There are those that jump right in when their interest is grabbed, but for most of us it is different. We want to investigate and read more before we take the next step. Please read more about us or get in touch if you have any questions. We trust that you will continue to grow in your relationship with Jesus.
We don't care how you're dressed or how many tattoos you have. We're a church full of people with every kind of story imaginable. If you are on a journey towards God or already have a relationship with God, you are welcome!
At Gospel Central Church we love God, therefore we love people and are committed to sharing the Good News about Jesus in our community, Zambia and the nations beyond. We are one church family that meets in different locations on Sundays to remember who Jesus is and what He has done for us, to encourage one another in our walk with Jesus, and to grow our understanding of our faith and of God. During the week, we "scatter" into our neighborhoods and workplaces and meet in groups where we do life together in a messy pursuit of Jesus.
WHAT WE VALUE
We have three core values we base everything on that we do at Gospel Central Church.
Gospel Centeredness
The Good News is that God is completely aware of our sin problem, and in and through the work of Jesus Christ, accepts us and changes us by the power of his Spirit. We have been saved from the penalty of sin (justification), we are being saved from the power of sin (sanctification) and we will be saved from the presence of sin. (glorification)
The gospel is not just the A-B-Cs, but the A to Z of Christianity. The Gospel is not just the way we enter God’s kingdom, but the way we thrive within the kingdom. We are not saved through the Gospel and then forced to maintain our salvation through obedience, but the Gospel is the way we grow (Gal. 3:1-3) and are renewed (Col. 1:6). It is the solution to every problem, the key to every closed door, the power to face every roadblock of life (Rom. 1:16-17).
This means the same power that saved us from the penalty for sin also helps us obey God now and to live a holy life. This results in my understanding that…I am more broken and sinful than I ever dared believe, and at the same time I am more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope, because of Jesus.
Fellowship
Participating in a community is one of the best ways to encourage spiritual growth. It is a big deal when someone is ready to connect to community here at Gospel Central Church. Following Jesus will radically alter the trajectory of your life. But it does not happen in isolation. The Bible teaches that spiritual growth happens best through relationships. At Gospel Central Church, we grow in community. Our experience with God and with one another grows out of the objective fact of our relationship with the Lord Jesus (Eph. 2:5, 6). Only those who are in relationship with one another (objective fact) can have true fellowship (subjective experience). We must first have a real living relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ before we can have experiential fellowship with God. This is also true in our fellowship with one another (2 Cor. 6:14-7:1)
Stewardship
As stewards we recognize that all we have belongs to the Lord and has been given to us by God to invest for His purposes. Believers share their material possessions for the promotion of the gospel and to help those in need. Good stewardship stems from recognizing our relationship to Jesus Christ, but it also means recognizing our partnership in Christ’s enterprise on earth.
In any good partnership, the partners share equally in both the privileges and responsibilities, the assets and liabilities, and the blessings and burdens. What kind of partnership would it be if one partner took all the income and enjoyed all the privileges while the other partner did all the work and paid all the bills? Partners are to share and share alike in all the aspects of their enterprise. They may not do the same things, but will be much more successful in their enterprise if they work and share according to their abilities, expertise, and training, while still sharing the load.
OUR STORY
Manie and Lindsay Lombard were serving on the leadership team of Craig Clark at Urban Life Church, Johannesburg, South Africa, when they responded to God's call to establish a new church in Lusaka, Zambia. In June 2008 they held their first Sunday meeting as South City Church in the house of the then principal of Baobab College, Tim Middleton.
A few months later meetings moved to the hall of Baobab College. Since that first meeting, more congregations were established at Zebra Crossings Café in February 2014 and in May 2015 at Martin House Trust School in the Chisamba Farming Community. The meeting at Zebra Crossings Café later outgrew the space and moved to The University of Africa's premises in Thorn Park.
South City Church also started congregations in the State Lodge area in February 2017 and Kitwe in October 2019. Our Baobab College congregation moved to Sandy's Creations in November 2016.
South City Church's name was changed to Gospel Central Church on 30 May 2017. In May 2018 our congregations in Thorn Park and Sandy's Congregation together formed a new congregation at Embassy Mall, Makeni. In August 2022 our Embassy Mall congregation moved to Makeni.
In Jan 2017 we started partnering with Four12, a movement of churches partnering together to advance the Kingdom of God.