About Us

A community of ordinary people, united by an extraordinary love

Representing Christ in our part of Lincoln County for over one hundred years.

Our Story

The little church in the wheat fields

Creston Christian Church has been representing Christ in our part of Lincoln County for over one hundred years (since 1909) while reaching out in compassion to others in need around the world.

Affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), one of the four mainline denominations in America, we are a community of ordinary people from diverse backgrounds, united by the life-changing love of Jesus.

Our church building, drawn by Barbara McIntyre

What We Believe

Rooted in truth

While we are casual in our style, we are serious about our faith. We hold to the historic teachings of Christianity. Here are the essentials.

About God

We believe in one God who exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is the Creator of all things and is infinitely good and loving.

About Jesus

We believe Jesus is the Son of God. He lived a sinless life, died on the cross to pay for our sins, and rose from the dead to give us new life. We can be saved only by our faith in Him.

About the Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit is the Counselor whom the Father sent in Jesus’ name to testify about Jesus. He is the Spirit of truth who guides us into all truth. We can be born again and redeemed by the work of the Spirit.

About the Bible

We believe the Bible is God’s Word to us. It is the ultimate truth and our guide for how to live.

About Salvation

We believe that we can’t earn our way to God by being “good enough.” Salvation is a gift of grace, received through faith in Jesus alone.

About the Church

The Church is not a building; it is the family of God. We are called to love one another and bring light to our community.

Read our full doctrinal statement

Our History

A timeline of faithfulness

From Thursday-night preaching services in 1904 to a second century of ministry today.

Winter 1904

Preaching services began on Thursday nights to revive the Christians of Creston, Washington.
Winter 1908

A Bible School was organized in Creston and saw 55 people present on the first day.
Winter 1909

A revival was held with 135 new people joining God’s church. Regular services of worship started, and the first regular minister was called.
Fall 1916

The first church building was built, dedicated in December 1917 with the indebtedness fully covered by pledges and gifts of cash on that day.
April 1953

The church purchased a parsonage, still in use today, and adopted a constitution.
April 19, 1959

The Creston Christian Church celebrated its 50th anniversary.
June 17, 1960

Rodney Smith was ordained into Christian ministry at the church.
July 17, 1980

Mary Martin was ordained into Christian ministry at the church.
April 29, 1984

The Creston Christian Church celebrated its 75th anniversary.
June 27, 2009

The Creston Christian Church celebrated its 100th anniversary.

Read “One Hundred Years of Service (1909–2009)”

Our congregation, 1909

Our Ministers since 1992

Warren Lynn 1992 – 2000
Gail Davis · Interim Pastor 2000 – 2002
Donald Hoffman 2002 – 2009
Ron Naff · Interim Pastor 2010 – 2011
Guy Schnielau 2011 – 2023
Gary Shoemaker · Interim Pastor 2024
Jae Rhee 2025 – Present

Meet the Pastor

Pastor Jae Rhee

Pastor Jae has served Creston Christian Church since September 2025, after many years of ministry in Canada and Ohio where he served multicultural congregations. He has served the General Ministries as a Board Member and Moderator and led worship for seniors at an assisted living facility. He is passionate about teaching the Bible in a way that makes sense for daily life: living the Word of God, not just on Sunday morning. He and his wife, Sarah, love this community deeply.

Before surrendering to God’s calling and beginning theological training at McMaster Divinity College in 1998, he worked as an economist specializing in International Economics: studying in Korea and Canada, working for The Bank of Korea, teaching at The University of Winnipeg, and leading a research division at The First Finance Research Institute in Korea.
A certified Korean language teacher, he gladly teaches Korean to anyone who desires to learn.
He loves playing ping pong and singing with the guitar, and he loves the elderly and little children.

crestonchristianchurch@gmail.com

Meet the Leadership

Servant-leaders who care for our church family

Our church is led by a team of dedicated servant-leaders who help guide the vision and care for one another.

Board Members

Moderator Belinda Ross
Vice Moderator Doug Pittman
Treasurer Dale Vaughan
Board Secretary Connie Reed
Christian Education Coordinator Marlene Nelson & Joanne Hopkins
Chair of Elders Scott Ross
Chair of Diaconate Bob Young
Chair of Trustees Bob Krause
President of CWF Francis Rhodes
Member-at-Large Eric Nelson, Mike West & Dan Coursey
Endowment Fund Debbie Starkey & Marlene Nelson

Staff

Praise Band Director Belinda Ross
Treasurer Dale Vaughan
Church Secretary Deanna Shubert
Custodian Bob Young

Ad Hoc Committees

Worship Doug Pittman
Outreach Debbie Starkey
Christian Education Marlene Nelson & Joanne Hopkins
Fellowship / Evangelism Lindsy Penwell
Stewardship / Finance Dan Coursey
Media / Publication Scott Ross

Elders

Scott Ross (Chair)
Belinda Ross
Pat Kurtz
Bob Krause
Becki Krause

Deacons

Bob Young (Chair)
Doug Pittman
Laura Moes
Karen Tilson
Marlene Nelson
Eric Nelson
Mike West
Glenda West
Debbie Starkey
Connie Hoag
James Hoag
Dale Vaughan
Claudine Anfstrom
Betty Botts

Trustees

Bob Krause (Chair)
Bob Young
Doug Pittman