ORLANDO — New Hope United Methodist Church has no building or geographic region, but it does have a target demographic group. It is also receiving no funding from its district board of missions and church extension. And that combination makes it unique among new church starts in the United Methodist Church, according to founding co-pastor the Rev. Jack Jackson.

“We’re not geographically centered…but demographically focused,” Jackson said. “We’re trying to reach the unchurched, urban, post-modern community. We’re the only United Methodist church in the country that’s doing what we’re doing.”

In 1999 Jackson spent three months studying new church starts and post-modern ministry in a variety of denominations throughout the country. The study was funded by the Louisville Institute’s Study Grants for Religious Leaders Program. That study served as a basis for New Hope.

Jackson said during his study he saw other faith communities reaching into urban areas, developing multicultural congregations or working with post-modern generations, but none are meeting the three challenges together.

The Rev. Mont Duncan, the Florida Conference’s director of New Church Development and Church Redevelopment, says New Hope’s demographic focus is a new approach. “Usually we’ll say we want a church to reach the people in a particular area,” Duncan said. “New Hope is working in the same area as other churches, but reaching a different part of the population. They’re targeting post-moderns.”

Duncan said New Hope is on the “front edge” of new church starts. Based on discussions among church development leaders from throughout the country and across denominational lines, Duncan said he has seen churches mostly focusing on reaching the Baby Boomers, people born between 1946 and 1964, but very few trying to reach people born after 1964.

“The methods of reaching post moderns are different than reaching Baby Boomers,” Duncan said. “This is definitely not a cookie cutter approach. It’s important because the church needs to develop a method to reach this generation.”

Jackson said he likes the challenge of being cutting edge. “One reason I wanted to be in a downtown church is urban centers are driving the culture,” Jackson said. “We come into contact with a lot of people who are disinterested in…and hostile to the Christian faith. If we can find out what it means to reach out to that community,…gauge that mindset here, it will help us meet the challenge of reaching people with a lot of cynicism and disdain for the Christian faith.”

The urban church also faces a lot more competition than the traditional suburban church, according to Jackson. He said people look to churches to meet their relational needs. In the suburbs, churches have little competition in creating a sense of community. In the inner city, community and service organizations and organized age-level activities provide a sense of community.

“Here, the church is one of many options,” Jackson said. “The challenge for us is not just to meet the relational needs, but the spiritual need.”

That challenge helps determine how the church does evangelism. “Evangelism becomes very personal and relational,” he said, adding the church’s regular mass mailings and automated phone calls supplement the personal invitations offered by church attendees and members.

The church’s other ministries are geared to its audience. The worship is “very interactive and engaging,” Jackson said. “We don’t use the word ‘contemporary,’ but it’s in that vein.”

The worship area has votive candles to appeal to people from a Roman Catholic background. Communion is celebrated every Sunday.

“We also have the post-modern version of a stained glass window,” he said. “Stained glass was invented centuries ago to tell the story to illiterate people. We have a story from the Bible on DVD repeating itself. Sometimes it’s the Scripture for the week. Sometimes it’s something entirely different. The purpose is to tell the story…and to engage people in the story through multiple senses.”

The church is also focusing on small group and service ministries. The small groups are using the Alpha Course. “It’s an introduction to the Christian faith that allows people to ask questions they’ve had,” Jackson said. “It’s straightforward and non-confrontational.”

While New Hope is unique in some ways, Jackson said it has found companions in its urban ministry. First United Methodist Church, Orlando, has pledged financial support and provided office space. Three other churches are also starting new congregations in the area. One is worshipping in the same middle school as New Hope, but at a different hour.

“They help us, and we help them,” Jackson said. “Those things confirm that we’re doing what God wants us to do. They affirm what God’s doing in downtown Orlando, the dreams God has for the city.”

Having four new churches will help New Hope and other area churches grow, according to Jackson. “All the data is clear,” he said. “When there are more new churches—more churches—in an area, all the churches do better. All of the United Methodist churches in the area could grow 10-fold and not make a dent in the unchurched population…”

New Hope launched March 24, but Jackson and his co-pastor and wife, the Rev. Anna Jackson, have been developing financial and prayer support since last summer. They plan to have the church’s grand opening celebration this fall.