Local Churches

Local Churches highlights stories, updates, and ministry insights from congregations serving their communities. Explore articles featuring church initiatives, outreach efforts, discipleship practices, leadership transitions, and lessons learned from ministry on the ground. You’ll find examples of faithful service, creative problem-solving, and gospel-centered work that can encourage and inform leaders and members alike. Whether you’re looking for ideas to strengthen your congregation or simply want to stay connected to what God is doing through local churches, this hub gathers relevant content in one place.

December 11, 2019

Christian Standard

CCV (San Dimas) Rebranding as ONE&ALL Church, Expanding Overseas

By Chris Moon Christ’s Church of the Valley in San Dimas, Calif., is changing its name to ONE&ALL Church. The rebranding effort comes as the church expands its mission to reach beyond its Southern California turf. The megachurch that averaged almost 6,700 in 2018 has formed partnerships with congregations in New Zealand, Australia, and elsewhere and is working on additional ones. Lead pastor Jeff Vines said the church looked at changing its name as it realized its mission was expanding geographically. Vines has multiple connections with church leaders in New Zealand and Africa because of his 20 years of missionary

October 2, 2019

Christian Standard

Church Seeks Help to Fix Road at former Crossroads College Site

Bear Creek Christian Church, Rochester, Minn., is seeking to raise $75,000 in donations to help pay to repair the main road of the church’s campus, which formerly was the home of Crossroads College (known previously as Minnesota Bible College). “The problem was that this past winter wreaked havoc on our already-deteriorated road,” outreach pastor Jeff Urban told the Post Bulletin. “If we can fundraise $75,000, it will help us avoid borrowing money for this repair and keep us on solid financial footing.” The road repairs had originally been scheduled for 2020. Bear Creek’s purchase of the campus was finalized in

October 1, 2019

Christian Standard

No Town Like Hometown (Part 2): Grace City Church

By Mel McGowan In October’s column, I wrote about two churches located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest town of Wenatchee, Washington, population around 34,000. The roots of Sage Hills Church, which I focused on last month, go back to 1908. A hundred years later, in 2008, Grace City Church was planted. The two churches share an outward focus for reaching their hometown for Christ. This month we’ll look at Grace City. A Gift to the Community Grace City Church has been meeting in the Numerica Performing Arts Center, a restored building in Wenatchee’s downtown industrial district, which has allowed plenty

August 22, 2019

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: Creekside Community Church, Hot Springs, Ark.

By Melissa Wuske “The community knows who we are,” said Mark Maybrey, lead minister of Creekside Community Church, Hot Springs, Arkansas. “From day one, all of us in our core group of 18 people have had a missional heart for the community.” Starting with those 18 people in 2015, the church now averages about 90 each Sunday. The key in this busy resort town is meeting people where they are. When Maybrey moved to Hot Springs, people told him, “There’s always something to do. Your kids are going to love it.” But nothing prepared him for the shock that first

November 14, 2018

Christian Standard

First Christian: A ‘Modern’ Masterwork

(This article is a sidebar to “Acclaimed Church Building Copes with Aging.”)   By Jim Nieman “Our church is our people.” Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen honed in on that church member’s statement as he designed a new house of worship for Tabernacle Church of Christ—now known as First Christian Church—in Columbus, Ind. Saarinen and his son, Eero, stressed that point in 1940 in their “response to the building committee’s charge.” The Saarinens also wrote: In accordance with the wishes of the building committee, our endeavor has been to design not a mere church but a church expressing the religious aims

October 3, 2018

Christian Standard

Swimming Pool Integral Part of Church’s Fitness Center

By Jim Nieman When First Christian Church of Kernersville, N.C., built its Family Life Center and included a fitness component about 15 years ago, such projects were unusual for churches. Not so much these days. But FCC’s decision to also include a five-lane, Olympic-style swimming pool in its construction plans continues to set the church apart, says Dan Hipply, director and minister of the Family Life Fitness Center at First Christian. And that swimming pool is used pretty much from sunup to sundown—or most every minute the center is open during the week (it closes at noon on Saturday and remains

