Regional Pastoring
A related innovation is the concept of city-wide pastoring. The key premise is that in addition to the concepts of one "church universal" and many "local congregations," which most Christians accept, there is also a third level: "the church in the city". The idea is that all the congregations in a particular region, of whatever denomination, are really aspects of a single church family, and should actively think, plan, and work together under that common framework. This doesn't mean that a single unifying structure is imposed from above, as in the old establishment idea of parishes. Rather, it involves formalizing the existing networks of relationship and trust into a coherent organizational structure, usually involving councils of recognized leaders from different communities. This typically means the church as a whole develops a common vision, which is implemented by individual congregations with minimal explicit coordination. It also enables the Christian community to speak with one voice when dealing with local government; however, the focus is usually on finding ways to cooperate in serving the community, rather than dictating policy.
The "one church in the city" idea is based on an unusual reading of the Scriptures that supposes that just because there was only one church in each city in the time of the primitive church, that there should also be today. It is also based in the anti-denominationalism of Restorationism, the ministry of Watchman Nee and Derek Prince. Some would argue that denominations can be seen in the Bible, where Paul had direct influence in some churches (Ephesus, Thessalonica) and not in others (Rome, Jerusalem).
Read more about this topic: Christian Transformationalism