By God’s grace poured out on many faithful men and women through the years, Cornerstone Community Church has been on a mission to advance the gospel for just shy of 40 years.
1984
In 1984, Grace Church of Edina (now Grace Church of Eden Prairie) planted a church in the Minneapolis suburb of Richfield to “scatter gospel ministry.” Attendance grew during the first eight years to around 400 people as the church acquired its own building and actively engaged the city of Richfield with the gospel.
2000
After a series of changes in pastoral staff, Grace Church Richfield experienced a decline in attendance throughout the 90s. Though it was a season of trial, faith in God bolstered the congregation to persevere. With attendance at an all-time low, the elders of Grace Church Richfield sought the help of Bethlehem Baptist Church to revitalize the church.
In early 2000, Rick Gamache was called to Grace Church and sent from Bethlehem Baptist Church to be installed as Senior Pastor. A number of Bethlehem members stepped out in faith to join Rick at Grace Church Richfield.
2003
In 2003, through a series of relationships built during his time at Desiring God, Rick Gamache and the elders led Grace Church Richfield into the Sovereign Grace family of churches. Grace Church Richfield changes its name to Sovereign Grace Fellowship.
2007
In 2007, the financial burden of a 40,000-square-foot building led the congregation to move to a mobile church platform meeting at Washburn Elementary in Bloomington for the sake of the mission.
2009
By 2009, Sovereign Grace Fellowship outgrew Washburn Elementary and moved to the auditorium of Oak Grove Middle School also in Bloomington.
2010
In 2010, in order to accommodate the growing midweek programming needs, Sovereign Grace Fellowship purchased an office space further south of Minneapolis in Burnsville.
Church planting is part of the culture at Cornerstone. It is how this local church began, and it’s one of our strategies for growth. Through our partnership with Sovereign Grace Churches, we combine financial, physical, and human resources to advance the gospel. Through our internship and residency programs, by God’s grace, we have raised up, trained, and prepared church planters and church planting teams.
2013
In 2013, Greg Dirnberger planted Emmaus Road Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota from Cornerstone Community Church.
2018
And in 2018, Shawn Powers transitioned off the staff of Cornerstone in order to plant Redemption Hill Church just outside Des Moines, Iowa.
Learn more about being trained as a church planter in Sovereign Grace.
Burnsville
On July 15, 2018, we held our first service in our new 24/7 church building at 500 E. Travelers Trail in Burnsville. To mark the new beginning and our commitment to serve our new city, we changed our name to Cornerstone Community Church. By God’s grace, our mission is unchanged. We exist to make disciples who delight in, display, and declare the gospel of Jesus Christ in Burnsville and beyond.
And Beyond . . .
In December of 2022, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, God sovereignly brought together two couples that, without knowledge of the other, had been praying about the possibility of planting a Sovereign Grace Church in Nairobi. Brian and Julia Kiama, Kenyans who grew up in Nairobi, along with their two children, Adriel and Tadya, had just finished their year of Pastors College at Trinity Fellowship in Addis, when the Leslies showed up for a visit. Since that divine appointment, the Leslies and Kiamas have been meeting together, both virtually and in person to plan and pray that God would make Sovereign Grace Nairobi a reality.
Right now the church is in the praying/preparing/planning stage. The Kiamas are still in Addis, where Brian serves their church, Trinity Fellowship, is in a residency program helping to plant a Somali church, and is going through the Sovereign Grace ordination process. Jonathan is in the residency program at Cornerstone where he too is working through the ordination process. Trinity Fellowship and Cornerstone will partner together as supporting churches for this plant. Lord willing, the plan is to arrive in Nairobi in July/Aug 2024. While not an official Sovereign Grace church plant yet, it does have the support and excitement of Sovereign Grace leadership, several people from member churches praying about joining the planting team, and a possible location in Nairobi.
Follow the Leslies on their journey here. And support them on their journey here through Global Outreach International.