Capitol City Christian Church sits on Holdrege Street in northeast Lincoln, Nebraska, a few minutes from the intersection of 84th and Holdrege and a short drive from the city's other major anchors. The church describes its simple purpose with the words printed across the top of its communications: People helping people find and follow Jesus. Sunday worship, kids and student ministries, weekly small groups, and a wide network of mission partnerships all flow from that single phrase.
Two Sunday Services in the Worship Center
Worship at Capitol City is built around two Sunday morning services in the Worship Center. The first, at 9:00 a.m., creatively combines classic music and worship elements in a fresh, uplifting setting. The second, at 10:30 a.m., uses inspiring music and other creative elements in a more casual setting. The 10:30 service is also livestreamed online, so anyone can join from home. Offering trays sit at the back of each venue for in-person giving.
The leadership team describes worship as more than the Sunday hour. Worship is how we respond to God's love for us, the church teaches, and the gathered service is a jumpstart to a way of life that continues through the week in groups, in serving, and in ordinary daily rhythms.
What Capitol City Believes
Capitol City Christian Church is a non-denominational church affiliated with the Restoration Movement, a stream of Christianity that began in the early 1800s with a desire to set aside denominational divisions and unite around the Bible alone. The church summarizes its convictions with four mottos:
- No book but the Bible; no creed but Christ; no name but the Divine.
- Where the scriptures speak, we speak; where the scriptures are silent, we are silent.
- In essentials, unity; in opinions, liberty; and in all things, love.
- We're not the only Christians, but we're Christians only.
The church teaches belief in one God who exists eternally in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and in Jesus Christ as God's only Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, living a sinless life, dying as a substitute for fallen humanity, rising bodily, ascending into heaven, interceding for believers, and returning to earth. The Holy Spirit is described as the one who convicts, regenerates, empowers, and gifts every believer. The Bible, Old and New Testaments, is held to be the inspired, error-free Word of God and the final authority in matters of faith and conduct.
Capitol City practices baptism by immersion as a symbol of obedience and commitment for those who have decided to make Jesus the Lord of their lives. Salvation, in the church's teaching, comes through faith in Jesus: repent, confess, be baptized, and continue to depend on his grace. The church also believes in the universal church with Christ as its head and in the importance of the local church for worship, fellowship, and the sharing of the gospel.
Mission and Values
The mission statement is grounded in Jesus' words in Matthew 28: go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Capitol City organizes that calling around four values:
- Connect people to a lifelong journey with Jesus.
- Grow in relationship with God and others through Biblical truth.
- Serve the church, the community, and the world with God-given resources.
- Go and make disciples who make disciples, near and far.
Community Groups are the primary environment the church recommends for living out these values week by week.
CC Kids: Birth Through Fifth Grade
On Sunday mornings during the 9:00 and 10:30 services, CC Kids provides a full program for children from birth through fifth grade. Each week, kids experience a time of worship, large-group story time, and small groups in a safe, age-appropriate environment. Families are encouraged to arrive a few minutes early and use entrance number two.
During the school year, CC Kids also meets on Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. for children from age two through fifth grade. The evening rotates between worship, a Bible lesson, and fun activities including crafts and games, all led by adult volunteers and aimed at helping kids experience a Bible-focused lesson and build friendships across the church.
The summer adds special programs such as Vacation Bible School, a preschool and kindergarten day camp, and an elementary summer kick-off. Children's Minister Eden McClung oversees the ministry.
Vertical Student Ministry for Sixth Through Twelfth Graders
Vertical Student Ministry exists so that students will encounter, imitate, and proclaim Jesus. During the school year, Vertical meets in the Student Center on Sunday nights from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and is open to all sixth through twelfth graders. Doors open at 5:45 p.m., and students are invited to come early for ping pong, pool, video games, and nine-square before the night starts.
Each Sunday night includes a shared meal, a game, student-led worship, teaching, and small group time. Small groups are led by adult leaders who help students feel connected and encourage them in their next steps with Jesus. The Student Center is on the west side of the building at 7800 Holdrege Street, with parking in lot four and entrance marked Vertical. Students and parents can stay connected by texting HELLO to 833-228-0773. Student Minister David Vander Vorst leads the ministry, with Peter Driewer serving as a student ministry intern.
Community Groups, Men's, Women's, and Pep Club
Capitol City calls relationships part of its DNA. Community Groups meet at various times and locations throughout the week - weekly or every other week - for about an hour to ninety minutes of Bible study, fellowship, and prayer. The groups are described as the place where authentic relationships form and disciples are made.
The Capitol City Men's Ministry exists to kindle the Holy Spirit in men, calling husbands, fathers, leaders, and servants to find and follow Jesus in every part of life. Anchored in verses like Ephesians 6:11, men gather for discipleship and events that range from a chili cook-off and summer hangouts to a hike or motorcycle ride that doubles as a devotional day. Fishing nights bring men and their kids out together.
