We’re Planting a Church- But Why?
The Story…
I haven’t always been the person people see on a Sunday or the pastor many know today. I grew up in church, had Christian parents, and believed all the “Christian” things. I believed that God created everything, that Jesus died for my sins, and that without Him I was lost. I believed it all… but I refused to surrender. I refused to let Jesus lead my life. By the time I turned twenty, the results of living life on my own terms had caught up with me. I was broken. Depressed. Addicted. I had attempted suicide multiple times. I knew God loved me, but I hated me. I believed in Jesus, but I wasn’t following Him, and my life made that clear.
It all shifted during a brutally honest conversation with someone close to me. I was confronted with the truth: the life I was building on my own wasn’t working. It was empty. It was hopeless. This person challenged me to stop running from Jesus and to run to Jesus instead. They challenged me to give up. To surrender and to go all-in with Jesus. That moment didn’t crush me. It freed me. It was the moment I realized I didn’t just need to believe in Jesus… I needed Him to save me and lead my life. Shortly after that, I walked into a small group that, to this day, I still thank God for. It was a group of older women who gathered to pray. They didn’t judge me. They didn’t dismiss me. They believed in me. They surrounded me every week, prayed over me, and spoke life into me when I didn’t think I deserved it. They called out gifts I couldn’t see in myself and pushed me toward a future I didn’t think God would give someone like me. That’s where everything began to change.
It was the combination of truth that confronted me and grace that surrounded me that transformed my life.
And that’s exactly why Megan and I are planting Pillars Church in Wentzville, Missouri, launching publicly in 2026.
Why “Pillars”?
The name comes from John 1:14, where Jesus is described as being full of grace and truth. Those two words changed my life. Grace welcomed me in when I felt unworthy. Truth called me higher when I was stuck. Grace without truth leaves us the same. Truth without grace leaves us beat up. But when you hold them together, they become the pillars that hold a life together. That’s the kind of church we’re building.
A church where people don’t have to pretend. A church where people can walk through the ups and downs of life and still feel loved, known, and believed in. A church where God’s grace is experienced so deeply that people finally believe it’s for them. A church where truth is taught so clearly that it calls people into the life God created them for.
Why Plant a Church at All?
Recently, I read a study that said St. Louis is the least churched city in Missouri and ranks 45th nationwide (Which means the surrounding areas, like Wentzville, are also under-churched). Our city is full of people just like I was. People overwhelmed by depression, anxiety, shame, or addiction. People carrying secret battles they don’t know how to share. People who look successful on the outside but feel empty on the inside. People searching for meaning, purpose, and a community they can trust. People who don’t just need information about Jesus, they need an encounter with Him and a community that will walk with them. We want them to find what I found: A family who stands with them. A community that prays for them. A church that calls out the gifts they can’t yet see. A place where grace meets truth and lives are changed.
That’s why we're planting Pillars Church.
How You Can Be Part of This
If any part of my story resonates with you… If something in your heart says, “This needs to exist in Wentzville…” If you want to help build a church that reaches people with grace and raises them up with truth… I want to invite you to take a step with us.
Pray with us.
Partner with us.
Serve with us and join the launch team.
To join us, simply visit our website HERE or click the button at the bottom of this page.
Be part of what Jesus is building. We believe God is going to use Pillars Church to bring hope, healing, and purpose to countless people — just like He did for me.
2026 is coming. And we’re building something significant. We’d love for you to be part of it.