A West Side Mission Since 1964
Chapel Rock Christian Church sits at a busy intersection on the west side of Indianapolis at 2020 N. Girls School Road. The congregation was started in 1964 in the home of Dwight Ingleman, and after years of growth that pushed attendance past a thousand on a typical Sunday, twenty-five acres were purchased at 21st Street and Girls School Road. Construction on the present building began on January 1, 1979, and Chapel Rock has been meeting on that site ever since. Over the decades the church has also served as a mother congregation, helping plant other churches across the region, and has opened its Family Life Center gym and meeting rooms to the surrounding neighborhood.
The church's stated mission is to multiply wholeness on the west side of Indianapolis by making disciples of Jesus, and its vision is to see the whole community whole in Christ. A companion set of values - Experiencing the Wholeness of Jesus, Expressing Love and Truth, and Embodying Radical Hospitality - is taught through a series called the 7 Practices, the subject of the current preaching series Practicing Wholeness, which is also available as a downloadable devotional.
Two Sunday Mornings, Open Communion, Live Teaching
Services are held at 9:15 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Each gathering runs about sixty-five to seventy-five minutes and includes live worship music, a teaching message, and a celebration of the Lord's Supper, also called Communion or the Eucharist. The teaching comes from the Lead Pastor and other preachers on the team. The church practices open communion, meaning that any Christian is welcome to take the bread and cup regardless of church membership. Those who have not yet made a commitment to follow Jesus are invited to speak with a pastor before participating.
First-time guests will find reserved parking on the south side of the building marked Guest Parking. Entry is through door #1, where a greeting team is stationed to point visitors toward the auditorium, restrooms, and Chapel Rock Kids. The dress is genuinely casual - jeans, shorts, dresses, and business casual attire all show up on a Sunday morning. Anyone with a Chapel Rock lanyard or name tag is glad to answer questions, hand out a Bible, or point first-timers to the Information Center desk. The church's motto about the room is simple: come as you are.
For those who cannot attend in person, services are broadcast at chapelrock.online.church, and a live chat is hosted by volunteers during the gathering. Past messages are posted to the church's YouTube channel, including a long-running archive of sermons.
What Chapel Rock Believes
Chapel Rock describes itself as part of the independent Christian Church, a stream of the broader Restoration Movement. The church holds to a classic Trinitarian confession: one God eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus is affirmed as the eternal Son who became truly God and truly man, born of a virgin, sinless, crucified and risen in the place of sinners, and now reigning forever. The Holy Spirit is described as the promised Comforter who indwells every believer from the moment of salvation, gives gifts for service, and conforms believers to the image of Christ.
The Bible is taught as the infallible, inspired word of God and the final authority for belief and life. Baptism is practiced by full immersion and is treated as a normative part of entering a covenant relationship with Jesus, in step with belief, repentance, confession of Christ as Lord, and reception of the Holy Spirit. The church observes Communion weekly in keeping with the practice of the early church, and its communion theology treats the bread and cup as symbols of the body and blood of Christ observed in reflection, celebration, fellowship, and hope.
On the question of the end times, Chapel Rock does not make any particular eschatological view a test of fellowship. The studied opinion of the majority of the leadership is that the Amillennial position best harmonizes the relevant biblical texts, and that is the perspective taught from the platform when the topic is addressed.
Chapel Rock Kids: Birth Through Fifth Grade
Chapel Rock Kids is the children's ministry of the church, serving children from birth through fifth grade. The Early Childhood environment includes a viewing room where nursing mothers and infants can listen to the service together. Children in KidRock experience age-appropriate Bible lessons, singing, and small group time, with activities and environments designed for each stage.
Safety is taken seriously. Every toy and room is cleaned and sanitized before children arrive, every volunteer is interviewed and screened with a federal background check, and the entire team is trained to keep kids safe. Check-in uses a matching sticker code that allows the children's ministry to reach a parent discreetly during the gathering and ensures that only authorized adults pick up each child at the end of the hour. Play clothes are always welcome in this environment.
