THE STORY OF OUR CITY
The Precursor to the Story of Convergent Church.
Owosso is largest city in Shiawassee County with 15,000 of the county’s nearly 70,000 residents calling it home. It is also the central hub of the county!
Owosso is a small town with a very religious history. As a matter of fact, our city is home to roughly 50 churches, with one on nearly every corner. Yet despite all those churches, with the vast majority having plateaued or being in severe decline, only 10% of the people who call Owosso home hold to some form of Protestant Christianity.
As a result, many people have distant family ties to a church, mixed with some form of “church hurt”. Many question the existence and character of God, the truthfulness of the Bible, the purpose for the Church, God’s plan for the future, and more. That is to say, the “average” person in Owosso lacks any hope or assurance for this life or the next. We desire to reverse that, making hope in Christ normative for the people of Owosso!
THE CALL TO PLANT
A New Church for the City of Owosso.
Given the state of the Church in the City of Owosso, God began placing a burden on the heart of two men to plant a new church in the city to reach those who don’t know the hope of the gospel. They would become our planters and pastors, Dan Dameron and Jamison Bebiak.
While the calling dates back to 2011, their discussions as to what it may look like to do that together began in 2016. Church Planter Assessment with Send Network would take place in 2019. And in late 2020, on the heels of a global pandemic, each would resign from their respective ministry assignments in Flint, MI and Indianapolis, IN and begin the process of planting Convergent Church together!
THE STORYLINE OF CONVERGENT CHURCH
January 2021
A New Church Plant Announced
On January 11th, 2021, the Damerons and Bebiaks announce their intention to plant a new church together and began building a core team! [...]
March 2021
First Sunday Gathering Held
On March 7th, 2021: Convergent Church holds its first Sunday Gathering in the Bebiak's living room with 30 people in attendance!
April 2021
The Move to Aviator Jayne
On April 25th, 2021, amidst steady growth, we moved our Sunday Gatherings up into the loft of Aviator Jayne and began searching for a place of our own!
September 2021
The Move to The Armory
On September 1st, 2021 we signed a lease with The Armory, right in the heart of Downtown Owosso, gaining space for offices, children's ministry, the Community Room for Sunday Gatherings!
April 2022
Our Public Launch
On April 17th, 2022, Resurrection Sunday, Convergent Church publicly launches with 115 people in attendance!
June 2023
Church Founding
On June 25th, 2023, we affirmed our very first Church Partners and with that came the appointing of our first Deacon.
July 2023
July 2023 to Present Day
With new connections being made each and every week, Convergent Church continues to carry out its mission of connecting people to Christ, Kingdom, and Community!
WHY ANOTHER CHURCH
“With so many churches in Owosso, why do we need another one?”
Studies show that new church plants reach exponentially more people than established churches in a shorter time frame. With 51% of the U.S. Churchgoers saying they have never heard the term “Great Commission” (Lifeway Research, 2016) and 55% of Protestants saying they have not shared the gospel with anyone in the last 6 months (Lifeway Research, 2019), we see a deep need for a church on mission because 78% of unchurched people WOULD listen to someone who shared what they believed about Christianity (Lifeway Research, 2016).
In planting a new church, we see an incredible opportunity for God to continue drawing His people in Owosso to Himself. We didn’t plant a church because we believe there aren’t any faithful churches in Owosso, but rather that Owosso needs MORE faithful churches to fulfill the Great Commission!
