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I Left the Church… But I Didn’t Leave Jesus

You aren't alone. Welcome to a space with evangelical warmth, mainline openness, and room for your hardest questions.

We're going to be honest with you...

St. John's is a historic 108 year old church, but inside, we are functionally a new church plant. We are a small, tight-knit nucleus of people who threw out the dogmatic "bathwater" but kept the "baby," (the beauty of a vibrant faith.) When you visit you won't find a slick, sterile megachurch performance. You'll find real breathing community.

Meet the Planter:

Pastor Sven and his husband Jay
Hi I'm Pastor Sven. I cut my theological teeth in the intense, Spirit Filled world of the Assemblies of God, cultivating a deep love for Scripture, prayer, and discipleship. As a happily married gay man, I had to walk my own long road through church hurt, reconstruction, and healing. I'm here today because you don't have to choose between your conscience and your love for Christ!
What We Threw Out (The Bathwater)
What We Kept (The Baby)
❌ Litmus tests & rigid dogma
🔥Evangelical Warmth (Passionate Worship & Relationship with God
❌ Anti LGBTQ+ theology & exclusion
📖 Serious Discipleship (Taking Scripture seriously, not fundamentalistically)
❌ Political alignment & shame culture
👐 Mainline Openness (UCC Open & Affirming, science friendly, doubts welcome)

What We're Building Together

We're building a different kind of church—rooted in Jesus, alive to the Spirit, serious about Scripture, and spacious enough for questions.

  • ✝️ Jesus Centered

    Jesus—not a denomination, political ideology, or theological tribe—is at the center of our life together.

  • 📖 SCRIPTURE SERIOUS

    We take the Bible seriously enough to wrestle with it, ask difficult questions, and refuse simplistic answers.

  • 🕊️ SPIRIT ALIVE

    We believe God is still speaking and the Holy Spirit is still transforming lives. Faith should be experienced, not merely discussed.

  • 🏳️‍🌈 RADICALLY INCLUSIVE

    LGBTQ+ people aren't merely welcomed here. They are fully affirmed in the life, leadership, ministry, and sacraments of the church.

  • 🤝 AUTHENTIC COMMUNITY

    No performance. No pretending. Bring your faith, doubts, questions, wounds, and whole story. There's room for all of it here.

You've carried this long enough on your own.

Maybe the next step isn't a big one. Maybe it's just showing up on a Sunday morning, sitting in the back, and seeing how it feels. Maybe it's sending a quiet email first, or joining us for an upcoming online or in person coffee chat.
Whatever it looks like for you — we're here. No pressure. No performance required. Just real people, following Jesus together, one step at a time. You are so welcome here.
👉 REACH OUT TO PASTOR SVEN
👉 Join us for a Sunday Service