Parents are encouraged to keep the conversation going on the drive home by asking two questions: did you have fun, and what did you learn? The Parent Cue App is recommended as a tool for weaving faith into a family's daily rhythm.
Student Ministry on the Lower Level
Chapel Rock Students gathers sixth through twelfth graders in room ED02 on the lower level at 9:15 a.m. on Sundays. The hour begins with corporate worship, then transitions into grade-specific teaching and discussion. Middle schoolers move to room ED04 for a program called Merge that is tailored to their stage; high schoolers continue in ED02 with teaching and discussion designed for their questions and concerns. The ministry describes its goals with three words - live, serve, grow - as students are encouraged to engage in a growing relationship with Jesus and with one another.
Parents and leaders can sign up for a weekly update by texting CRCCSTUDENTS to 22828 or by emailing to receive the periodic news bulletin.
Life Groups and the Adult Network
The primary way adults are cared for at Chapel Rock is through Life Groups, which the church describes as the main place to know and be known. Groups meet in person and online, and members can search by location, shared interest, or season of life to find a fit. Leaders are encouraged to think of themselves as shepherds who pursue each member of their group while caring for the whole. Anyone with a circle of friends they would like to pursue God with is invited to start a new group.
Members have free access to RightNow Media, a video library of more than 14,000 Bible studies, and the church recommends a number of study resources including OCC's Next Level, the Anthology study, and a yearly devotional that supports the 7 Practices series.
Men's and Women's Ministry at Chapel Rock
Women's ministry exists to help women deepen their relationships with God, family, one another, and the community through Bible study, fellowship events, prayer, and service projects. A monthly newsletter keeps the women of the church connected.
Men's ministry is built around the conviction that iron sharpens iron. Regular rhythms include the Pastor's Breakfast and Men's Bible Study, which meets on the first Saturday of every month at 7:30 a.m. in Fellowship Hall (FH15) with breakfast provided and entry through doors 3, 12, or 14. Men's small groups, special events, and spring mission trips round out the calendar.
Care, Support, and the Food Pantry
Chapel Rock's Care ministry reaches into the community in several practical ways. The Food Pantry is a drive-through operation that opens on the first and third Thursdays of each month from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. on the Girls School Road side of the building. Clients are not limited by geography; they are asked to bring a photo ID and a piece of mail with their city on it, such as a current utility bill. The congregation is asked each month to support the pantry by donating a specific item that is announced in the newsletter and dropped off at the DropZone bin in the foyer.
For those walking through grief, the church hosts a weekly GriefShare group, and for those navigating separation or divorce, DivorceCare groups and daily email encouragement are available. The building is also home to multiple weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings held on the west lower level, accessed through door #10, and to a weekly Overeaters Anonymous meeting in room ED 06 on Monday evenings at 6:30 p.m. Entry at door #10 is wheelchair accessible, and the church works to keep that route friendly to those with mobility needs.
A Marriage and Family ministry partners with Rapha Restoration Ministries to provide counseling, reconciliation, and resources for marriages and families. A nine-week course called Dynamic Marriage is offered periodically in the evenings from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m.; partial scholarships for curriculum are available through Rapha. Pre-marital counseling is required of any couple being married at Chapel Rock, and a Wedding Handbook outlines the policies, which include the expectation that engaged couples remain celibate and not live together before the ceremony.
Westside English Language Learning (WELL)
WELL is the church's ESL outreach and one of the most concrete expressions of its mission to multiply wholeness on the west side. Adult and children's classes meet on Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. Volunteers are needed to help set up classrooms on Thursday afternoons at 2:00 p.m., reset the hall on Friday mornings at 9:00 a.m., and serve as conversation coaches and substitutes in the classrooms. WELL is a ministry of Chapel Rock Community Development, a separate nonprofit arm of the church that also supports the Food Pantry and other local initiatives.
Sports and Fitness in the Family Life Center
The Family Life Center is a full-size gym that Chapel Rock has built and opened to the community over the years. Two regular drop-in programs use the gym. Open Volleyball runs on Thursday evenings from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. for adults sixteen and older at a moderately competitive level. Men's Open Basketball meets Thursday mornings from 6:00 to 7:00 a.m. for men looking for a similar level of play. Participants fill out a registration and liability waiver before joining.
