How did Mercyview begin?
After attending a pastor's conference in Seattle, Brad Andrews felt the Lord was calling him to plant a church in the urban core of a city in the American Midwest. As he and his wife sought the Lord for direction, and received training from their sending church, they felt the Lord calling their family to Tulsa, Oklahoma.
In the spring of 2010, after "parachuting" into Tulsa from St. Louis, MO, the Andrews and Nahrgang families began to meet with a small group of people interested in seeing a new missional church planted in the urban core of Tulsa. Over the course of that summer, God brought together a group of 20+ committed adults and children to form Mercyview's first missional community.
They began to meet weekly, asking God to first plant the gospel in their hearts, and if he would allow, for them to plant a church in their city. Over the next nine months, the Andrews' living room filled up with gospel-formed individuals; a church was being birthed!
In the spring of 2010, after "parachuting" into Tulsa from St. Louis, MO, the Andrews and Nahrgang families began to meet with a small group of people interested in seeing a new missional church planted in the urban core of Tulsa. Over the course of that summer, God brought together a group of 20+ committed adults and children to form Mercyview's first missional community.
They began to meet weekly, asking God to first plant the gospel in their hearts, and if he would allow, for them to plant a church in their city. Over the next nine months, the Andrews' living room filled up with gospel-formed individuals; a church was being birthed!
The early years of Mercyview
Mercyview launched publicly in midtown Tulsa at the Tulsa Adventist Academy on Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011. Around the same time, Mercyview also planted its second missional community in the Crowell Heights neighborhood. We sent teems to serve our Mystery Church and Mission Joplin after an EF-5 tornado tore through the city of Joplin. The two teams from Mercyview helped with recovery efforts in the city and with the church.
Mercyview also hosted First Baptist Church Mountain Home, AR for a week-long missions outreach with backyard bible clubs, block party, and free sports camps for the Turner Park neighborhood (where the Tulsa Adventist Academy is located) that summer.
In April 2012, we moved our public presence to Calvary Baptist Church in the McClure Park neighborhood, sharing space with one of Tulsa's historic churches. In July of that same year we united with another kingdom-minded church, absorbing them into our fellowship to unite around the gospel and serve on mission in a much greater way.
It was during 2012 that Mercyview planted its third missional community in South Tulsa. Our missional imprint had expanded as we served 31 families and 105 children at our biggest missional outreach of the year called Affordable Christmas. We also began financially and prayerfully supporting missionaries in Indonesia and church planters in India and Bixby, OK.
Two years after launching publicly, the church welcomed its first round of partners (what we call our members at Mercyview). In 2013, we saw 30 adults and over 20 children commit themselves to God and one another, to share their lives and a common mission in our city together.
By the end of 2013, 70 adults and children called Mercyview their home. We were able to baptize six individuals and planted our fourth and fifth missional communities - one in the Brady Heights neighborhood and the other in the Kendall-Whittier neighborhood; averaging 50 individuals involved in our missional communities each and every week.
Mercyview also hosted First Baptist Church Mountain Home, AR for a week-long missions outreach with backyard bible clubs, block party, and free sports camps for the Turner Park neighborhood (where the Tulsa Adventist Academy is located) that summer.
In April 2012, we moved our public presence to Calvary Baptist Church in the McClure Park neighborhood, sharing space with one of Tulsa's historic churches. In July of that same year we united with another kingdom-minded church, absorbing them into our fellowship to unite around the gospel and serve on mission in a much greater way.
It was during 2012 that Mercyview planted its third missional community in South Tulsa. Our missional imprint had expanded as we served 31 families and 105 children at our biggest missional outreach of the year called Affordable Christmas. We also began financially and prayerfully supporting missionaries in Indonesia and church planters in India and Bixby, OK.
Two years after launching publicly, the church welcomed its first round of partners (what we call our members at Mercyview). In 2013, we saw 30 adults and over 20 children commit themselves to God and one another, to share their lives and a common mission in our city together.
By the end of 2013, 70 adults and children called Mercyview their home. We were able to baptize six individuals and planted our fourth and fifth missional communities - one in the Brady Heights neighborhood and the other in the Kendall-Whittier neighborhood; averaging 50 individuals involved in our missional communities each and every week.
Adding staff and growing into a new location
As the church continued to grow and expand, Mercyview installed John Mastin as our second elder in 2014, and brought on Ryan Hoyt as Deacon for Discipleship. In the same year, we also welcomed back Jim and Laura Campbell, who were part of Mercyview's earliest days, from the mission field in Indonesia. Laura would go on to serve as our full-time Ministry Coordinator while Jim would begin his elder candidacy with Mercyview.
Over the course of 2014 we would plant three more missional communities in our city, bringing the total to eight groups of men, women, and children meeting across the city.
Mercyview would continue to meet at Calvary Baptist until the fall of 2017, when, in search of more space for our growing church, we moved into Wilson Teaching and Learning Academy (WLTA). Over he course of the next three years, Mercyview would grow to have more than 120 partners and their children, and weekly attendance of more than 180 by the spring of 2020. Like most churches in our city, and across the world, the pandemic forced our church into a season of drastic change.
Over the course of 2014 we would plant three more missional communities in our city, bringing the total to eight groups of men, women, and children meeting across the city.
Mercyview would continue to meet at Calvary Baptist until the fall of 2017, when, in search of more space for our growing church, we moved into Wilson Teaching and Learning Academy (WLTA). Over he course of the next three years, Mercyview would grow to have more than 120 partners and their children, and weekly attendance of more than 180 by the spring of 2020. Like most churches in our city, and across the world, the pandemic forced our church into a season of drastic change.
