OUR STORY
Key City Church started with two friends in a series of conversations, asking challenging questions about who God is and what he’s doing in the world, devoted to authentically seeking truth over defending dogma, and willing to imagine what could be in spite of what sometimes has been.
Those conversations between friends have grown into the conviction among a growing community that God is completely good, desires the best for all people, and fully intends to bring this about through the local church.
We believe the church has been entrusted with the message, the means, and the mission to free all people into their God-given potential and that, when functioning effectively, should be an irresistible community of scandalous grace and acceptance, of unbridled hope, breathtaking in its compassion and generosity, and inspiring in its vision for what could be. We believe it should be the safest, healthiest community in the world, where God’s way of love is embraced, taught, and lived out; extending unconditional positive regard to everyone, always; actively expressing the heart of God to the on looking world.
As such, we envision a church that is a beautiful expression and catalyst for reconciliation across racial, political, theological, and economic divides; for justice, by providing and caring for the most vulnerable among us; for the common good of all people by leveraging our best for the best of one another and our neighbors as ourselves.
“Key City” is the nickname for Frederick. We are named for the city because we are a church for the city.
Now that we’re officially launched, we’re inviting anyone with a passion for this vision to join a diverse team united in our commitment to see it come to fruition in Frederick.
Those conversations between friends have grown into the conviction among a growing community that God is completely good, desires the best for all people, and fully intends to bring this about through the local church.
We believe the church has been entrusted with the message, the means, and the mission to free all people into their God-given potential and that, when functioning effectively, should be an irresistible community of scandalous grace and acceptance, of unbridled hope, breathtaking in its compassion and generosity, and inspiring in its vision for what could be. We believe it should be the safest, healthiest community in the world, where God’s way of love is embraced, taught, and lived out; extending unconditional positive regard to everyone, always; actively expressing the heart of God to the on looking world.
As such, we envision a church that is a beautiful expression and catalyst for reconciliation across racial, political, theological, and economic divides; for justice, by providing and caring for the most vulnerable among us; for the common good of all people by leveraging our best for the best of one another and our neighbors as ourselves.
“Key City” is the nickname for Frederick. We are named for the city because we are a church for the city.
Now that we’re officially launched, we’re inviting anyone with a passion for this vision to join a diverse team united in our commitment to see it come to fruition in Frederick.
WHO WE ARE
WHO
WE ARE
Thomas Pentony (Pastor)
Thomas Pentony (Pastor)
“I grew up nearby in West Virginia, graduated from Florida State University with a BS in anthropology, and spent 5 years as a Navy SEAL officer before settling down in Frederick with my wife, Monica, where we’ve started and grown our family of six over the past 15 years. During that time, I’ve worked as a professional consultant, gone from ardent atheist to a committed follower of Jesus, received a Masters of Religion from Liberty University, and led in full-time ministry for over a decade.
Key City Church has been a seed planted in my imagination for a long time; I’m thankful to God for cultivating the circumstances that have finally allowed it to grow to maturity, to bring freedom to people and restoration to the Frederick community that I love.”
Austin Suggs (Strategic Partner)
Austin Suggs (Strategic Partner)
“I was born in Frederick, raised nearby, left for college thinking I’d never come back, and yet here I am, finding in myself a deep love for Frederick and a commitment to seeing it transformed by Jesus. I’m currently finishing my theology degree at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, IL, and I will be joining the Key City team full-time in 2022. When I’m not writing papers, I run a YouTube channel called Gospel Simplicity that’s centered around the conviction that the message of Jesus is good news for the world. I’m humbled to be a part of what God is doing in and through Key City Church, and I can’t wait to link arms with so many great people in seeing the vision come to life.”
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A Growing Community
Key City Church is a growing community of people from diverse backgrounds, united in our commitment to follow Jesus and love people, and passionate about creating a community devoted to leveraging our best for the best of one another, our community, and our world. We’re fellow journeyers, with our own set of scars and hurts, learning from our own mistakes, often finding we have more questions than answers, but committed to journeying together. We dare to believe that God is irresistible in his goodness; his community should be irresistible in their love; and his vision is irresistible in its hope for seeing transformed people transform the world.
OUR VISION
Our vision is to be an irresistible community committed to leveraging our best for the best of one another, our community, and our world.
Once upon a time, the church was united in its commitment to following Jesus and loving one another. That unity dismantled deeply entrenched cultural, ethnic, and gender barriers. It created a community that was audacious in its acceptance, mercy, grace, generosity, and hope. It was a community that lived out, demonstrated, and invited people into the way of love. And it flourished in the face of an empire that sought to destroy it. It flourished, not by power or might, but by hope and love. It flourished because it was a community that was irresistible.
Our vision is to reclaim irresistible—to become again what the church once was: a community united in its commitment to following Jesus and
loving people, eliminating barriers of division and exclusion, and offering acceptance, mercy, grace, generosity, and hope to everyone, always.
