About Us

In the fall of 2023 Pastor Gerald attended a leader retreat in Colorado during which he heard the Lord speak that we were entering a season of growth as a church. In the winter of 2023, he had a dream that our community (Garden City) was worshipping in the auditorium at Christian Assembly Church.

In January of 2024 Pastor Gerald met with Pastor Jeremy Gligora, Senior Pastor of Christian Assembly, to share his heart about the dream. During that meeting it was clear that both pastors felt led to begin the process of taking steps toward a covenant partnership between the two churches.

Over the course of two and half years our two communities, Garden City and Christian Assembly, have hosted the Simply Jesus Conference together twice, prayer trainings, leader retreats, collaborated on this year’s Back to Eden Series, hosted a shared Vacation Bible School and more. In this process it has become clear that our two churches carry the same heart to exalt Jesus, the same passions related to impacting our city for His kingdom, and work really well together.

In June of 2026, the elders and staff of Christian Assembly along with the directional team of Garden City, both felt that it was time to commit to taking the next steps towards a covenant partnership.

Unlike a merger, where one organization absorbs another, a covenant partnership is centered around the process of our two churches becoming one new church together. We are excited to announce that this fall will officially begin this new chapter for our two churches!

In addition to Garden City and Christian Assembly coming together through this covenant partnership, we will also be launching three new locations together throughout central Ohio.
Here is language that shapes where we are going:

One Church – Under One Name

• One Vision and Mission
• Shared Values
• Unified Practices
• Diverse Locations

Why One Church?

• We believe this is the Lord’s desire and we are following His lead (Proverbs 3:5-6)
• We see this as a biblical model for growth (Ephesians 4:1-16)
• We know there is going to be increased kingdom impact across our region (Acts 13:1-3)
• We believe we are better together than we are separate (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

One Name:
The name itself speaks to the shared commitment to bring the history and strengths of each community, Garden City and Christian Assembly, together as one new ministry. The name also points to our shared passion to see the believers in our community discipled into the understanding of God’s original design for relationship with humanity expressed in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2) that the gospel alone allows us to experience again. Finally, the name speaks to the picture we see in Revelation 21, of the Lord dwelling with us, the restored assembly of God’s people, in the New Heaven and New Earth.

10 Shared Values: 

• 5 Character Values – Gratitude, Humility, Generosity, Honor, Excellence
• 5 Missional Values – Biblical in Discipleship, Relational in Outreach, Extravagant in Worship, Intergenerational in Ministry, Multicultural in Community

Unified Practices (how we will accomplish our vision and mission)

• House of Prayer 
• Home Churches
• Disciple Making (life/community groups)
• Local and Global Impact 
• Training and Sending 
• Sunday Worship Celebrations

Aspects of these practices will be carried out across all locations that look similar in addition to aspects that will be implemented through diverse expressions specific to the needs and overall context of each location uniquely.

One of the first joint efforts of our two communities becoming one, includes launching three new Garden Assembly locations for a total of five Garden Assembly locations across central Ohio!