This past October, at our annual Fall Teaching Conference, we held our inaugural business session in which the delegates from NCD churches voted unanimously to accept Resurrection Church into the NCD family. God has preserved this church, brought it through a revitalization, and now has them located in the heart of their city while He continues to work in and through them. We are excited to share a bit about the Church’s history, ministry, and people. We look forward to seeing how God continues to move in the months and years to come.
Key phrase:
Resurrection Church exists to glorify our Triune God, to grow together as followers of Christ, and to go into our community, serving our neighbors and sharing the good news about King Jesus.
Where:
Resurrection Church is located in the center of Burnsville. Surrounded by the mall, restaurants and shopping centers, and high-density residential housing, the church’s neighborhood is both diverse and transient. They aim to be a gospel presence in this urbanizing section of the city.
How it started:
In 1967, a small group of Christians started Crystal Lake Road Baptist Church (CLBC) in Burnsville, MN. At the time, the bustling church plant secured property on the outskirts of the small town, built a building, and purchased a single-family home for ministry use. The church grew in faith and numbers in God’s kindness, eventually expanding the original building to accommodate future growth.
However, the congregation faced numerous challenges as they sought to preserve their identity as a country church while the growing city replaced the open fields. In this struggle, CLBC faced a decline resulting in deferred maintenance and diminutive attendance. By all external metrics, CLBC became a church no longer on mission, simply seeking to exist. The small, dilapidated building nestled on a large property became dwarfed by condo units, a gas station, and the growing city of Burnsville—a prophetic depiction of the church’s plight
In May 2018, this small assembly determined that something had to change—or the church would need to close. In God’s providence, an area church was actively seeking to help struggling churches become viable and would eventually provide substantial aid to CLBC. By September 2018, CLBC voted to receive two pastors to lead what would later be termed a church revitalization, building on the legacy and vision of the church at its best in days gone by.
God was kind to CLBC and allowed them to navigate the challenges that came with resuscitating a church. CPR sometimes bruises ribs, and CLBC felt every compression along the way. But new life was evidenced as portions of the building were updated, members were added, baptisms and weddings were celebrated, church polity was restructured, and a sense of mission was renewed. Fittingly, the church was renamed from Crystal Lake Road Baptist Church to Resurrection Church, a name that would testify to the recent work of God in the life of the assembly. More than that, the name would point back to the resurrection of Christ and forward to the great hope shared by all Christians.
On the heels of the 2020 COVID pandemic, the small congregation took a big risk as they committed to purchase and re-purpose a retail building across from the Burnsville Center Mall, rooting themselves at the center of the city and strategically positioning themselves for future ministry. After sixteen months of hard work, the church gathered for the first worship service in the new location on December 19, 2021.
How Its going:
As part of the re-planting and revitalization effort, the members of Resurrection Church voted unanimously to join the EFCA in May 2024. This body of Christ is excited to tie into what God is already doing in the EFCA as they take the next step in the revitalization effort.
We are grateful that God has added young adults and families to our church. Located in a walkable area, we regularly engage with those who live in our neighborhood. We are always excited to see guests who walk into a church for the first time (or for the first time in a long time) and find a place where the gospel is preached, and Christians are growing together in Christ.
Through our homegroups, we are able to gather together regularly to grow in relationships, to talk about the Christian life, and to team up to complete service projects in our community.
Pray with us:
Pray that our church would grow in God’s love and grace and that would be demonstrated in our community. Pray for God to continue to grow our church in this re-planting phase. We are especially prayerful for God to bring older, mature Christians to our church to disciple the single adults and young families that make up our congregation.
Key leaders:
Aaron Downs is one of the pastors and lives in Burnsville with his wife, Kate. They have a dog (Harper Lee) and cat (Eleanor). Together, they are excited to see God’s work through Resurrection Church in our city. Aaron is a PhD candidate researching biblical theology and the image of God.
Joshua Huber is one of the pastors and lives in Burnsville with his wife, Shannon, and their three children: Elias, Alethia, and Elim. Shannon is a graphic illustrator and serves our church with her artistic work. Joshua has an MDiv from Central Seminary (Minneapolis) and has a special interest in counseling and spending time with people.
Kristen Mulnix is our women’s ministry leader. Formerly a science teacher, she is now joyfully undertaking the task of homeschooling her children. Kristen enjoys reading, gardening, and is currently pursuing a certificate in biblical counseling from CCEF. Her husband, Andrew, and her two girls have been at Resurrection Church since May 2021.