a working document — january 2026● vol. i · no. 1● new york city · all five boroughs● we're trying small things and seeing what grows● edits, additions, pushback welcome● a working document — january 2026● vol. i · no. 1● new york city · all five boroughs● we're trying small things and seeing what grows● edits, additions, pushback welcome●

no name
collective.

small churches doing new things. across new york city.
read the document →
what is nnc?

the right kind of small.

no name collective is a group of leaders starting small churches across new york city — and a place to encourage each other while we figure it out. we're not picking one model. we're trying lots of different small things and seeing what grows.

what we share: faith in jesus, and a commitment to helping people follow him. that's the center. the shape varies — some of us meet in living rooms, some in cafés, some in the neighborhoods we already live in. especially across new york's many cultures.

our values → the framework

we exist to encourage equip and share what we're learning with each other.

encourage

we show up for each other. we trade stories, prayers, and what we're learning along the way.

experiment

we try things. we let things fail. we try again. small bets, not big launches.

engage

we stay rooted in the specific neighborhoods, people, and cultures we're part of.

tend the corner
you're standing on.

explore the framework →
flower vendor · 7th avenue

three things we care about.

they come straight from the bible, the long christian tradition, and the slow work of listening to the spirit together.

VALUE 01

all about jesus.

we're all about jesus and helping people follow him. that's the thing that holds us together — even when our churches look really different from each other.

bible · tradition · listening
VALUE 02

in the actual neighborhood.

faith comes alive in real places — your block, your job, your kitchen table. we make room to try new things across nyc's many neighborhoods and cultures.

living rooms · cafés · corners
VALUE 03

for the long haul.

starting a church is lonely. we get together to learn from each other, share what's working, and have someone to call when it isn't.

friendship · learning · sending

a 12-month try. simple things we can change if they're not working.

small churches across the city, sharing what they're doing, helping each other out.

"it might be messy — but we gotta get started."
tim · october 17, in conversation with alan hirsch
6–9
leaders willing to figure this out together for a year — different gifts in the room.
2–3
clusters of churches across the boroughs that learn together.
1pg.
a one-page summary of how we want to live. nothing longer.
5
boroughs. one shared easter, lived out in our neighborhoods.
12mo
how long we try this. then we keep what works.

small things
take flight.

what we're listening for →
midtown, taking flight

how do we get organized without getting stuck?

piero gorriti · october 2025

something that lasts but stays alive — that connects small churches across nyc without flattening what makes each one different. a one-year try, not a forever structure.

01
identity.
right nowa bunch of friends doing creative things together, mostly cheering each other on.
try thiswrite down 3–5 things we actually do — what 'encourage, experiment, engage' looks like in real life.
02
structure.
right nowno one in particular is in charge of making decisions.
try thispick 6–9 people for a year — a mix of gifts and personalities — to help figure out what's next and back leaders up. not to run programs.
03
connection.
right nowlots of small churches who barely know each other.
try thismake a map. cluster the churches by borough. four times a year, get the clusters in a room to swap notes.
04
rhythm.
right nowwe get together once a month to worship and share stories.
try thisadd a simple online layer — shared calendar, a prayer thread, somewhere to post what's happening — so we stay in touch between gatherings.
05
resources.
right nowwe mostly run on ctc's help and good will.
try thislook at fiscal sponsorship or a small 501(c)(3) — just enough structure to pay for experiments. not to take charge of anything.
06
external.
right nowwe bring in outside voices once in a while — alan hirsch came by recently.
try thisstay in touch with other networks doing this — tampa underground, kc underground — and learn from each other.

stay in the room.

this is a working document, not a finished thing. edits welcome. we're not launching anything — we're trying something for a year. show up, push back, help us figure it out.

mark up the full doc → suggest one edit

what we're listening for.

01

how much structure helps — and how much gets in the way?

02

how do we stay serious about what we believe and also stay warm with each other?

03

what does it look like for this to go well? more fruit, or more churches?

04

what is god asking of us, right now, in this particular season?

the city, as we find it.

field notes from around the city.

kid on the corner
bushwick, somebody dressed up
b&d auto collision
soho, hands in the work