Our Story

Does Cedar Rapids really need more churches?

Actually, yeah.

But doesn’t everyone here already know what the Bible says?

Actually, no.

Cedar Rapids is one of the least Biblically-minded cities in America. In 2017, The Gospel Coalition published an article titled, “No Bibles in Iowa: The Curious Case of Cedar Rapids.” The Barna Group put Cedar Rapids as one of the top 5 least Biblically minded cities in the country. It also made number 21 on a list of Post-Christian cities in the US, only falling behind Madison, WI and Chicago, IL as the most Post-Christian city in the midwest. According to the 2010 census, 47% of its population have no religious affiliation. That’s more than Chicago, equal to Los Angeles, and just below New York City. 

According to “Why Plant Churches?” by church planting pastor, Tim Keller, “The vigorous, continual planting of new congregations is the single most crucial strategy for (1) the numerical growth of the body of Christ in a city and (2) the continual corporate renewal and revival of the existing churches in a city.”

When we first thought about planting a church in Cedar Rapids, we were thinking about American Gothic. Born on a farm in Anamosa, IA, Grant Wood moved to Cedar Rapids when he was 10, later studied art in Paris and Munich, and returned to Cedar Rapids to paint American Gothic. Though the painting has endured countless interpretations and parodies, it affects the same disturbance that Wood felt when he saw a grandiose, gothic-styled window (especially used in European cathedrals and churches) nestled into the frame of a tiny farmhouse in Eldon, IA.

In a “fly-over” state associated with agriculture and rural life, you find in Cedar Rapids a city of people longing for transcendence—truth, goodness, and beauty. You find its eagerness for truth in its excellent public school systems and proximity to the University of Iowa, just 30 miles south. You find its zeal for goodness in its commitment to creating a rich life for its citizens through affordable living, safe neighborhoods, and recreational options. You find its celebration of beauty in its museums, theaters, and artistic communities. But all these longings are empty unless the people of Cedar Rapids hear about our good, true, and beautiful savior, Jesus Christ. Without him, the rest is meaningless.