Grant Yoder describes how membership in Karis Church has impacted him and his family.

First impressions of Karis Church

The thing that really stood out to me when I first arrived was just how committed the people of Karis were to their church family. Church wasn't something to be consumed, but to be molded and developed by all. A lot of sweat has been poured into Karis over the life of the church, and the many changes taking place in Karis now are exciting and a reaffirmation of this basic truth.

Seeing Jesus in Karis

I see Jesus in the rhythms of our church family. This manifests itself in so many different ways in different pockets throughout our church body. For us, this rhythm most recently manifested itself in the adoption of our daughter. Many families in Karis are embracing the care for orphans, which in turn has created one of these rhythms. From the beginning, my wife and I had friends to walk beside us as we struggled with infertility. We felt lost and didn't understand where God was leading us, but we had many people in our church family praying and encouraging us to continue to seek out His will. After much prayer, Jesus revealed to us the rhythm that he had developed amongst His church. We sat down and broke bread with families that had adopted children in so many different ways. These people poured into us and encouraged us throughout our journey. They laid out their unique and personal journeys in front of us and helped us to see the many routes that adoption could take. And that’s one of the great things about Karis Church. While God has created a rhythm in Karis, it’s not a pop song with three simple power cords. It’s big and vast, like an orchestra. Many instruments, all adding something to the whole. One rhythm, many vessels.

Growth through the preaching of God's Word

Karis Church’s commitment to solid, Bible-based preaching has challenged me and pushed me to study God’s Word with more passion. The fact that the preaching goes verse by verse and chapter by chapter through a book of the Bible reinforces to me that all of God’s Word has equal weight and nothing should be taken lightly. Additionally, Missional Communities (MCs) have provided an avenue to study the Word in more depth, and develop ways to move God’s Word into action through a community of believers. MCs provide many different avenues to take the teachings of Christ to the streets of Columbia.

Grant Yoder has been a member of Karis Church since 2007. He is the Director of Finance at a pharmaceutical company in Mexico, MO. Grant and his wife, Susan, recently welcomed their daughter, Adah, into their family.