W H O W E A R E
History of Our Church
The Indianola Church of Christ is an active part of the non-denominational fellowship of Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, known as the Restoration Movement.
The exact date when the local Church of Christ began their first worship service is not known. The founder and first preacher was A.K. Miller. He made contacts in December of 1959 about the congregation meeting in the V.F.W. Hall on Sundays. On Wednesday evenings the church met in different homes for services. Gary Cradic began his ministry with the Indianola Church of Christ in 1967 while he was a student at the Midwest School of Evangelism in Ottumwa, Iowa. After graduation from college, Gary and Sherill moved to Indianola.
In 1964 the congregation began to outgrow the facilities, so land was purchased at 309 South D Street. The first service was held on Easter Sunday, 1970, and the first revival was in 1971.
George Conz came on as preaching minister in 1972, followed by Marvin Ellwanger in 1977. Tim Haynie began his ministry in October of 1982. By mid-1986 the average church attendance had increased to about 80. With the assistance of CEM (Christian Evangelistic Mission) the Church was able to hire a full time minister in 1986, Boyd Kuester. During his ministry the congregation experienced consistent growth in attendance, with the Sunday morning service averaging near 100 people. In January of 1990, Bob and Cecil Scott moved to Indianola to serve as the preaching minister. Because of the overcrowding of the original building, the congregation began construction of a new addition to add 2,000 square feet of space. The building now had seating for 125 worshipers, two restrooms on each level, fellowship area, seven classrooms, nursery, new stairway, offices, mechanical room and foyer.
In December of 1993, Tony Brandt became the preaching minister. The congregation continued to see growth and soon began holding two services each Sunday morning to help with growth. In October of 1998, the congregation purchased 8 acres of land on East Iowa Avenue in Indianola. The congregation constructed a garage and office facility on the new property and the offices of the church were moved there while Sunday morning worship was held at Emerson and Whittier Elementary Schools. Construction of the new facility began in 2003 and the congregation held its first service at 1112 East Iowa Avenue on Sunday, June 27, 2004. The Grand Opening and Dedication service was held on Sunday, August 29, 2004.
Kirk Evans (wife, Rebecca) was hired as Lead Pastor in October 2012 and is currently serving. Both Kirk and Rebecca are graduates of Nebraska Christian College.
Since moving into the new facility the congregation has seen consistent and steady growth in attendance to its current average of around 200, with the reach into the community extending far beyond that number. The congregation is marked by its friendly, welcoming, laid-back environment and a group of people excited to share the gospel with any and all who come.