Church forthe One.
A church that celebrates when the lost come home.
Jesus said heaven throws a party when one person comes home to God, and Ben Davis Christian Church wants to be that kind of place. Every Sunday, people from all over Indianapolis worship together in English and Spanish, and every time someone new follows Jesus, our whole church celebrates like it’s the best news of the week, because it is. Whoever you are and however long you’ve been away, we’d love to celebrate you too.
Our History
Our church was planted in 1923 in Ben Davis Village, a growing suburb at the time. In those early days we met in the gymnasium of Ben Davis High School before moving to our current location on South High School Road.
Indianapolis has grown a lot since then, and so has our church. Decades later, when consultants told us the way to reach more people was to follow the suburbs, we stayed, because this city needs churches and every person in it is worth finding.
Equipping the 99 to reach the one.
Our mission comes from Luke 15, where Jesus tells about a shepherd who leaves ninety-nine sheep to find the one that wandered off. When he finds it, he carries it home on his shoulders and calls his friends to celebrate. Then Jesus says,
“In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!”
Luke 15:7
So we equip the people already here to reach the people who aren’t here yet, and we call it For the One.
What We Believe
We believe Jesus is the Son of God, that He died for our sins and rose from the dead, and that anyone who trusts Him can be saved and start a new life. We’re an independent, nondenominational church with roots in the Restoration Movement, so we try to follow the pattern of the church in the New Testament. We take communion together every Sunday, baptize by immersion, and are led by a team of elders. If you’re ready to be baptized, we’d love to celebrate with you.
Staff
Ryan Heathco serves as our lead pastor, alongside a team of elders and a staff who love Jesus and love this city. They lead our worship, our kids and students, our groups, and our care for people across Indianapolis, and nothing makes them happier than seeing someone come home. Come meet the people who lead and serve here.
Find your place in the mission.
Start Here is the first step into the mission. You watch three short sessions in the church app, then come to the Celebration to meet our leadership, ask questions and hear the heart behind our church. From there, you take your next step: getting baptized, joining a group, serving on a team or becoming a member. Start Here happens every other month.