WHY DIVERGENT?
"MY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD" JESUS John 18:36
WHY DIVERGENT? It is a bit weird isn't it? Isn't that a movie? Are you trying to be different from other Churches? There are a number of different questions we have been asked about our shift to Divergent and why this name matters for us as we move forward, how it helps shape and reflect our identity and call.
Below we hope to answer some of your questions and feel free to send us any you might have.
DIVERGENT
dʌɪˈvəːdʒ(ə)nt,dɪˈvəːdʒ(ə)nt/
adjective
1. diverging or causing divergence
2. (of opinions, interests, etc) different
3. having no limit...
CHURCH
Greek: ἐκκλησία 1557
1. an assembly, gathered community, congregation, church; the Church, the whole body of Christian believers.
ekklēsía(from 1537 /ek, "out from and to" and 2564 /kaléō, "to call") – properly, people called out from the world and to God, the outcome being the Church (the mystical body of Christ) – i.e. the universal (total) body of believers whom God calls out from the world and into His eternal kingdom. Strongs: 1577
Becoming Divergent – Our Story
A Birth and a Beginning
The name Divergent represents far more than a label for us. It symbolises a pivotal moment—a movement and season in our journey. Our first Sunday gathering as LifeCity Church was in 2007. It wasn’t a grand event, but it was a spiritual ultrasound, revealing the heartbeat of a new church.
Here’s the twist—I don’t remember the service. Not the sermon, not the songs, not even who was there. Because Ange and I weren’t. My wife Ange had gone into labour with our second son, Isaiah, and we rushed to Cooma. He was born that very day. So, while our church gathered for the first time, we were elsewhere, and yet deeply part of it. Beautiful and bizarre all at once.
That moment became a spiritual marker. We realised deeply: God will build His Church. Our job? Make disciples. Plant, water—but the growth is His (1 Corinthians 3:6-7). That reminder has stayed with us. The Church isn’t ours. It’s His.
The Vision We Carried
Chasing success through worldly metrics or Christian applause is a trap. When tempted, we remember: Jesus builds the Church (Matthew 16:18).
I had penned a heartfelt vision before LifeCity Church began, and it still shapes us:
"Imagine a church that overflows its borders with Spirit-led relevance. A community so in love with Jesus they abandon personal ambition to serve a broken world. A church that exists to advance God’s Kingdom through church planting and empowering believers globally."
Even at 18, I joked about planting a church in Canberra. Looking back, God had planted the idea in my spirit long before I realised.
We weren’t called just to plant a church—we were called to plant churches, communities that would flourish wherever God led. LifeCity was the seed from our home church’s heart to bring Jesus to a hurting world.
We embraced the vision: City Church – Global Reach.
Foundations to Fruitfulness
We’ve since launched six expressions across our region—and we’re not done yet. Jesus has changed lives, raised leaders, and extended His Kingdom.
Remember the story from Matthew 26? A woman pours costly perfume on Jesus’ feet. People scoff, but Jesus says:
"She has done a beautiful thing to me" (Matthew 26:10, NIV).
That’s been our heartbeat—to bring what’s most precious and pour it at Jesus’ feet. To give Him our glory.
Since day one, we’ve chosen movement over monuments, people over programs, the lost over comfort. Our tenth anniversary in 2017 became a defining moment.
That’s when we embraced our next identity:
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DIVERGENT CHURCH – our local expression
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DIVERGENT GLOBAL – our movement-based expression
By 2023, our global leader gatherings included people from eight nations.
Why “Divergent”?
Yes, we get the movie jokes.
Initially, we planned to be called Harvest City Church. We even bought the domain. But when a national church asked us to reconsider, we did. So, LifeCity Church was born.
But after a decade, LifeCity no longer reflected where God was leading us. It was our origin, but not our destination.
We needed a name for what we had become—a people marked by deep conviction, countercultural love, and courageous faith.
Divergent became that name.
It’s a prophetic declaration.
This is the Kingdom of Jesus: a kingdom that defies the world. Where love conquers hate, life defeats death, and light shines in the darkness.
What It Means to Be Divergent
Being divergent means:
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Going in a different direction
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Holding a different perspective
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Having no limit (in the mathematical sense)
That’s the Kingdom. Different. Limitless.
Romans 12:2 reminds us:
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (NIV)
We are called to live differently.
Not comfort, but mission. Not image, but the cross. Not applause, but obedience.
Our journey as Divergent Church continues—and we invite you into it.
Still Wondering What It All Means?
You might be asking:
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Is this change just to be edgy?
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Are we abandoning the Bible or historic Christian beliefs?
Absolutely not.
Check out our FAQ page or contact us directly.
Follow the Journey
We’d love to connect:
Come for the Journey – Be Divergent
With love,
Josh, Ange, and the Divergent Team
Does 'Divergent' mean You Have different beliefs to other Churches?
Not at all. Although we name ourselves Divergent our beliefs stay firmly based in the enduring biblical principles that have been upheld throughout Church history worldwide.
We value the traditions of the global Christian family while fully supporting the essential doctrines maintained by primary religious groups such as Pentecostal, Protestant, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions.
We agree with both the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed as enduring declarations of Christian belief.
Our distinctives are part of our Pentecostal and Charismatic theological positions.
We maintain a strong belief that every believer can be empowered and equipped by the Holy Spirit for the mission of God to reveal Jesus' Kingdom through everyday life.
We embrace the fact that the Spirit's work extends beyond any single denomination or Church expression.
We acknowledge the active presence of God throughout every part of His Church.
Visit our What We Believe page for additional information.
Did you rip this off the movie series?
Hmm... the word 'divergent' has existed long before the movies or the books and we think it describes Jesus kingdom so well.
The movies might have helped in confirming our thoughts toward the name and meaning (and admittedly also make it a little awkward as well)
What we do know is that this name has been on our hearts for years (before the movies)
We used to watch a pretty negative blog that used to own the domain name hoping they would 'drop' it. They did, we bought it in hope that this day may come.
On the movie theme, we think that they speak in many ways like a parable that can be quite closely aligned to our heart. Some of our team LOVE the movies others think them a little too generic Hollywood but that is ok, we feel called to be 'divergent' anyway :)