.