About

  Anthem exists to help the restless find renewal in Jesus Christ.

We do this by helping people know, love, and obey Jesus. We gather on Sundays to remember the good news of the Gospel and have our souls realigned to Christ’s Lordship. We then scatter throughout the week for discipleship and mission.

Location & Times

O U R B U I L D I N G
2604 Paris Rd
Columbia, MO 65202

C O N T A C T
info@anthemcolumbia.com

S E R V I C E T I M E
8:15 or 10:15 AM

 

Our Liturgy

Sunday isn’t a ritual for the week, it’s a rehearsal for eternity. So, we rehearse the Gospel when we gather together on Sundays through a liturgy.

  • Worship begins with God because everything began through God. All of creation worships because God created it to reflect His glory (Ps. 19:1). We worship because God hardwired us to do so by creating us in His image (Gen. 1:27). In this way, every new day is a call for us to worship God; every encounter is a call for us to worship God, and in our sin God calls us back to Himself so we might worship Him (Luke 5:32). Therefore, when we Gather to remember the Gospel, we begin with a Call to Worship. God speaks, we respond.

    What to Expect:

    -Instrumental Music to announce the beginning of gathered worship.

    -A greeting followed by a Scriptural invitation such as Psalm 100 or Matthew 11:28-29. Sometimes there is a portion of Scripture which the congregation reads aloud together.

  • In response to God’s call to worship, we continue with a song of Adoration. Gathering together from a world filled with gods demanding our worship, we not only sing of God’s worth, but simultaneously declare God to be the only One worthy of our worship. Therefore, this song will be marked by expressing love and devotion for who God is and what He’s done.

    What to Expect:

    -A song which expresses love & devotion for God, often making much of a specific attribute of God.

    -Sometimes there is a Scripture reading or prayer to guide our adoration.

  • As we enter the light of God’s presence, we become increasingly aware of the darkness of our sin. An appropriate response is not self-pity, self-loathing, or fleeing, but confession. God tells us that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Healthy confession is directed to God and based upon the understanding that if we confess, we are assured that Christ’s forgiveness awaits. True confession never occurs without assurance that Christ will forgive us our sins.

    What to Expect:

    -We alternate methods to keep confession and assurance from becoming a dead religious practice. Some weeks we’ll read a passage of Scripture aloud together which guides our confession. Other weeks we’ll allow 30-45 seconds of silence to go before God with our sin. Many weeks we’ll hear a Scripture passage like 1 John 1:9 read and explained.

    -Some weeks we offer laments, voicing cries to God for the fallenness not only of ourselves, but the world we live in.

  • 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Therefore, we strive to present the Word of God in it’s fullness, drawing out the plain meaning of the text and demonstrating how it points to the work of Christ in the Gospel. We never move past that basic message, yet always strive to contextualize it to our day. Additionally, our aim is not to avoid offense, but that the only offense would be the call to faithfulness and obedience.

    What to Expect:

    -A Scripture reader has the congregation stand for the reading of the sermon text. This captures the reality that the Word of God speaks before the preacher.
    -A pastor will then come up and teach from the passage for about 30 minutes.

  • Communion is our response to the Proclamation of the Gospel, partaking in the broken body and shed blood of Christ as a church family. With roots that stretch back to the Exodus, and symbols pointing forward to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, no other event captures the timelessness of the Gospel like communion. This is why author James K.A. Smith says of communion, “It’s as if the story we’ve been hearing and rehearsing now comes with live illustrations.” Together we enjoy an earthly encounter with the heavenly Christ.

    What to Expect:

    -The preaching pastor will give instructions for communion following the sermon.
    -A pastor will administer communion, offering words from Scripture as we partake together.

  • At the end of service, we commission our church body to pass the peace of Christ to one another and represent Christ to those we encounter throughout our week. We are reminded that we do not cease to be the church when we leave the building. Rather, we are still the church, now sent and scattered throughout Columbia.

    What to Expect:

    -A pastor will offer a commission based upon the truths of the sermon.
    -The church body will greet and interact with one another.

Leadership

Throughout the Bible God sets apart leaders to serve His people under His care and shepherding. This is accomplished through elders and deacons (Phil. 1:1).

Elders are those who know, feed, lead and protect those entrusted to their care. Through this care, the body is pointed to the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ. (1 Tim. 3, Acts 20, Titus 1, 1 Pet. 5)

Deacons are the capital “S” servants of the church who serve the body forward in specific areas. Through this service, the body is pointed to the ultimate servant, Jesus Christ. (Acts 6, 1 Tim. 3)

At Anthem, elders and deacons are made up of both paid staff and volunteers.

Elders

  • Matt Dennings

  • Scott Gutwein

  • Chris Kurtz

  • Keaton Leisinger

  • Toby Neal

  • Josh Stilley

  • Nick Sweerin

Deacons

  • Don and Diane Combs

    Deacons of Missions

  • Jeremy Jorden

    Deacon of Member Care

  • Sierra Leisinger

    Deacon of Advocacy

  • Brock Wright

    Deacon of Next Steps

Staff

  • Matt Dennings

    Lead Pastor

  • Chris Kurtz

    Executive Pastor

  • Nick Sweerin

    Church Planting Pastor to Knoxville, TN
    Director of Worship + Pastor of Formation

  • Micaylyn Darby

    Communication + Special Projects

  • Carrie Black

    Events + Administration Resident

  • Anna Knittig

    Volunteer Coordinator

  • Nathan De Penning

    Operations + HR

  • Zach Everly

    Salt Company Director

  • Delaney Sneller

    Salt Company Ministry Lead

  • Alex Craven

    Salt Company Ministry Lead

  • Nate Hardy

    Salt Company Ministry Lead

  • Joe Rothwell

    Salt Company Worship

  • Grace Fick

    Salt Company Resident

  • Nathan Sneller

    Salt Company + Youth Group Resident

What We Believe

Good theology creates healthy relationships with God, self, and His creation.

Jesus

We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people and personal, visible return to earth. As part of God’s church, we seek to help people know and obey Jesus Christ, the living Son of God, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Salvation

Salvation is God’s deliverance of people from His wrath through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. All of mankind has rebelled against God and is condemned to eternal death and separation from Him. Jesus, God’s Son, was sent to die in the place of condemned sinners to make it possible for them to be brought back into a right relationship with their Creator. Through faith in Jesus, who was raised from the dead, people can experience God’s forgiveness and have hope of eternal life with Him. (John 3:16; 14:6; Rom. 3:28; 8:31-39; 1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:26-27; 3:36-39; Eph. 2:8-9; 1 Tim. 2:5-6)

What We Value

Network & Affiliations

Anthem is a part of the Salt Network and is also affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.