Our Story

In January of 2015, after joining their church’s week of corporate prayer and fasting seeking God’s will for their lives, Cameron and his wife Stephanie  knew a new mission was upon them. Through much prayer and consideration, they heard the invitation of the Spirit to move back to their hometown of Wichita, KS to plant The 316 Church.  This careful decision came after years of encouragement, discipleship and training from Pastor Loren Houltberg of Emmanuel Foursquare, and the greater Foursquare family. The early days consisted of  house gatherings. As the meetings grew, there was no space left and people had no choice but to sit on the stairs going down into the basement, so they began looking for a bigger, more permanent space to better serve the growing community. 316 found it’s first home in a storefront in Northeast Wichita. This humble yet beautifully nurtured space hosted the first seven years of our church life. The sanctuary held 100 seats. Although we soon needed more, our space didn’t afford us that.  So in October of 2022, we moved to a new location at 6000 E. Harry, giving us more capacity and opportunity and we are so,  so grateful for God’s provision.  

This community has come a long way. No longer in our infancy stage, we can see God establishing us in many new ways we’ve longed for. Our worship service, community engagement, and the evidence of transformation continues to grow tremendously. We’re a Spirit-filled community that believes loving each other well will be the most Kingdom thing we ever do! Our Praise Team, Teaching Ministers and Children’s Church are at their best! Journeying through some of our highest, highs and lowest, lows alongside each other, we’ve become a true family. We also enjoy lavishly celebrating our diversity.

We welcome you as you are. Today. Not when you “have it all together” or when life is less messy. We believe that we are only ever learning, practicing and becoming. We share in life together not out of mastery, but out of our own need. And we are better, together. Join us!

As 316 Church expands into all Jesus has for us, there are so many ways to get involved, and even more developing. If you’re looking for more than a Sunday, plan to attend our Wednesday nights. We offer a variety of classes to serve different needs in the community and it’s still the best way to get to know people. While there is teaching, our mid-week services are interactive and more communal. We get a chance to hear each others stories and learn from all that God is doing among us.

Childcare is provided for those who need it and every Wednesday we share a potluck meal before breaking off into classes.  

We’ve only just begun. As we partner with Jesus in all that He’s doing, there is still so much more in our hearts and on the horizon. Our ultimate vision is to build alongside The 316 Church…The 316 Refuge and 316 Academy. We’re not afraid of baby steps or hard work. But we also know God does the heavy lifting as we stay faithful to the course in front of us.  But we’ve written the vision down and made it plain on tablets and continue to work towards the mission of creating a safe place where all people can encounter Jesus in a real way.

Easter Sunday 2023, eleven people were baptized, making public declarations of faith. We’ve had a lot of good times at 316, but this day of celebration was marked with a  joy we had never experienced before. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house as two grown men and fathers of households stepped up to start us off. With holy zeal and purity of heart it was an hour of awe, to say the least. Following them, was a woman and 8 precious children, all who we’re equally overwhelmed with the goodness of God . It was a gift to be in the room that day.

We boast in the small victories here, knowing now they are our truest victories. We call them miracles of the soul. Making a point to never overlook a gentle answer that turns away wrath, a repentant heart choosing to forgive, or the art of intentional listening. Jesus is doing something special here.