We believe that Jesus demonstrated what love is: the commitment to giving one’s best for the best of others. When we live with that same commitment, we live as we were created to live and experience and engage in our lives at the highest levels. And as we learn to leverage our best for the best of others, we influence those around us toward their best for the best of others—that as one changes, many change, and the tide rises. This is the compounding effect of love and is the reason why love is the principle of life and transformation.
Once upon a time, the church was united in its commitment to following Jesus and loving one another. That unity dismantled deeply entrenched cultural, ethnic, and gender barriers. It created a community that was audacious in its acceptance, mercy, grace, generosity, and hope. It was a community that lived out, demonstrated, and invited people into the way of love. And it flourished in the face of an empire that sought to destroy it. It flourished, not by power or might, but by hope and love. It flourished because it was a community that was irresistible.
Our vision is to reclaim irresistible—to become again what the church once was: a community united in its commitment to following Jesus and loving people, eliminating barriers of division and exclusion, and offering acceptance, mercy, grace, generosity, and hope to everyone, always.
We believe that Jesus demonstrated what love is: the commitment to giving one’s best for the best of others. When we live with that same commitment, we live as we were created to live and experience and engage in our lives at the highest levels. And as we learn to leverage our best for the best of others, we influence those around us toward their best for the best of others—that as one changes, many change, and the tide rises. This is the compounding effect of love and is the reason why love is the principle of life and transformation.
Our vision is to become a community that allows love to flourish in and through the lives of individuals, to their families, their work, their neighborhoods, their communities, and to all the world.
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to free people into their God-given potential through dynamic trust in Jesus.
We believe in the God-given potential of all people. And we believe that when someone’s potential is actualized, they are free to experience and engage in their lives at the highest levels, allowing them to become who they were meant to be and experience the life they were meant to live. We believe that Jesus is the author of life and that trusting him makes our lives better and makes us better at life.
Our mission is to free people to experience their God-given potential through dynamic trust in Jesus. We have found four elements that we believe allow someone to experience that kind of transformation and are committed to making them accessible and relevant to anyone, regardless of their background or beliefs.
Christ-Centered Worldview
We believe that most of what we do, value, feel, and react to is the result of how we see the world. And the more able we are to see as Jesus saw, the more able we are to live as Jesus lived. We are committed to providing practical teaching to all ages that allows us to see the world in a way that drives transformation.
Holistic Personal Disciplines
We believe that much of our lives are shaped by our choices, habits, and routines. We are committed to teaching, encouraging, and empowering people to set aside unhelpful patterns and create new, restorative habits and routines that affect holistic change.
Authentic, Intentional Community
We believe that the soil for transformation is community characterized by unconditional positive regard. Knowing that we are accepted just as we are, allows us to accept ourselves just as we are. It creates honesty and authenticity that releases transformation.
Active Compassion
We believe that potential is actualized through opportunities to stretch ourselves to care for others and meet needs. To this end, we encourage generosity in time, talents, and energy to meet the needs of the most vulnerable in our community.
Christ-Centered Worldview
We believe that most of what we do, value, feel, and react to is the result of how we see the world. And the more able we are to see as Jesus saw, the more able we are to live as Jesus lived. We are committed to providing practical teaching to all ages that allows us to see the world in a way that drives transformation.
Holistic Personal Disciplines
We believe that much of our lives are shaped by our choices, habits, and routines. We are committed to teaching, encouraging, and empowering people to set aside unhelpful patterns and create new, restorative habits and routines that affect holistic change.
Authentic, Intentional Community
We believe that the soil for transformation is community characterized by unconditional positive regard. Knowing that we are accepted just as we are, allows us to accept ourselves just as we are. It creates honesty and authenticity that releases transformation.
Active Compassion
We believe that potential is actualized through opportunities to stretch ourselves to care for others and meet needs. To this end, we encourage generosity in time, talents, and energy to meet the needs of the most vulnerable in our community.
OUR COMMITMENTS
OUR
COMMITMENTS
Jesus
We are committed to the person, purposes, and promises of Jesus. We believe Jesus is the Creator of life and that following Jesus makes people’s lives better and makes people better at life, allowing them to experience and engage in their lives at the highest levels.
People
We are committed to people’s best and seeing the best in all people. We offer unconditional positive regard to everyone, always. We care about people’s stories and validate their experiences. We are quick to listen and slow to speak, offering hope with gentleness and respect.
Outcomes
We are committed to taking ownership over outcomes. We measure ourselves by our mission, not our efforts. We take full responsibility for freeing people into their God-given potential and will do everything in our power, short of sinning, to achieve it.
Inclusion
We are committed to making everything we do completely inclusive. We believe that God-given potential should be accessible to everyone through practical teaching, open door communities, and meaningful impact. We want anyone, regardless of culture, politics, or spiritual background to love being a part of what we’re doing.
