Founding

On November 17, 1974, seventeen people gathered in a home in the Indianapolis area for a prayer meeting. This group continued to meet regularly under the leadership of Phil Barrett. By April 1975, the group had outgrown the home and moved first to a swim club in Beech Grove, and then to the Ransburg YMCA. During our 1 1/2 years at the YMCA, we were continually looking for a location of our own to purchase.

In January 1978, we found our present location, an old Boy Scout camp on the southside of Indianapolis. By July of 1978, the Lord had provided the finances to purchase the property. We moved into a small building already on the property, now known affectionately as "the Lodge." A year later, we added two stories below the main level of the Lodge. As we continued to grow, it became necessary to build a larger building.

We moved into our present building in January of 1985. And then in 1987, Phil Barrett stepped away allowing Paul Gustitus became ICF's senior pastor. Paul led the church through a transition to cell-based church ministry.  Bill Toombs came on board as an assistant pastor in 1990.

In November of 2008, Paul Gustitus stepped out of pastoring to pursue a new ministry direction, and passed the baton of leadership to pastor/elder Jeremy Bialek. December of 2013 brought the retirement of Bill Toombs. In September of 2016, the church name was changed from Indianapolis Christian Fellowship to Cross Church, under Jeremy Bialek’s leadership.

In September of 2019, God called Jeremy into a new ministry of coaching at an university and Cross Church began its transition phase. For a season, Cross Church practiced plurality of leadership with Garrett Scott-Miller, John Click and Brad Mitchell serving as elders/pastors.

On Feb 25th, 2024, Garrett Scott-Miller was commissioned as Senior (or Lead) Pastor, taking Cross Church back to a head & shoulders church government. Since this transition, we are beginning to experience new life & growth through an emphasis on community outreach/community service, discipleship and building leaders (by equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry). Come experience the Love of God where people often tell us they feel like FAMILY and accepted at Cross Church.