A 1926 Landmark Returns to Life on Grand Boulevard
The Church of Scientology of Kansas City occupies a seven-story Beaux Arts building at 1805 Grand Boulevard, in the heart of the Crossroads Arts District. The structure was constructed in 1926 as the home of City Bank and designed by the prominent Kansas City firm of Holden, Ferris and Barnes. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Church has served a growing congregation in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area since 1982. On November 2, 2019, more than a thousand guests gathered at 18th and Grand for the dedication of the newly restored landmark. Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board of the Religious Technology Center and ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion, led the dedication ceremony. Dignitaries including Scott Wagner, then Mayor Pro Tem of Kansas City, Jeff Owens of the Crossroads Arts District, Cleo McLaughlin of the National Association of Addiction Counselors, and Pastor Melvin Merritt of Ground Level Ministries all extended their congratulations.
After acquiring the U-shaped building, the Church worked with artisans to preserve architecturally and historically significant features. The beamed wooden ceiling, painted in an Aztec-inspired pattern, and the massive brass and wrought-iron lighting fixtures were restored to their original splendor. The basement still holds the original bank vault made of SteelCrete, an interwoven steel and concrete innovation for banks of the era. The two-story ground floor lobby is adorned with five unique types of marble and chandeliers forged in brass and wrought iron.
Hours and Welcome
The Church is open seven days a week, morning to night. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The telephone number is (816) 753-6590. All are welcome, and the tour of the Public Information Center is open to all beliefs and religions.
Reception and the Public Information Center
The Reception welcomes anyone wishing to obtain an introduction to Dianetics and Scientology. Beyond Reception, visitors enter the Public Information Center, which presents more than 500 films in 17 languages covering every aspect of Dianetics and Scientology. Displays share the beliefs and practices of the religion, a biographical presentation on the life and legacy of Founder L. Ron Hubbard, and the many humanitarian initiatives and community outreach programs the Church supports.
A free, self-guided tour is offered daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Visitors walk through interactive multimedia displays and see videos explaining the basic principles of Dianetics and Scientology, the life of L. Ron Hubbard, and the community outreach programs of the Church. A free Oxford Capacity Analysis, the Scientology personality test, is offered during the same hours, with an in-depth analysis from an expert evaluator and no obligation.
The Heartland Cafe
The Heartland Cafe welcomes visitors touring the Church and provides a gathering place for those attending the many scheduled events. It also serves parishioners during breaks in their Scientology services.
The Chapel
The Chapel, lined with the Codes and Creed of the Church of Scientology, provides for all congregational ceremonies and services, including Sunday Services, Weddings and Naming Ceremonies. The Chapel also serves as an ideal venue for workshops, banquets and events in the name of community collaboration for the betterment of Kansas City. It is open to the entire community and any denomination for a wide range of events, from banquets and seminars to workshops and lectures.
The Hubbard Guidance Center
The Hubbard Guidance Center is where Scientologists receive one-on-one spiritual counseling, known as auditing. Just beyond the waiting room are 20 auditing rooms, each ideally appointed to provide the calm, distraction-free setting requisite to achieving spiritual enlightenment.
Auditing is a precise, one-on-one activity conducted by trained Scientology ministers called auditors, a word derived from the Latin audire, meaning to hear or listen. Through the use of the E-Meter and exact procedures developed by L. Ron Hubbard, auditors help individuals locate and address areas of spiritual distress. Information divulged during auditing sessions is always kept confidential, and auditors are governed by a code of conduct.
The Academy
The Academy is where Scientologists train to become auditors capable of applying the technology of auditing to help others attain spiritual freedom. The Kansas City Academy comprises multiple course rooms, each devoted to a different aspect of training. Training ranges from introductory courses to advanced studies, encompassing studies of the higher levels of Scripture.
In each course room, parishioners study the written works and listen to recorded lectures of L. Ron Hubbard in a precise order set forth on a checksheet. A Course Supervisor is present to assist Scientologists to attain full understanding of the material. The Course Supervisor does not teach, lecture or interpret, but instead refers students to the correct material if they are experiencing difficulty. Because of the checksheets and the Supervisor's role, parishioners are able to proceed at their own pace.
The Purification Center
Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard developed the Purification Program to free individuals from the mental and spiritual damage caused by drugs and toxins through a regimen of exercise, sauna and nutrition, all of which are provided for in the Purification Center. The mural in this part of the building depicts the story of the Heart of America, a vital junction for the westward expansion of the United States as well as a seminal value for America's original art form, jazz.
The Bookstore
The Church of Scientology Kansas City Bookstore makes available L. Ron Hubbard's works on Dianetics and Scientology. In all, Mr. Hubbard's legacy comprises tens of millions of published words in dozens of books and thousands of recorded lectures. A Materials Guide Chart provides an informational overview of every book and lecture series and the subjects contained within each. Materials are available in 50 languages.