Truth
We are committed to seeking what is true. We believe that all truth leads to the existence of God and his full revelation in the person of Jesus. Because of this, we’re devoted to being curious about what is true over being right about what we believe.
Leadership
We are committed to healthy, accountable leadership. We believe that everything rises and falls with leaders and want to foster great leadership in all we do. We also believe that leadership is influence, that everyone has it, and so everyone is a leader. We want to equip people to lead well wherever they are.
Community
We are committed to intentional, authentic community that expresses unconditional positive regard. We believe that the love expressed through genuine relationships is essential for providing the acceptance, empathy, and encouragement necessary for freeing people into their God-given potential.
Jesus
We are committed to the person, purposes, and promises of Jesus. We believe Jesus is the Creator of life and that following Jesus makes people’s lives better and makes people better at life, allowing them to experience and engage in their lives at the highest levels.
People
We are committed to people’s best and seeing the best in all people. We offer unconditional positive regard to everyone, always. We care about people’s stories and validate their experiences. We are quick to listen and slow to speak, offering hope with gentleness and respect.
Outcomes
We are committed to taking ownership over outcomes. We measure ourselves by our mission, not our efforts. We take full responsibility for freeing people into their God-given potential and will do everything in our power, short of sinning, to achieve it.
Inclusion
We are committed to making everything we do completely inclusive. We believe that God-given potential should be accessible to everyone through practical teaching, open door communities, and meaningful impact. We want anyone, regardless of culture, politics, or spiritual background to love being a part of what we’re doing.
Truth
We are committed to seeking what is true. We believe that all truth leads to the existence of God and his full revelation in the person of Jesus. Because of this, we’re devoted to being curious about what is true over being right about what we believe.
Leadership
We are committed to healthy, accountable leadership. We believe that everything rises and falls with leaders and want to foster great leadership in all we do. We also believe that leadership is influence, that everyone has it, and so everyone is a leader. We want to equip people to lead well wherever they are.
Community
We are committed to intentional, authentic community that expresses unconditional positive regard. We believe that the love expressed through genuine relationships is essential for providing the acceptance, empathy, and encouragement necessary for freeing people into their God-given potential.
OUR BELIEFS
OUR BELIEFS
About God
We believe in one God who exists in three distinct persons, Father, Son, and Spirit, that he is completely good and has designed all of life to function in accordance with his way of love.
About Eternity
We believe God’s ultimate desire is to create an eternal community of beings who experience existence as he himself does through trust in him and alignment with his way of love.
About Humanity
We believe all people were created in the image of God, to be like him, and experience existence as he himself does by trusting him and aligning with his way of love.
About Sin
We believe living any other way than God’s way of love is sin, that it results from distrust of God, and produces pain and suffering for ourselves and others.
About Jesus
We believe that God has fully revealed himself in the person of Jesus to show us what he is like and what he intends for us to be like, that we would trust him, and align with his way of love
About Salvation
We believe salvation is the result of trusting God as he’s fully revealed himself in the person of Jesus, aligning with his way of love, freeing us to experience existence as God does progressively through life and fulfilled eternally.
About Scripture
We believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, inerrant in its original manuscripts, centered on God’s full revelation in the person of Jesus, and is the church’s authoritative standard for right belief and practice.
About the Church
We believe the church is the community of those who trust Jesus, teaching, demonstrating, and inviting the rest of the world to align with his way of love.
About God
We believe in one God who exists in three distinct persons, Father, Son, and Spirit, that he is completely good and has designed all of life to function in accordance with his way of love.
About Eternity
We believe God’s ultimate desire is to create an eternal community of beings who experience existence as he himself does through trust in him and alignment with his way of love.
About Humanity
We believe all people were created in the image of God, to be like him, and experience existence as he himself does by trusting him and aligning with his way of love.
About Sin
We believe living any other way than God’s way of love is sin, that it results from distrust of God, and produces pain and suffering for ourselves and others.
About Jesus
We believe that God has fully revealed himself in the person of Jesus to show us what he is like and what he intends for us to be like, that we would trust him, and align with his way of love.
About Salvation
We believe salvation is the result of trusting God as he’s fully revealed himself in the person of Jesus, aligning with his way of love, freeing us to experience existence as God does progressively through life and fulfilled eternally.
About Scripture
We believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, inerrant in its original manuscripts, centered on God’s full revelation in the person of Jesus, and is the church’s authoritative standard for right belief and practice.
About the Church
We believe the church is the community of those who trust Jesus, teaching, demonstrating, and inviting the rest of the world to align with his way of love.
GET INVOLVED
We dream of what could be if a community of people dared to believe that God is actually as good as he’s revealed himself to be in the person of Jesus, to love one another as God in Jesus has loved us, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We dream of a community committed to following Jesus over being right, that believes in the power of undiluted grace, is radically inclusive, and is committed to helping people experience and engage in their lives at the highest possible levels.
For you who have dreamed the same dreams, we would love for you to get involved.