The Capitol City Women's Ministry gathers women of every age and season for Bible study, discipleship groups, and meaningful gatherings. Annual events include an ornament exchange, a kitchen shower for the church, and the IF:Gathering day. The Women's Ministry emphasizes encouragement, Scripture, and serving the community together.
Pep Club is the church's 55-plus ministry, offering trips (such as to Branson or the Ark Encounter in Kentucky), potlucks, and time together for older adults who want to stay connected, grow in faith, and enjoy good company.
Groups Director Tami Shefferd oversees the ministry and helps newcomers find a group that fits.
Local and Global Mission Partners
Capitol City's mission statement extends beyond Lincoln, Nebraska, and across the world through relationships with a long list of mission partners. Locally, the church:
- Runs The Clothing Exchange, a monthly distribution of gently used clothing for children, teens, and adults. Held on the third Saturday of every month, the exchange opens its doors to anyone who walks in - no forms, no requirements. Donations can be brought to door number four during business hours.
- Partners with Norwood Park Elementary School through the Lincoln Public Schools Backpack Program, providing more than seventy-five backpacks of food each week during the school year for students who lack consistent access to meals over the weekend.
- Hosts an annual Beyond Prison Christmas event with Christian Heritage, providing gifts, hospitality, and connection for families separated by incarceration.
- Partners with The Pregnancy Center in Lincoln through an annual Baby Bottle Offering each May.
- Supports F Street Neighborhood Church in downtown Lincoln, a ministry that serves people experiencing homelessness, individuals in recovery, and families in transition.
- Operates Sewing Servants, a team of women who create handmade quilts, blankets, and other sewn items for people walking through illness, grief, or hardship.
Across the country and around the world, the church partners with:
- Christian Student Fellowship (CSF), a college ministry active in Nebraska and South Dakota.
- Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri.
- Commission Coaching with Derrick and Jacqueline Meier, who serve unreached communities.
- LivingStone International University in Mbale, Uganda, where Missions Minister Roger Fletcher has long-standing ties.
- Operation Christmas Child through Samaritan's Purse, with Capitol City serving as an official collection site each November.
- Deaf Child Hope International, with the church sponsoring two children, Mbembe and Kalwana, continuing a history of ministry to the Deaf community.
- New International, supporting Jeremy and Oana Befort's work with vulnerable young adults in Romania.
- For God's Children International (FGCI), serving children in Eastern Europe and the United States, including Camp of the Good Shepherd in Louisville, Nebraska.
- Lifeline Christian Mission, with church members having packed more than fifty thousand meals for families in Guatemala.
- Missionary Air Group, supporting Keith Woockman as a missionary airplane mechanic and pilot serving places like the Rus Rus Hospital in Honduras.
Short-term mission trips are offered to Romania and Moldova through FGCI, and to other partner locations. Mission support happens through prayer, service, learning, and giving, with gifts designated to Missions in the giving tab.
Leadership
The church staff is led by Senior Minister John Muffler, who preaches most Sundays and oversees the church's overall direction. Todd Grove serves as Care and Connections Minister. Micah Dunn is the Worship and Creative Arts Minister, joined by Josh Barrett as Creative Arts Minister and Delton Dellinger as a worship ministry intern. David Vander Vorst leads Vertical Student Ministry, with Peter Driewer as a student ministry intern. Eden McClung is the Children's Minister, Roger Fletcher is the Missions Minister, and Tami Shefferd directs Groups.
A board of elders provides spiritual oversight: Aaron Guthrie, Andrew Francis, Bill Bartling, Bruce Elsberry, Ken Inman, Randy Wehling, Michael Evans, and Steve Stovall.
Worship, Teaching, and Online Resources
Sermons are available to watch online. The teaching ministry has walked through series including The Way Forward on identity in Christ, Next Steps on the stages of discipleship, God's Grace, the Book of Colossians, and many others. Guest preachers and ministry leaders such as Doug Elliott, Bill Thornton, Zack Bartsch, Roger Fletcher, Marty Koonce, Michael Keralis, and Alex Asboe also contribute to teaching.
Capitol City uses RightNow Media as a free video library for its church family, and sermons are posted to its YouTube channel as well as its Facebook page.
Visiting, Giving, and Getting Connected
The church building is at 7800 Holdrege Street in Lincoln. Sunday services are at 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. The 10:30 service is livestreamed on Facebook, so anyone can join from home if they cannot attend in person. The 10:30 service tends to be more casual, while the 9:00 service combines classic and contemporary music.
Office hours are Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The phone number is 402-467-4458 and the general email is info@capitolcity.org. Online giving is available through a secure portal, and checks may be mailed to the church address. Prayer requests can be submitted through a form on the church's online tools, and a private church center login is available for members to engage with groups, registrations, and giving.
For families with children, the easiest way to begin is to arrive a few minutes early and use entrance number two; for students on Sunday nights, the west-side door marked Vertical and parking lot four are the way in. The best way to get involved beyond Sunday worship is to join a Community Group, sign up for the SHAPE seven-week discipleship experience, or serve with one of the church's many mission partners, local or global.