Soul City Church - Chicago, IL

What happens when our IDEAL doesn’t account for what’s REAL? In this message from our Be The Bridge series, Pastor Brandon Henderson invites us to consider the difference between celebrating diversity and doing the real work of bridge building. Looking at Galatians 3:26–29, we see that unity in Christ doesn’t erase our differences or lived experiences. Instead, it calls us into the deeper work of reconciliation, humility, and understanding. Because the goal isn’t just cheap diversity where we simply share the same space. The invitation of Jesus is something greater: Kingdom diversity — a community where we do the hard work of becoming family. Sometimes moving toward the ideal vision of unity requires us to first confront what is real. 📖 Galatians 3:26–29 🎤 Message by Pastor Brandon Henderson 📍 Soul City Church | Chicago

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to forget what God has done? In this message, Pastor Jon explores the power of one simple word in Scripture: Remember. Throughout the Bible, God repeatedly calls His people to remember His faithfulness—because when life gets difficult, we tend to forget. When fear rises, when reality feels overwhelming, and when we begin to doubt… remembering what God has already done can restore hope and perspective. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do in a difficult moment is this: Tell your reality what you remember about God. 📍 Soul City Church | Chicago #Faith #TrustGod #Remember #SoulCityChurch

For the past two years, we’ve declared: We are a Bridge Building Church. But what does that actually mean? In this opening message of our Bridge Building series, Jeanne unpacks why racial reconciliation is not optional for followers of Jesus — it’s central to the gospel itself. Bridge building isn’t a side conversation. It’s not a political issue. It’s not a bonus calling for a few. It’s part of what it means to follow Christ. This message sets the tone for the series and invites us to see bridge building not as an initiative, but as an identity. If we’re going to be people shaped by Jesus, we must also be people committed to reconciliation. 📍 Soul City Church | Chicago #BridgeBuilding #RacialReconciliation #SoulCityChurch

What do you do when you’ve done what you shouldn’t have done? In this message, Pastor Jon walks through 1 John 1 and reveals a simple but powerful truth: when we try to manage our sin, we damage our soul — but when we come clean, God comes close. Confession isn’t about shame. It’s about freedom. If you’ve been carrying guilt, regret, or hiding from God, this message is for you. If you will confess, God will forgive. 📖 1 John 1
📍 Soul City Church | Chicago

Why does God allow suffering? It’s one of the hardest questions of faith. And in Job 38–42, God finally responds. But Job doesn’t get an explanation. He gets an encounter. In Week 3 of A Sufferer’s Guide to God, Pastor Jon explores what we do when there are no answers — and how God meets us not with reasons, but with presence. If you’re walking through grief, loss, confusion, or pain that doesn’t make sense, this message is for you. God doesn’t always give a reason for suffering. But God never lets suffering go unanswered. 📖 Job 38–42 📍 Soul City Church | Chicago

When someone you love is hurting, the pressure to say the “right thing” can feel overwhelming. What if the best thing you can offer isn’t words at all? In this message, Jon Jorgenson walks through the story of Job and shows how well-meaning friends said many true things… that still caused deep harm. And how the most powerful help they gave happened before they ever opened their mouths. If you’ve ever thought, “I want to help, but I don’t know how,” this message will change how you show up for people in pain. Because grief doesn’t need answers. It needs presence. 📍 Soul City Church — Chicago 🔔 Subscribe for more messages on faith, suffering, and real life

Where were you when the world broke? That moment you got the call. The text. The diagnosis. The news that changed everything. In this teaching, Jon walks through Job 1 and introduces a powerful, often forgotten biblical practice called lament — crying out in grief while still holding on to God. Because the promise of faith was never that we would avoid suffering, but that we would have help walking through it. If you’ve ever felt the tension between being honest about your pain and trying to stay faithful, this episode offers language for both. You can be heartbroken and hopeful at the same time. Scripture: Job 1:20–22

Prayer is not confined to the moments when we bow our heads or find the right words. What we say in prayer matters, but some of our most powerful prayers are spoken through how we love, forgive, give, serve, and show up in the world. This week, we will learn what it means to embody and live out prayers that go beyond words.

