Posted by Joe Day

Last week we announced we had been acquired by ACS Technologies. I’d like to share a few reasons why this transaction is good for The City and the churches we serve.

First, we were fortunate to have two and a half years with Zondervan. They enabled us to get on our feet, grow our platform, and get our message out to thousands of churches all over the world. We wouldn’t be where we are without them. And yet, the relationship had it limits. Zondervan is a publishing company, and we are a software company. As much as the two organizations appreciated each other, there were definite cultural differences. We found over time that the language and understanding we take for granted as a software company would need to be carefully explained in order for Zondervan to understand our mission. Conversely, none of us are publishers, and so the divide had two sides.

Enter ACS Technologies. ACST is a software company, and it quickly became clear that we speak a common language. This newfound relationship has been refreshing for us. We share a common mission: serving the church with technology.

Though serving the church with technology is our common mission, the way we do this is very different. ACST is known for church management software, serving the office and administrative side of the church. The City’s focus is community and communication, serving the whole body of the church. While it seems that these two focuses are vastly different, we’ve found that they have a complimentary relationship. In short, we do what they don’t do and vice versa. This is good for The City (and ACST) because we now have the ability to integrate church management features that our customers have been asking for, instead of building them ourselves. As we move forward we will focus on innovation in community, communication and the user experience while integrating on the church management side of things.

Another key is that The City will remain in Seattle. This is significant for us because the communities that we are a part of have inspired us while building The City. Seattle remains one of the most vibrant tech centers in the world. It is central to the identity of The City.

Yet with every change comes a cost. It is important to understand that The City is a family. The people who work here share a brotherhood and sisterhood that is unique. Any time a company changes hands, change happens, and in our case one of the changes is some of our brothers and sisters no longer work here. We feel the hurt of their absence and will miss them greatly.

So The City moves forward. The majority of the team of designers and engineers are here and are very motivated to continue to grow The City. As one of the designers, I can say this: expect good things, because we do.