The City Announces First Year Free for Church Plants

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Aug. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Zondervan, a world leader in Christian communications, today announced that church plants with fewer than 75 attendees can access The City for free during their first year.  After a nominal $349 setup fee, qualifying churches will be able to use this innovative platform to establish an online community which directly supports their mission, without paying any monthly subscription fee.  Church plants can take advantage of this discounted offer for The City online at www.onthecity.org.

The City is a web-based communication and administration platform for churches that empowers community and enables mission, seven days a week. It offers powerful communications capabilities for church leaders, great tools for getting newcomers plugged in, and a social networking component that helps people in groups engage and serve each other.

Mark Bergin, Pastor at The Painted Door church in Chicago has witnessed The City help his church community and commented, "For 40 people it would take years to build the kind of intimacy that has already been built in just a few months using The City."

Additionally, many administrative tasks can be simplified by using the online tools The City offers.  This is critical for pastors in small churches with limited funds, time and staff support, and who may be working another job to support their church planting effort.  The City also makes it really easy for church members and supporters to give donations and tithes online, which is an added bonus for any cash-strapped church plant pastor.

"During the past year we have heard how The City has been incredibly helpful to leaders going through the early stages of planting a church," said Mike Andrews, Sales and Business Development VP at The City.  "Many church plants don't have a permanent meeting space where offices can be situated, so leveraging online resources can be a critical part of maintaining communication and helping build a healthy sense of community among the initial group of people in the church."

The City is now used in twelve countries around the world and has proven to be a valuable platform for churches of all sizes.  In addition to this special offer for church plants, Zondervan simultaneously announced another pricing promotion:  Churches with fewer than 2,000 regular attendees can now receive a 25% discount on subscription fees for the first year.

To learn more about The City and the special offers for church plants as well as churches of all sizes, church leaders are encouraged to visit www.onthecity.org.  

About The City

The City is a division of Zondervan and is located in Seattle, Washington.  This innovative web-based platform is focused on helping churches realize their mission.  It was created in response to the Church's need to connect newcomers and regular congregants to meaningful community and uses social networking technology to help keep everyone in touch throughout the week, serving each other's needs and sharing life together.

The City also gives leaders powerful new ways to communicate to congregants and brings fresh insight to church administrative and operational management.  Find out more about The City on the internet at www.onthecity.org

About Zondervan

Zondervan, a HarperCollins company, is a world leader in Christian communications and the leading Christian publishing brand. For more than 75 years, Zondervan has delivered transformational Christian experiences through general and academic resources by influential leaders and emerging voices, and been honored with more Christian Book Awards than any other publisher. Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., with offices in Seattle, Chicago and Miami, Zondervan is best known as a publisher of its bestselling Bibles, books, audio, video, curriculum, software, and digital products. Zondervan resources are sold worldwide through retail stores, online, and by Zondervan ChurchSource, and are translated into nearly 200 languages in more than 60 countries. Visit Zondervan on the Internet at www.zondervan.com

SOURCE Zondervan