Biography of Heartland Covenant Church

We are glad you are taking the time to discover who we are. Heartland Covenant Church was started in 1996 in Springfield, Missouri. Our first pastor was Brad Mann, who envisioned a church that would be non-conventional and use nontraditional building space. The Sunday service would have preaching and teaching from God's Word, using many different means such as drama, video clips and power point presentations. The emphasis would be to bring people from whatever heart state they are in and take them to be wholehearted followers of Jesus Christ. In seeking a denomination, Pastor Brad felt led to become a church plant of the Evangelical Covenant Denomination. As a church plant Evangelical Covenant provided financial and spiritual support to begin the ministry that Pastor Brad was called to do.

Pastor Brad met for prayer for a time at the home of friends Jack and Ruth Huelskamp. As the vision to start a new church in Springfield grew, so too the prayer team grew to include Tom Shafer and many other of Pastor Brad's prayer warriors from all across the country. Heartland was launched and began meeting on Sundays at the home of Keith and Karen Jaspers in the fall of 1996.

Heartland had its first Christmas Service at Wanda Gray Elementary School in Springfield in December of 1996. Our first Easter service was also held there in the spring of 1997. We soon moved to our first site at the Cobblestone Office Center on south Glenstone. We expanded the sanctuary while there when the attendance grew. During this time period we also had a celebration of founding members of the church. During the summer of 2001, God led us to a more spacious facility at the Elfindale Shopping Center at the corner of Sunshine and Kansas Expressway in Springfield. Here we grew and established a very dynamic children and college ministry but soon we were in need of more space for our sanctuary as well as our children's program.

In March of 2006 we purchased one half of the strip mall located at the corner of Sunshine and Campbell Avenue. This facility needed extensive remodeling and during those six months, we met in the gymnasium of New Covenant Academy. We were excited thankful to move into our unique and warm facility in the fall of 2006. PRAISE THE LORD!! The very nature of Heartland's vision attracts people of many varied backgrounds who now call Heartland their new church home. We are free from many of the problems that sometimes affect churches.

We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and that it is all truth and should be believed. We also believe that there are areas where there is room for differences. We are careful to follow the scriptures in the areas where there is only one way we should believe, but do not fight or argue over areas where there can be differences in interpretation or opinion.

Heartland wishes to provide an atmosphere of worship that is comfortable for everyone. You will see folks raising their hands to praise God and those who celebrate God's glory while standing quietly.

We enjoy cutting edge worship music by the most talented musicians in Springfield, but also worship with hymns and traditional music. Humor is incorporated as well as serious discussion. Drama is special and very much looked forward to as a tool to teach the good news of Jesus and to make the message more engaging.

You will not find a more genuine family than at Heartland. Deep friendships have and continue to grow as we do life together. We stay connected and grow deeper by being involved in small group ministry. We realize that you can only grow and be strengthened to a point in a Sunday morning worship time. Therefore, we come together frequently in small groups to pray, fellowship and learn through Bible study and discussion time.

We have found outreach into the neighboring Springfield community to also be where God wants us to be. It has been exciting to see what God has done as we have reached out to our neighbors.

Families and children are very important to us and we strive to make Heartland a family friendly place with many activities for young and young at heart alike.

Won't you consider visiting with us so that you too can experience the Heartland difference?

Got God?

Hope to See you Soon!

CONTACT US: heartlandcovenantchurch@gmail.com | 417-865-5556