July 8, 2018

Christian Standard

Mountain House

This architectural plan reflects the personality and mission of Summit Christian Church in Sparks, Nevada.   By Mel McGowan Just north of Reno, between the flash of casinos and the vast Nevada wilderness, you’ll find a community where economic booms and busts come with the territory, and people are desperate for a higher view and solid ground. Summit Christian Church of Sparks, Nevada, endeavors to provide these things. Desert Roots Nineteen years ago, a determined group of people in love with Jesus put down roots in the Truckee Meadows. They weathered the region’s economic growth and collapse in the same

May 20, 2018

Christian Standard

Grace City Church: Building a Seven-Day-a-Week Community

By Mel McGowan Imagine if, instead of building a church campus, a church developed the new town center for its community—a place that would serve people both inside and outside the church seven days a week, drawing the community together for generations to come. This is the vision of Grace City Church in Wenatchee, Washington, a church in the heart of an agricultural community more than two hours east of Seattle. Located just east of the majestic Cascade Range, Wenatchee sits on the shore of the Columbia River and is home to a unique, entrepreneurial-minded community. Lead pastor Josh McPherson

May 12, 2018

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: Mosaic Christian Church, Elkridge, Maryland

“Spiritual maturity is baptizing a friend.”   By Justin Horey Ask most any person at Mosaic Christian Church in Elkridge, Maryland, “What is the most important thing at Mosaic,” and there’s a good chance they will tell you, “It’s when we baptize someone.” MCC is just nine years old (the church will celebrate its 10th anniversary this fall). In that brief time, Mosaic has baptized more than 500 new believers. Church planter and lead pastor Carl Kuhl said the reason is simple: “At Mosaic, a ‘win’ is baptism.” For the past few years, Kuhl and his staff have set a

May 11, 2018

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: Northside Christian Church, New Albany, Indiana

Former senior pastor George Ross and his son, Nate Ross, switch roles.   By Andy Rector In 1999, when George Ross arrived at Northside Christian Church in New Albany, Indiana, the congregation had been without a lead pastor for 14 months. During the interim, attendance had grown 12 percent. That fact impressed upon Ross that Northside was fertile soil. After spending more than a decade with the church, Ross was nearing retirement age, and he knew church leaders faced an important decision. What should Northside’s next step be? “Did Northside need something different from me?” Ross said. “I talked with

May 10, 2018

Tyler McKenzie

SPOTLIGHT: Northeast Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky

The church grew in 2017, despite being warned attendance possibly could drop 15 percent under a new pastor.   By Andy Rector Tyler McKenzie says he was “raw” when he was hired as teaching pastor at Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2012. In April 2016, McKenzie became lead pastor. Former lead minister Bob Cherry, who helped start Northeast in 1977, saw something in McKenzie during the initial interview process. And Cherry doesn’t mince words about McKenzie’s subsequent promotion: “Tyler is the right guy” for the lead pastor role. A year before McKenzie joined the Northeast staff, Cherry began

May 6, 2018

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: Sunbury (Ohio) Christian Church

Church changes its DNA through service projects and grows, with room to expand.   By Darrel Rowland Ten years ago, Sunbury Christian Church spent $500,000 to buy 11 acres at the edge of a village in central Ohio. The church knew its old facility less than two miles away was inadequate, despite renovations that added a gym and got rid of the 1960s-era green paisley carpet. Still, half-a-million dollars for a congregation of about 300 as the Great Recession struck? “We swallowed real hard,” remembers senior minister Mike Bratten. “The need outweighed the fear.” The parcel wasn’t just randomly selected.

