Cleveland Church Relaunches, Experiences Growth
Christ Culture Church’s (CCC) relaunch with a unique model is bringing spiritual renewal in Cleveland, Ohio.
“From the very beginning, our mission has been to bless the city by cultivating and empowering missional communities that spark cultural transformation through the gospel of Christ,” says Klen Kuruvilla, 40, lead pastor.
Kuruvilla, born in Kuwait, was raised Anglican by parents who had immigrated from southwest India. He immigrated to Canada in 2000 where he surrendered his life to Christ during an international charismatic revival.
While studying economics at the University of Guelph, he says a vivid dream disrupted his plans for a business career, which became a defining moment. Awakening in the middle of the night, he felt the Lord calling him to pastor in America.
In the fall of 2005, he enrolled at the Masters School of Ministry (MSOM) in Griffin, Georgia. “God provided my needs through many financial miracles,” he says.
During his time at MSOM, he connected with Griffin First Assembly (GFA), volunteering initially until joining the pastoral staff. He met his wife, Audrey, in Atlanta; they later married in 2010.
He left GFA in 2011 to serve Compel Church in Desoto County, Mississippi, and then 7 City Church in Fort Worth, Texas. He also received training from the Church Multiplication Network to plant a church in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. But God had another idea.
In 2018, doors opened to rescue the once-thriving multisite New Song Assembly of God (NSAG) in Cleveland from closing. The church had internal tensions that ran high and were aggravated by a lack of long-term leadership, a dwindling congregation, and a $1.2 million debt requiring $10,000 monthly mortgage payments.
“It was a desperate situation when we had arrived, with about eight months of operating funds left,” Kuruvilla recalls.
Notwithstanding these impossible negatives, the Kuruvillas trusted God’s call to move to Cleveland with their young family, a pure leap of faith based on confirmed prayer. In May 2018, NSAG’s board appointed Kuruvilla lead pastor.
The church's consistent growth and success in recent years has been born from persistent personal and corporate prayer and the Holy Spirit’s intervention. “Our primary goal has been linking prayer to everything with a do or die mindset,” he says. “In the past seven years, we’ve had over 20 seasons of corporate prayer.”
During a particularly tough time of mounting bills and financial stress, a first-time visitor handed him a $10,000 check, a hallelujah moment.
In another miraculous episode, a church member questioned him about the building needs and ministry vision, and then pulled out her checkbook and wrote a check for $21,000.
“When we pray God continues providing just enough for our needs, like manna and quail from heaven,” Kuruvilla says.
When Covid struck in 2020, the church’s giving decreased. Yet around that time a financial blessing of $47,000 appeared, amounting to the funds that had been lost.
While half the congregation fled, the Sunday services were switched to online and outdoors in the parking lot. Only 40 people showed up upon reopening eight weeks later.
Kuruvilla believed the Lord wanted to do something entirely different and, in 2021, the congregation relaunched as Christ Culture Church.
The main campus moved to Cleveland Heights recently, in addition to rolling out nine micro churches to reach the small cities, townships, and villages within the greater metro area of Cuyahoga County.
Audrey Kuruvilla, 38, who serves as staff pastor and prayer director, leads midweek prayer in the main campus chapel with about 30 people, ranging in age from 20-somethings to 91. “The room buzzes with holy electricity anticipating emotional and spiritual healing,” she says. “In brokenness we pray for clean hands and pure hearts so nothing gets in the way as we focus on God’s heart for the city, our church and families.”
Micro churches currently minister to 150 regular attendees spread over nine locations, with more sites anticipated.
“We want our people to be the church on mission for these communities but still represent one church,” Klen Kuruvilla says.
Isaiah Dennis, 28, who attends a micro church, reports that his walk with Jesus has become more serious since joining CCC three years ago. His faith has grown through mentoring by a church elder. “The Holy Spirit has empowered me to overcome my addictions victoriously,” he says.
Dennis recently left his job as a warehouse worker for a pastoral residency with CCC’s youth ministry.
CCC’s new journey has yielded hundreds of decisions for Christ and an army of more than 550 congregants.
“The best is yet to come,” Kuruvilla says.
“The Christ Culture story is not just a story of beauty for ashes,” Kuruvilla says. “It’s a testament of God’s faithfulness in building His kingdom in the cities which are the cultural hubs of our nation, starting with Cleveland.”
