Who We Are

For twenty years, Central City Church has faithfully ministered the gospel at 24th and Center.

What We Believe

Central City Church is a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching gathering of God's people. Every Sunday we gather to worship God and to hear a word (or rhema) from Him for each of us. We welcome visitors, no matter where you are in your relationship with God or even if you don't have one. We’re committed to coming alongside marriages and families to help them to grow and learn with us, no matter what stage of life you’re in.

Our Mission

Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ who will make disciples of Jesus Christ. We believe that the world has yet to see what God can do with a church that is totally committed to Him. By God's grace, we plan, as a fellowship of believers, to be that church and fulfill the great commission in the process. This means doing everything we do with excellence and love towards one another and towards those around us. We will not do this perfectly, but we commit to constantly working to become more like Jesus.

The Basics

We believe that a sound knowledge of biblical doctrine is essential for mature, stable, fruitful Christian living (Eph 4:13). We do not claim to be perfect in our own views. We believe we must always be learning and growing (2 Peter 3:18).

So we are not blown about by every wind of doctrine, our aim is a humble and firm grasp of the truth we have seen in the scriptures, with a readiness to learn more and more—to the glory of God. We believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We believe in God’s redemptive work in man's salvation through Jesus Christ the Son of God.

We believe the Church is a divine institution built by God. It is composed of baptized believers who are united together to observe the ordinances, exercise the spiritual, grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and carry out the great commission (Ps 127:1; Matt 16:8; John 12:32; Acts 2:47; Mark 16:15).

We believe there is a distinction between local church membership and membership in the Body of Christ.

We believe in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ for salvation.

We believe and teach salvation should precede membership in the local church (Acts 2:37, 47).

We believe in water baptism by immersion in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Our Leadership

Pastor Cornell Owens

Pastor Cornell Owens began serving as Senior Pastor of Central City Church in 2024 after serving as an elder and minister for years. He has a pure servant’s heart and a love for young people. He received his graduate degree from Moody Bible Institute and is married to his beautiful wife of almost 20 years, Dericka. They enjoy traveling and all things related to home remodeling.

Elder Kevin Izard

One of the original members of Central City Church, Kevin has contributed to the church in many ways throughout our 20+ year history. He serves as one of the worship leaders in addition to his role as elder. In addition to his work at Central City Church, Kevin is a practicing family medicine physician and heavily involved in the community.

Deacons

Our History

Central City Church began from the vision of Pastor Malone of New Testament Church. Operation Jericho was a door-to-door effort to reach out in the highest crime area of Milwaukee. In 1997, the church began meeting under the name New Testament Central City Church with four families led by Pastor John Dailey. The group met in Phillis Wheatley Elementary School. The church moved into the current building in 2001. In 2008, Elder Michael Harden took up the position of pastor. In 2024, Elder Cornell Owens was installed as senior pastor.

Throughout our time at 24th and Center, we’ve sought to bless our neighbors through food giveaways, Adopt-a-Block, our annual Neighborhood Block Party, and more.