by the Rev. Nick Comiskey as told to Andrea Bailey Willits
In a nutshell
“We’ve been planting for eight months, January through September. Christ Church Mission, located in the thriving community of Mission, is both a separate ‘sister’ congregation of Christ Church Overland Park, and a permanent part of the family. Our goal is to remain connected as a second campus. We have one budget, one parish council, one vision and ministry philosophy. But we have localized ministry expressions and missional commitments.
“Our hope and vision is to give people a taste of life in the kingdom of God. For us, that means an atmosphere where people are genuinely excited to be with each other and evidence that with a warm, enthusiastic welcome. We feel like the greatest witness we can give to the kingdom is celebratory, affirmatory joy in the Lord that expresses itself in people. Our orienting verse is Psalm 68:8: ‘God sets the lonely in families.’ We seek to be an authentic, intergenerational family for the lonely.”
Memorable moment
“We wanted the launch service on September 18 to have a joyfulness and enthusiasm that reflected our vision. Our launch team really brought that to life. As I was watching the setup and teardown, seeing our team greet visitors, friends and family, I couldn’t believe how much they have grown—how in the game they are. When we started, 98% of the 60 people on our launch team had never been part of a church plant before. Close to half of them didn’t know what a church plant was. Looking back, I think that inexperience was a real blessing, because they didn’t have any cynicism, only excitement to be the church for people who didn’t have a church. Along the way, I reminded them how the little things they were doing in the moment were part of the larger framework. They now build their lives around their commitment to Christ and this church.”
Where we are in the launch process
“I’ve been on staff at Christ Church Overland Park for four years, preaching, leading small groups and gaining broad ministry experience. So it made sense for me to assemble a team of people who knew me and could logically think of me as their pastor. The process was super fruitful because of the strategic planning of Christ Church Overland Park and their generosity. They said, ‘Pick our best leaders and take them with you.’ Because we had that safety and stability, we got to be innovative, take risks and be bold, but we weren’t one mistake away from falling apart. It’s kind of like church planting with training wheels.”
Where we meet
“We meet on Sunday mornings in the Sylvester Powell Community Center. Being in a portable space is ideal for us, and it’s in the heart of Mission’s cultural center. It’s a great space aesthetically, and holds about 170 adults and 100 kids. The space also allows for a big part of our hospitality—our café. My wife previously managed a coffee shop and is a really good barista, and we got a really great commercial espresso machine to make professional beverages. We house the café in an industrial kitchen on the side of our worship space, and we invite people to arrive early to talk, get to know one another and enjoy a hot beverage.”
Current challenges
“Our biggest challenge is to connect attendees to our community. Even if people enjoy the services, they won’t stick long if they don’t have friends. Structurally, how do we make worshipers vital members of our community?
“My biggest leadership challenge is not to get distracted by all the time and energy it takes to administrate a portable church, but to keep encouraging people to be focused on a larger goal. Getting the church off the ground was such an orienting vision, but I need to keep our team moving forward by articulating a preferred future that’s realizable. In three years, we want to have a building and be sending out 50 people to plant a church. Celebrate and rest, but keep moving.”
What’s next for us
“We’re deciding to what degree the specialized ministries of Christ Church Overland Park will find expression at Christ Church Mission. Being an established church, Christ Church Overland Park runs a variety of great programs and courses for families. Will we try to offer those at Christ Church Mission? Will we ask our Mission people to attend these offerings at Christ Church Overland Park? We’ll be figuring that out in the weeks ahead.”
How you can pray for us
“The community of Mission has been extremely receptive to us, and we’re seeing a lot of folks from the outside come in. But I‘m praying for a unique season where we see lots of new people coming to faith—genuine conversions, not just transfer growth or church shoppers. Pray that people’s hearts will be awakened to come to Christ.”
Learn more about Christ Church Mission.