May 5, 2018

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: Real Life Church, Sheridan, Wyoming

Three-year-old church in least populated state overcomes obstacles.   By Kelly Carr After a decade as associate pastor with North Point Christian Church in Spearfish, South Dakota, Ryan Charest was inspired to become the lead planter at Real Life Church in Sheridan, Wyoming, the newest church plant of the Northern Plains Evangelistic Association (see “Planting Churches in ‘Flyover Country”). “I kept reading and researching . . . understanding what we did right and wrong and what we could do differently,” Charest said. “God worked in me to prepare me to have the desire to try and do it again.” Real

May 2, 2018

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: New City Church, Phoenix, Arizona

“Teaching the truth has helped us reach young people.”   By Justin Horey Brian Kruckenberg, lead pastor of New City Church, compares Phoenix, Arizona, to a doughnut. Until five years ago, he says, the population was almost entirely concentrated in a circle of suburbs surrounding the region, with a “hole” in the center—the downtown area—where virtually no one lived. Now Arizona’s capital city is making up for lost time, building apartments and condominiums on formerly vacant lots and creating brand-new residential neighborhoods in the heart of the city. Kruckenberg said people are moving to downtown Phoenix because they want to

April 29, 2018

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: Christ’s Church of the Valley, Phoenix, Arizona

The consistency of challenging their congregation to be bold in furthering the kingdom over the years paid off throughout 2017.   By Natalee Jones Change isn’t easy but it’s necessary for growth. That’s what Don Wilson kept in mind as he was deciding to retire as senior pastor of Christ’s Church of the Valley (CCV) in Phoenix, Arizona, a church he helped launch. Wilson and his wife were meeting with three other couples in the Wilsons’ living room just over 35 years ago when they felt God calling them to start a church in the Phoenix area. CCV’s first service

April 25, 2018

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: Cross the Line Church, Lincoln, Nebraska

Cross the Line is trying to better leverage building spaces and resources for kingdom expansion.   By Chad Ragsdale It’s 9:00 on Wednesday morning. A group of women have gathered to enjoy some coffee and conversation at the Front Porch Coffee Café in Lincoln, Nebraska. Their children are laughing and running in the adjacent play area. Nearby, in the same building, the Super Starts Child Development Center bustles with activity as parents drop off their kids and hurry off to work. Further inside, a gym is still set up for the youth basketball practice from the night before. This former

April 22, 2018

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: New Hope Christian Church, Thornton, Colorado

“God had a plan” in helping this congregation find a new building in a high-crime hub of metro Denver.   By Chris Moon When pastor Jeff Aenk talks about the way his church was able to find its new building, he often uses the word miracle. “It was a total God story,” said Aenk, who leads New Hope Christian Church in Thornton, Colorado. The story started in 2016 when New Hope learned its landlord was planning to double the church’s rent—from $7,550 a month to almost $15,000. The rent would continue to increase for the following five years, up to

April 18, 2018

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: Crossroads Christian Church, Macon, Missouri

“We’re not a traditional country church. . . . We choose uncomfortable instead of traditions.”   By TR Robertson When Matt Stieger was hired in 2008 as lead minister of Crossroads Christian Church (a church formed in 1972 in Macon, Missouri, a town of 5,400), the average attendance was 200. Ten years later, as the church entered 2018, Crossroads was averaging around 550 each Sunday morning. ​ “We decided we were going to offer a different idea of what church is,” Stieger said. “We’re not a traditional country church. We choose joy and celebration. We choose new instead of what is old. We

March 6, 2015

Christian Standard

Getting Ready for Easter: Compass Christian Church, Colleyville, TX

Baptism Weekend, a New Tradition By Drew Sherman, lead pastor, Compass Christian Church, Colleyville, Texas We started a new tradition last Easter by having a baptism weekend. It was awesome. We had a large pool just outside the front of the church. One hundred eighteen people were baptized that weekend, including a biker dude named Fred who was watching online in the area. He got so excited he jumped on his Harley and came down to get baptized!

March 6, 2015

Christian Standard

Getting Ready for Easter: Northside Christian Church, Yorktown, VA

Focusing on Friday By Shawn Cartwright, worship arts pastor, Northside Christian Church, Yorktown, Virginia From my perspective, an investment in Good Friday needs as much attention as Easter worship services or special productions. After all, you don”t have the resurrection without the cross. There are two specific services we”ve done that have been especially meaningful for two churches I”ve served. The first is “Song Stories Victory.” The premise of a “Song Stories” event is emphasizing the stories that songs tell and the stories behind why they were written, as well as how their stories impact our lives. One year we

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