Discovery Day Pre-School
Discovery Days is the church's own preschool, an early-childhood program that operates on the Chapel Rock campus and shares its ministry heart of introducing the next generation to Jesus.
Missions: From Indianapolis to the Ends of the Earth
Chapel Rock's mission work is shaped by Acts 1:8, to be Christ's witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The local partner ministries include Chapel Rock Community Development, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes on the west side, Camp Allendale near Trafalgar, Kairos Prison Ministry of Indianapolis, Mission Indy, Rapha Restoration Ministries, Indiana Youth for Christ on the west side, Man-Up (a homeless ministry run by the Chapel Rock men's group), and Isaiah 117 House, which supports foster children awaiting placement.
On the global side, Chapel Rock supports Disciple Makers Inc., FAME's worldwide medical clinics, Team Expansion's work in Venezuela, Lifeline Christian Mission, Pioneer Bible Translators, TCM International's advanced Bible education, the International Conference on Missions (ICOM) in Clayton, Indiana, and Samaritan's Purse. The church also maintains a relationship with several campus ministries, including those at Indiana University Bloomington, IUPUI, Ball State University, Purdue University, Johnson University, Ozark Christian College, and the 4C Ministry Institute online.
The Missions ministry also organizes short-term trips that range from spring mission experiences for the men's ministry to international partnerships, all advertised as opportunities to grow as much as to serve.
The Residency Program and a Building That Keeps Growing
Chapel Rock has launched a Residency Program designed to help young adults discern and develop their calling through spiritual formation, intentional discipleship, leadership development, and participation in the daily rhythms of ministry. The first three residents - Mary Krueger, Lilly VanHouten, and Brandon Wells - started in July of the church's current program year.
The building itself continues to serve as a hub for the west side. The sanctuary and Worship Center are at the heart of the campus, the Family Life Center houses the gym and volleyball, the lower level holds the student ministry area and the education wing where many recovery meetings take place, and rooms across the building can be reserved through a Room Request Form. A Building Use Policy governs who can reserve space and for what purpose. Weddings are hosted for members and regular attendees with pre-marital counseling, and the Wedding Handbook spells out the preparation process. Buses are available for ministry-related transportation for approved, background-screened volunteer drivers.
Lead Pastor Casey Scott and the Staff Team
Casey Scott became Lead Pastor in January 2017 after ten months as Senior Associate Pastor. A native of Joplin, Missouri, he graduated from Ozark Christian College in 1999 with a Bachelor of Theology in Bible and Preaching and later earned a Master of Divinity with a preaching major from Lincoln Christian University. He has served churches in Missouri, Kansas, Montana (a church he planted), Illinois, and Indiana. He and his wife Debbie have seven children, and Casey is a well-known J.R.R. Tolkien enthusiast who rereads The Lord of the Rings every year. He also plays guitar, enjoys home improvement projects, and works out regularly.
Casey's main responsibilities are preaching, visionary leadership, and keeping the church on mission. The broader staff team supports children's, student, adult, men's, women's, missions, communications, and operations ministries, and a board of Elders provides spiritual oversight. Ron Greiner is one of the named leaders in the local community-development and Mission Indy partnerships.
Getting Connected
For anyone who wants to start at Chapel Rock, the church's Next Steps path begins with Welcome to the Rock, a free lunch and conversation time from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall (FH 14), where Lead Pastor Casey Scott shares the vision of the church. From there, newcomers are encouraged into a short Wired experience and a conversation about baptism, with a leader walking alongside as each person takes the next step.
The church office is open Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and closed on Friday. The mailing address, giving portal, livestream, calendar, and registration links are available at chapelrock.online.church. Giving can also be placed in the Offering Boxes at the entrances to the Worship Center. The Realm Connect app, available in the Apple App Store and Google Play, allows members to register for events, view news and updates, and manage giving.