The Office of L. Ron Hubbard
As is traditional in all Churches of Scientology, the Office of L. Ron Hubbard stands in honor of the religion's Founder and symbolizes that this Church is true to his writings and ideals.
The Hubbard Dianetics Seminar
The Hubbard Dianetics Seminar is held every weekend, Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The goal of Dianetics is a new state for the individual, sought throughout history but never before attainable: the state of Clear.
Dianetics is the discovery that all of a person's painful experiences from the past are stored in a previously unknown part of the mind called the reactive mind. The reactive mind is the source of stress, unreasonable fears and insecurities. For over 50 years, Dianetics has been the number one bestselling book on the human mind.
At the Hubbard Dianetics Seminar, attendees receive expert guidance from trained Dianetics specialists and work with others ready to tackle the things holding them back. With personalized instruction and the How to Use Dianetics film detailing the techniques concept by concept, attendees learn everything they need to know to get started fast. Coffee, tea and other refreshments are available at breaks throughout the weekend. The seminar donation is $100, paid when arriving on Saturday morning.
The Personal Efficiency Course
The Personal Efficiency Course is held daily. On weekdays it runs at 1:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.; on weekends at 1:30 p.m. The course is based on the book The Problems of Work by L. Ron Hubbard and applies Scientology principles to the workaday world. Life, the course notes, is composed of seven-tenths work, one-tenth familial, one-tenth political and one-tenth relaxation.
The course contains the senior principles and laws which apply to every endeavor and every problem of work, including the Anatomy of Confusion and its cure; the Doctrine of the Stable Datum; the Anatomy of Control; the secret of Efficiency; the fundamental elements of life, Affinity, Reality and Communication; the Eight Dynamics; and the cause of Exhaustion, with powerful Scientology processes that return the energy of youth. The course donation is $50, paid when arriving to start.
The Success through Communication Course
The Success through Communication Course gives eighteen exact skills based on fundamental Scientology principles, the keys to success in any endeavor: how to start a conversation, how to end one smoothly, how to get ideas across, how to handle upsets, and how to be comfortable and confident in anyone's presence, plus thirteen more. Communication, the course explains, is more than just speaking and listening. It is the foundation of life itself.
Scientology Life Improvement Courses
Scientology offers twenty Life Improvement Courses, each addressing a specific part of life. Each course has been carefully designed to make study effective and efficient, and each comes with a workbook that contains all required lessons and materials. The courses are organized into five categories.
Ethics and Survival (5 courses): Overcoming Ups and Downs in Life; Personal Values and Integrity; How to Improve Relationships with Others; Knowing Who You Can Trust; How to Achieve Self-Confidence.
Goals and Purposes (6 courses): How to Get Motivated; Formulas for Living; Scientology Tools to Organize for Success; Effective Time Management; Setting and Achieving Your Goals; Scientology Tools for Effective Leadership.
Survival and Prosperity (3 courses): Scientology Tools for Overcoming Financial Stress; Scientology Tools for Financial Security; Scientology Principles of Prosperity.
Marriage (3 courses): Creating a Successful Marriage; Maintaining a Happy Marriage; Salvaging a Marriage.
Children (3 courses): Having a Happy Baby; Successfully Raising Children; Successfully Parenting Tweens and Teens.
Course lengths range from three to seven days, part time, and are delivered by trained specialists.
Tools for Life Online Courses
Nineteen free online courses based on the principles from The Scientology Handbook are available through the Church's online learning program. Each course is laid out in a step-by-step manner, with a sequence of reading assignments and questions to check understanding. Once logged in, the online program guides the student through each step to full completion, with all course materials provided from within the program. An online course supervisor is available for assistance via a Need help button. Upon completion of each course, students receive a certificate by email.
Courses include The Technology of Study, The Cause of Suppression, The Dynamics of Existence, Solutions for a Dangerous Environment, The Components of Understanding, Marriage, The Emotional Tone Scale, Children, Communication, Tools for the Workplace, Assists for Illnesses and Injuries, Basics of Organizing, Answers to Drugs, Targets and Goals, How to Resolve Conflicts, Investigations, Integrity and Honesty, Fundamentals of Public Relations, and Ethics and the Conditions. Course lengths range from three to seven hours, taken at the student's own pace.
Scientology Beliefs and Practices
Scientology holds that Man is a spirit, who has a mind and occupies a body. The spirit can be observed through a simple exercise: ask someone to close their eyes and picture a cat, and they will get a mental image of a cat. Ask who is looking at the picture, and the response is I am. That which is looking at the cat is the spirit, the person looking at his own thoughts.
