Location: Grandview, Mo.

Presbytery: Midwest

Organization: Nov. 26, 2018

Membership: 19 communicant; 10 baptized

Pastors: Andrew Barnes

Website: cpc-kc.com

Our History

In 1986, Christ Presbyterian Church (CPC) was planted in Olathe, Kan., as a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America. Soon it moved to South Kansas City, Mo. From the beginning, we had a strongly Reformed and confessional emphasis under the ministry of Pastor Bob Dunn.

During the 1990s, CPC grew to over 100 members. However, in the late 1990s, conflicts within the congregation caused many families to leave. In those same years, serious health issues forced Pastor Dunn to retire. Rev. Tom Ellis was called to be CPC’s second pastor in 2000, and he continued training us in the doctrines of grace and the confessions. Pastor Ellis retired in 2010 but graciously filled the pulpit until we called our third pastor, Andrew Barnes, in Jan. 2011. In 2017, the last of our founding members transferred to an ARP church in Springfield, Mo., to take care of her mother. Since our beginning, we have had ups and downs in the strength of the congregation, yet we have continued to trust God’s providence.

CPC’s strong confessional foundation has, at times, made us feel somewhat disconnected from our presbytery and denomination. In recent years, our members embraced the practice of exclusive psalmody and a cappella singing in worship, and we began to see that the RPCNA would be a better, more suitable denomination for us. In early 2018, the session of the Shawnee, Kan., RP Church (SRPC) challenged CPC’s session to seek a congregational vote on that question. CPC voted unanimously on June 9, 2018, to petition to join the RPCNA and was officially received on Nov. 26, 2018.

Our Vision

The Kansas City metro area has eight Reformed (NAPARC) congregations, yet there is no feel of reformation and revival here. There is a feeling of Christianity here, but it is much of the type of a shallow, broadly evangelical, and entertainment-driven religion. What Kansas City needs is churches that boldly and faithfully proclaim God’s Word without fear of man. CPC is now joyfully joined with SRPC in reaching our city with the gospel of Jesus Christ for the growth of the kingdom.

Our People

God has blessed CPC with ethnic diversity and some wondrous answers to prayer. In 2011, through the witness of one of our members, God brought us John Makuach, a young South Sudanese refugee. For the next two years, we worked to bring his wife, Lilian, from Africa to the U.S., along with their two daughters, Deborah and Ngandeng. The happy reunion came in 2013. In the years since, we have been further blessed by God’s adding two more daughters to their family: Athiei and Faith.

Through John Makuach, in 2014, we met Becky, another South Sudanese refugee, and her one-year-old son, Deng. Becky’s husband, John Deng, was also a South Sudanese refugee but had to remain in Africa when Becky came to the U.S. By God’s grace, John was able to join Becky in 2017, and they have been blessed with two more children: Jurkuch and Ajah. During the years that we struggled, not feeling at home in the PCA, these South Sudanese families gave us encouragement and wonderful opportunities to serve Christ and witness His mighty deeds.

Prayer Requests

• For God to provide new families to support our ministry in Kansas City.

• For the health of our members.

• For CPC to grow in zeal and faithfulness in evangelism.

• For the growth of the kingdom of Christ in Kansas City.

Fun Facts

Two of our current families were once members of SRPC. That includes Chuck and Jeanie Drake, and Chuck is one of CPC’s deacons. The other family is that of Ruling Elder Dave and Patty Maine. Dave is the grandson of Rev. Milton Wylie Dougherty, a 20th-Century RPCNA pastor. His wife, Patty, is a descendant of John and Mary Downie, who were founding members of the Winchester, Kan., RPC in 1868.