RiverTree Christian to open 8th church on historic Canton site

CANTON − One of the city's oldest places of worship is set to become a part of RiverTree Movement.

On Oct. 1, the former First Church of the Resurrection at 901 Tuscarawas St. E will formally become RiverTree Christian Church's eighth regional campus.

The First Church of the Resurrection, which has operated under various names through the centuries, has roots that go back to 1806, when Thomas Jefferson was president. The Rev. John Peter Mahnenschmidt is recorded as its first official pastor in 1810, when the city had just 27 residents.

Church changes its focus: Church of the Lakes, others leave United Methodist Church over LGBTQ+ clergy, other issues

Though RiverTree previously has planted ministries in Canton, this marks their first campus in the city. Founded in 1964 in Jackson Township as a plant of First Christian Church, the nondenominational RiverTree Christian has campuses in Stark and Summit counties.

“We are officially re-launching with a Celebration Sunday on Oct. 1 into a new era and with a new level of excitement and optimism to multiply generational faith, teachings focused on the Bible, and a congregation who intentionally impacts the kingdom and the community,” said the Rev. Jason Lantz, First Church teaching pastor and vision leader for the RiverTree Christian Church Movement. “We get to be part of a legacy that existed long before us and, Lord willing, will extend generations and another 200-plus years after us, too.”

Johanna Artzner, RiverTree's executive director of mission operations and development, said they have been in active partnership with First Church since 2018. Artzner said RiverTree assumed actual ownership of the church in 2018 and created the One Center for Leadership to foster church leaders and to provide space for community collaboration.

New church in Canton: Couple launches The Church of Canton in unique space

"And so, Jason looked at all these spaces in downtown Canton and didn't find anything that he thought would work. And, the long story short, we ended up talking to the church here," Artzner said. "The Church of the Resurrection and their current pastor at the time was moving on and the congregation had dwindled, and he said, 'You know, I don't know what's going to become of this church. We have this huge building that we're not using.' So, they had a bunch of conversations with the church elders at the time and basically they sold us this building for $100."

Artzner said the agreement included allowing the Church of the Resurrection continue to operate for as long as its members wanted to stay.

The Revs. J.R. and Amy Rozko were First Church's last pastors, arriving just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Membership dwindled to about 20 people.

Pastoral couple leads First Church Married couple to share the pulpit of Canton's oldest church

After the Rozkos departed in May, Artzner said church elders approached RiverTree to broach the idea of joining their church.

"While we're both non-denominational churches, we had have a lot of those clarity conversations," she said. "So, we decided that through the summer, let's go ahead and lead Sunday services. The way that they were structured was a 'congregational vote' model. So, we got to the end of the summer, and the congregation then had to decide whether they were going to come under RiverTree, or they were going to close. They could also possibly hire a new pastor, but then that'd be like starting to scratch. So, in August, the congregation voted to officially come under RiverTree."

Artzner said membership has since grown to about 60 people.

"We know that we probably are not going to be like a super-huge neighborhood church," she said. "It's kind of an island down here a little bit now. I think the ideal situation is people that really value and care about Canton. So, we don't know if they'll be a neighborhood people, but we definitely feel like it would be a great place for anybody passionate about Canton, because that's what we are."

Artzner said RiverTree intends to respect and maintain the church's historical status. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1993, the then-First Church of Christ invested $300,000 to restore its 1,600-pipe organ.

The edifice, built in 1861 under the Rev. Peter Herbruck, who served for 53 years, sits on land designated by city founder Bezaleel Wells for worship space, as does neighboring First Lutheran Church.

"This church has been very passionate about mission and multiplication of leaders for a long, long time," Artzner said. "We're just expressing it in a way that is the One Center for Leadership, plus the First Church of the Resurrection. I don't think there will be any issue with sharing the history, honoring the history, and then looking forward to the future. We have this huge mural piece on the way into the sanctuary that honors the history of this church literally generation by generation by generation."

Artzner said RiverTree is deeply committed to continuing the legacy of ministry that has existed for more than 200 years.

"We are passionate about Canton; we're like 'the church that didn't leave,' you know?" she said. "So, I think it will be probably just a mix of people who maybe don't live necessarily in the area, who are passionate about the area making an impact. Of course, if there's neighbors and families who want to come, that's amazing."

The Oct. 1 service begins at 10 a.m. To learn more, visit www.rivertreechristian.com.

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @cgoshayREP

RiverTree Christian campuses

Jackson − 7373 Portage St. NW

Lake Township − 910 Sunnyside St. SW in Hartville

Massillon − 1600 Main Ave. W

Fairless − 11771 Navarre Road SW, Navarre

Clinton − 2525 Comet Road

Red Oaks − 4301 Cleveland Ave. NW, Lake Township

Akron − Rubber City Church, 444 Darrow Road

Canton − 901 Tuscarawas St. E

This article originally appeared on The Repository: RiverTree Christian to open 8th church on historic Canton site