Redemption Church in Owatonna, Minnesota, now has a space to call its own. The church, which formerly met in a rented facility, has moved into a 3,200 square-foot building in a strip mall that was previously used as a staffing office.
It’s taken some creativity to utilize the space for effective ministry, says senior pastor Christian Kohs, adding that the building has great visibility and the location gives Redemption the distinction of being the only church in the southeast part of the city.
When Redemption launched on Sept. 9, 2018, the USMB church plant hosted its weekly gatherings in a building rented from a Seventh-day Adventist Church, where Kohs says not only was it difficult to make the space their own, there was no opportunity for during-the-week meetings.
Redemption held its first service in its new space Nov. 10, 2019.
Having a space of its own will allow the church to continue to grow—Redemption has had two or three visitors each week since opening in its new location, Kohs says. It will also provide additional opportunities to serve the city, as Redemption is offering marriage and parenting classes, as well as kids’ programming on Wednesday nights.
Redemption baptized 33 individuals in 2019, and four more were baptized in February.
As the church continues to grow, Kohs says Redemption intends to begin hosting a weekly Narcotics Anonymous meeting for the community, as well as a weekly youth event. Redemption anticipates the start of a new men’s ministry around Easter. The church is also taking steps to partner with the Steele County Food Shelf, which shares the parking lot.
“Non-Christians keep coming and meeting Jesus and then inviting their friends,” Kohs says in an email. “We have non-Christians in the building every single week. It’s an amazing season.”
Janae Rempel Shafer is the Christian Leader associate editor. She joined the CL staff in September 2017 with six years of experience as a professional journalist. Shafer is an award-winning writer, having received three 2016 Kansas Press Association Awards of Excellence and an Evangelical Press Association Higher Goals award in 2022. Shafer graduated from Tabor College in 2010 with a bachelor of arts in Communications/Journalism and Biblical/Religious Studies. She and her husband, Austin, attend Ridgepoint Church in Wichita, Kansas.
