HOW IT STARTED
The Mission Church began in 2013, when Ritch and Laura Sandford moved from Chicago’s western suburbs to Salt Lake County to make a home in and plant a church amidst the people of Utah. The church was started in the living room of the Sandford’s South Jordan home with 4 people and a profound mission: to glorify God, strengthen believers, and reach the lost in Utah.
“I’ve said many times that we have no ‘business’ being in Utah. We had no family here. No connections. We had never even visited this area. But once God placed Utah on our hearts, the calling to move here was so strong and so certain, I feared that if we DIDN’T move here, I’d end up in the belly of a whale!”
HOW IT GREW
That love for the people of Utah has only gotten bigger over time. Over the next few years, The Mission Church grew out of the living room into a church lobby, and then into the South Jordan Community Center. In December of 2017, the church moved into a warehouse on the east side of town. The more people we met, and the more stories we heard, the more certain we were that God loves Utah even more than we do.
THE NEXT CHAPTER
As God has blessed our church, we’ve outgrown our current home. In 2023, The Mission Church purchased a piece of property on 2200 W in South Jordan. The building had been a horse barn for nearly four decades, and has required extensive renovations to make it ready for meeting. After more than 1 year of creative planning and rigorous construction, we plan to move in to our new home in the summer of 2024!
The Mission Church has enjoyed being partners with Converge since planting. Converge is a strategic network of Christ-centered, Bible-based, spiritual communities who share a great passion for Jesus Christ and a compelling desire to expand His Kingdom in our region.