We are a community FORMED by the gospel and SENT on God’s MISSION to reach the lost.
Community – We are a local expression of God’s universal family- the Church. We are God’s people, together.
Gospel-formed – The good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection has changed and continues to change every part of our lives- individually and together.
Sent on God’s mission – “The church doesn’t have a mission, God’s mission has a church.” – Alan Hirsch As God’s people, we are sent out to reach the lost, share the gospel, and invite others into God’s family.
We strive to glorify God by FOLLOWING Jesus, LOVING others, and MAKING disciples together.
Glorify God – In everything we say and do we strive to make Christ known and point people to Him.
Follow Jesus – Above anything else, we are committed to following Jesus as our first love, Savior, and Sustainer.
Love Others – Knowing God rightly yields humble love and service to our neighbors, to one another, and to our enemies.
Make Disciples – Proclaiming the kingdom of God, redemption in Christ, and life in the Spirit to those who do not yet know him, and reminding those who already do.
Together – It is God’s design that we share life and do all of the above with each other.
In the city of Lebanon and throughout the world, as the HOLY SPIRIT leads.
Neighborhood – Cedar City Church is currently located in the Pleasant Park neighborhood of Lebanon. Our primary missional focus is to the people of this neighborhood.
City – Cedar City church is located in Lebanon, OH and our goal is to love and serve the people of this city. We pray for the restoration of this city as a whole.
World – Cedar City Church is mindful of people around the world who do not know Christ and trust the Holy Spirit to guide us as we pursue global mission opportunities.
Why the name?
The name Cedar City Church (CCC) was derived from a desire to deeply love and identify with the people of Lebanon, Ohio. Lebanon, Ohio is named after the biblical country of Lebanon in the Middle East where cedar trees are robust and are a fixture in the culture. If you travel around Lebanon, Ohio, you will see several evidences of the importance of cedar trees from the naming of popular establishments to the very logo designed for the city. The name Cedar City Church communicates our passion to be specifically for the city of Lebanon, Ohio, in every way we can.
Our History
CCC would not be where we are today without those who have gone before us and allowed God to use them to spread the gospel of Jesus. The core team members of CCC were borne out of a merger of two church plants.
Cedar City Church originally consisted of 7 families that were sent out from The Village Church in Hamilton, Ohio in 2018 specifically to plant a church in Lebanon. Several of our families moved from Hamilton to Lebanon including our Lead Pastor David Hackney and his family. We began meeting in David and Renee’s house in Lebanon as a group of believers seeking to follow God’s lead in planting His church. We gathered regularly to eat together, pray together, worship together and basically live our lives together as we were figuring out what it looks like for God to use us in the city of Lebanon. And throughout these months of gathering together God added to our church family other believers who already lived in Lebanon.
After about 10 months, we learned of a small church called Urbancrest at New Street which was just down the street from where we had been meeting at the Hackney’s house. We learned that this church’s pastor had recently passed away unexpectedly and they were praying for God to send them a new pastor. CCC decided one Sunday to visit this church as a group to support and pray for them. The more we got to know this group of believers the more we learned. They had been led by Pastor Clint Otto for several years. Clint and his family loved the people of the Pleasant Park neighborhood well. We heard many stories of how encouraging and uplifting Pastor Clint was and how much time he spent getting to know the neighborhood and spending time with its residents.
After some time, we were approached by the New Street church members to consider a merger of our two bodies of believers. New Street church had been praying for over a year and half for God to give them direction and as one of the New Street members stated, “the day that Cedar City Church visited and prayed for us was like a breath of fresh air.” As both groups prayerfully considered the merger and had many discussions about what it might look like to become one church it became very evident that it was in God’s plan that these two groups of believers merge. In July of 2019, both groups formed the official Cedar City Church core team.