Glimpses of God at Work in West Central U.S.

A dynamic, growing cluster in the West Central U.S. region has taken flight around the Kansas City metropolitan area. It started several years ago when church planter Kevin Schutte started an incarnational ministry, Pathway Community Church, in the upscale Kansas City suburb of Olathe. Schutte then indentified church planter Kurt Rietema, who worked for a time as an intern at Pathway. Two years ago, Rietema started his own church plant that utilizes Christian community development principles in the poorer, predominately Hispanic urban Kansas City neighborhood of Argentine. More recently, church planter Ryan Pelton arrived and is planting New City Church, also in the Kansas City metropolitan area. In addition to working with Home Missions, Classis Heartland, and the cluster, Pelton is also a part of the Acts 29 Network. Because of the connection with Acts 29 he also receives support from other churches in the area.

Another ordained CRC pastor, Andrew Vanden Akker, will soon be joining Pelton, the emerging New City Church, and the cluster. Schutte believes that it will not be long before a fourth ministry will begin alongside these three.

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