Our Name & Story

Our Story

In the summer of 2012 a group of 5 families began gathering for a Bible study.  Our plan was to study Paul’s letter to the Philippians while being intentional to engage both hearts and minds while experiencing both grace and truth.  Over the course of the nine month study of Philippians things began to stir in our group and it became clear it was no longer simply a Bible study.  Neighbors, friends, and family members were beginning to come and grow in their faith, many of whom had not previously been connected with a local church. Having a hard time fitting in the living room we had been meeting in (which sounds more impressive until you see how small the living room was!), we began to intentionally pray for wisdom as to how we should proceed.  It became clear that, for the majority of the people attending, this Bible study was their church, and in spite of some reservations regarding the lack of a sending church, it was decided that we should begin to pursue this ministry as a church plant in Falcon.

The name missio Dei: Falcon was chosen for the new congregation (missio Dei is Latin for, “The mission of God”), in order to reflect their desire to join Jesus in the work He was doing in their community.  Grace Community Church generously allowed missio to meet in their building rent-free on Saturday nights.  This hospitality was in part fueled by Grace’s experience of witnessing thirty church plants fail in Falcon in a ten year period.  Grace Community Church’s generosity during that season played a huge role in allowing missio to discern who God was calling us to be.  For example, it was during that period that we began sitting around tables and discussing the passage that was preached each week.  Additionally, the ministry of missio: Kids found its footing and began to thrive in its desire to partner with parents to make disciples.

After eighteen months of meeting in Grace Community Church’s building missio Dei moved to Woodmen Hills Elementary School, which has been a fabulous home ever since.  The move to the school proved to be a gracious act of God that has allowed for a deeper partnership in the community and the chance to move our worship gathering to Sunday mornings.  We continued to sit around tables and pour energy into a vibrant children’s ministry, but this season brought with it additional signs of maturation including the servant leadership of an elder team, an expansion of our discipleship ministry through small groups known as Discipleship Collectives, and the hiring of additional staff to further the mission of God in Falcon and beyond.

Today missio Dei: Falcon continues to be a place where all people can experience the love of Jesus through the love of His people.  Where the Gospel is faithfully proclaimed through sermons, singing, and children’s curriculum.  Where men, women, families, and teens gather in homes for relational discipleship.  And where the mission of God is engaged in all we do as we prepare to be a church that plants more churches.