Praying for others is about more than merely saying words. It is participation in the in-breaking Kingdom of God. When we slow down long enough to see the people around us, to notice their need, their pain, or their longing, we step into the same Kingdom reality Jesus announced and demonstrated. This week we explore a Biblical vision of why praying for others' matters and what the broader implications of our prayers are. Taught by Pastor Brandon Henderson.

Much of our fear and resistance to prayer is rooted in the stories we tell ourselves about prayer. That it has to be a certain way. That it has to last a certain number of minutes. That it should be answered immediately. And rather than showing up…we give up and miss the gift of prayer. This message shows us not only the value of private/personal prayer…but a simple way to pray simply throughout our day until it becomes a practice that serves us for life. Message taught by Pastor Jarrett Stevens.

As a church, we want prayer to be our first response, not our last resort. So as a church, we want to start the new year in prayer together. This Sunday we will leaned into different prayer postures and practices together as a community in order to begin the year by encountering God in new and powerful ways.

All of Scripture, and the entire Christmas story, culminates in one simple truth: God gave us Himself. In Jesus, we receive the fullness of God’s love, grace, and presence. He is Emmanuel (God with us) not just once in Bethlehem, but now and forever. This message centers the Christmas season back on the person of Christ, inviting us to reflect His character, embody His love, and offer His presence to a world longing for hope. Check out this powerful message "It's Giving...JESUS" from Pastor Brandon Henderson!

At Christmas, we celebrate the generosity of the God who so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son. The incarnation is the ultimate act of divine generosity, and it invites us to live open-handed lives in return. In a season where consumerism and scarcity mindsets often dominate, we’re reminded that giving isn’t about how much we have but how much we trust the One who provides. Check out this powerful message "It's Giving...Generous" from Pastor Jarrett Stevens!

The night Jesus was born, heaven declared “peace on earth.” But this peace wasn’t merely the absence of conflict. It was the presence of wholeness, reconciliation, and rest for weary souls. In a season often marked by chaos and hurry, Jesus offers us a peace that the world can’t give and circumstances can’t take away. This teaching explores how receiving God’s peace allows us to become people who bring peace in a world that desperately needs it. Taught by Pastor Jon Jorgenson.

We don’t choose to walk away from God — we drift. In this message, Pastor Jon reframes repentance not as guilt or punishment, but as a loving invitation to return home. If you feel far from God, this one’s for you.

Soul City Church celebrates 15 years of transformation in the heart of Chicago! What began as a prayer and a dream has become a movement of people saying “yes” to Jesus — seeing lives, families, and our city transformed by His love.

We explore the “Paradox of Power” — Jesus’ upside-down teaching that true greatness isn’t found in control, status, or being in charge, but in choosing to serve others. Through Matthew 20 and real-life examples, we’re challenged to lay down our power, resist the world’s pursuit of control, and follow Jesus’ way of humility, service, and love. When the world goes high, we go low — not so with you. Taught by Pastor Jarrett Stevens.

Constant notifications, endless scrolling, and digital noise have become modern idols—things we reach for more often than we reach for God. This week’s teaching invites us to reclaim silence, turn down the noise, and make room for the voice of God to bring peace, clarity, and renewal in a distracted world. Taught by Pastor Jon Jorgenson.

We live in a “You can do it”, “Believe in yourself” culture. While these positive messages can be inspiring and helpful to a point, they can also lead us to depend on our self, rather than depend on God. This week, we will confront the ways that we have come to rely on our own strength, smarts, and abilities, and instead choose to rely on God first and foremost for all of it. Check out this powerful message "The gOD of SELF" from Pastor Jeanne Stevens!