Check out our Vision 2023 sermon to hear more about the distinguishing characteristics of Renewal Community Church.
Renewal Community Church is a mission-focused church primarily serving families living in the neighborhoods near Post Road and 42nd Street. Our goal is to make disciples of Jesus by teaching and showing them the joy of living every aspect of their lives according to His Word.
Our church is different than probably any church you have ever attended. Following the lead of the early first century churches, our church is committed to living out our faith every day, serving others in Christ’s name, and, in the process, drawing them closer to Jesus by allowing them to experience His love first-hand.
Because we emphasize living out our faith in the community around us, our primary activity is our weekly Discipleship Group meetings. Each week our Discipleship Groups gather to support one another, share what God is doing in, around, and through them, and learn more about what it means to follow Jesus. This is where real learning and discipleship takes place – in small groups, interacting as families, growing closer to God and to each other, and making every effort to become more like Jesus every day.
Unlike many churches, we do not meet each Sunday. Instead, we have a dinner and worship service twice a month (usually, but not always, on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month), where we proclaim the gospel and celebrate the hope we have in Jesus, even in the midst of one of Indianapolis’ most complex neighborhoods. Our dinner and worship service is extremely casual and open to all. People are encouraged to “come as they are.” It is a place for sinners to hear the good news and not be judged, where those far from Jesus can learn about the extent of His love and forgiveness, and where those without hope can find new life in both the love of their Savior and the care and attention of a group of people living. their lives with the purpose of helping others transform their own lives.
Want to know more? Join us for dinner and worship one Sunday.
You can see our upcoming service schedule here.
Questions? Feel free to reach out to us through our contact page.
What makes us different
Our view of what it means to be a church is different than most churches. Here are some of the things that are important to us:
Missional – We are called by God to do the work He planned for us even before we were conceived. We are “on mission” at all times. Our mission is to share the gospel with our neighbors, through teaching God’s Word, but especially through living it out in our day to day lives. Our “mission field” is primarily families living in the neighborhoods near Post Road and 42nd Street. We seek to join God where He is already at work in those neighborhoods, then allow Him to work through us to accomplish His purposes.
Incarnational – We live out our faith in our daily interaction with people, especially in the neighborhoods we serve. Church is not a place we attend, it is a description of who we are. We are the body of Christ. Just as Christ dwells within us through the Holy Spirit, we dwell among those who do not yet know Him or who want to know Him better.
Relational – We know first-hand that nothing is more important than a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That is what drives us, what gives us hope, what gives us strength. We model our relationship with Jesus by building relationships with our neighbors – walking alongside them through the trials and triumphs of their lives, putting their needs above our own, providing them with strength, encouragement, and accountability. Focusing on relationships not only allows us to love others the way God has commanded, it gives us both the opportunity and the credibility to more effectively share the gospel and teach people the joy of following Jesus.
Holistic – We want to transform the lives of people in our neighborhoods in the same way that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection rescued, restored, and redeemed the lives of those who follow Him. Of course, that means saving souls for eternity. But it also means transforming people’s earthly lives – serving the poor, helping those in need, pursuing justice, providing hope to the hopeless. The gospel we follow and preach goes beyond personal salvation to the transformation of people and our communities.
Kingdom-focused – We know that through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God has restored all things to himself. God’s kingdom will be perfected when we can all spend eternity in His presence. But God’s kingdom also exists in the here and now, on earth. While the existence of sin keeps God’s earthly Kingdom imperfect, we know that we are called to be both members and builders of His Kingdom. We submit our lives to the authority and teaching of Jesus Christ. As we do so, we show others the joy of living our lives according to God’s plan and we encourage them to live their lives according to His plan as well.
Multi-cultural – Since we are all God’s children and created by Him in His image, we are called to live together in unity, embracing and celebrating our cultural differences, rather than allowing them to divide us. Our love for Jesus binds us together in such a way that our racial, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic differences can never separate us. We are God’s people, regardless of where we have come from or the color of our skin.