The two main practices in Scientology are auditing and training. One becomes free through auditing, which is precise one-on-one spiritual counseling. Training provides the knowledge of how to remain so. Together, these form the path called the Bridge to Total Freedom, a graded series of steps leading through the state of Clear (a state in which one is no longer subject to the reactive mind) to Operating Thetan, or OT, in which the spirit operates independently of the body.
Scientology recognizes the moral codes set forth in the Creed of the Church of Scientology, the Auditor's Code, the Code of Honor, the Code of a Scientologist, the Supervisor's Code, the Credo of a True Group Member, and the Credo of a Good and Skilled Manager. The Aims of Scientology, as L. Ron Hubbard wrote them, are a civilization without insanity, without criminals, without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights.
Scientology recognizes the existence of God and views Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, the Buddha and other religious figures of the past with respect. The Scientology symbol is an S and Double Triangle. The Scientology Cross represents the eight dynamics of life, the eight drives that motivate all existence.
The Founder, L. Ron Hubbard
L. Ron Hubbard is the Founder of the Scientology religion and Dianetics. He researched and developed the technology of Dianetics in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, published in 1950, has been a bestseller ever since. He continued his research and development through the rest of his life, producing the body of work known as Scientology.
His books include Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, The Problems of Work, Self-Analysis, Handbook for Preclears, Clear Body Clear Mind, Scientology: A New Slant on Life, and The Way to Happiness. His legacy comprises tens of millions of published words in dozens of books and thousands of recorded lectures, with materials available in 50 languages.
Global Humanitarian Programs Supported by the Church
The Church of Scientology of Kansas City supports a worldwide network of social betterment and humanitarian programs based on L. Ron Hubbard's writings. Each program has its own dedicated staff and materials, all available to anyone regardless of religion or background.
The Way to Happiness
The Way to Happiness is a common-sense guide to better living based on 21 precepts written by L. Ron Hubbard. The booklet has been translated into many languages and distributed worldwide. The Foundation that publishes it works to restore integrity and moral standards, repair the moral fabric of society, and provide tools for happier living. It maintains an education initiative and an interactive online education resource center.
Applied Scholastics
Applied Scholastics provides tools for literacy and learning to millions. Based on L. Ron Hubbard's Study Technology, the program works to halt the decline of education through tutoring programs that turn underperformers into achievers. Its worldwide affiliated schools and the World Literacy Crusade represent a grassroots movement in support of basic study skills. Applied Scholastics maintains a global center of study technology and an international network of affiliated schools.
Criminon
Criminon is a program of criminal reform, helping inmates through the use of Study Technology, life skills courses, and methods to address the underlying causes of criminal behavior. It is in use around the world.
Narconon
Narconon is a drug rehabilitation and prevention program. Its drug rehabilitation program uses a precise regimen that includes the New Life Detoxification Method, a sauna-based, exercise-and-nutrition program developed by L. Ron Hubbard. The program also includes a drug prevention campaign aimed at eradicating drug abuse through education. It maintains centers and activities around the world.
Foundation for a Drug-Free World
The Foundation for a Drug-Free World distributes the Truth About Drugs booklets, fact-filled booklets on commonly abused drugs that educate young people on what drugs are and what they do. More than 170 million of these booklets have been distributed worldwide. The Truth About Drugs documentary film features former users who survived addiction and now talk about it so young people hear the unvarnished truth about drug abuse. An Educator's Guide contains a full semester of lesson plans for middle school, high school, college-level or community programs. A series of free interactive Truth About Drugs courses is also available online.
The Foundation's materials are used by law enforcement agencies around the world. As one official in Mexico City wrote, The Truth About Drugs has been of great assistance to professionalize the workshops on drug prevention given to schools.
United for Human Rights
United for Human Rights educates people across the globe about the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights through multimedia materials, public service announcements, and a series of 30 Rights, 30 Ads public service messages. Its programs have reached millions.
Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR)
Citizens Commission on Human Rights is a nonprofit charitable mental health watchdog organization established by the Church of Scientology in 1969. CCHR is dedicated to eradicating psychiatric abuses and ensuring patient protections. The organization has supported the enactment of more than 380 laws protecting individuals from abusive or coercive psychiatric practices, requiring informed consent for psychiatric treatment, ending enforced drugging and electroshocking of children, and mandating severe penalties for sexual abuse of patients by psychiatrists and psychologists. CCHR has chapters across 34 nations and houses a museum on the history of psychiatry. Over 5,500 abusive psychiatrists have been brought to justice worldwide.
Scientology Volunteer Ministers
The Scientology Volunteer Ministers program was created in the mid-1970s by L. Ron Hubbard and is sponsored by the Church of Scientology International as a religious social service. Today it constitutes one of the largest and most visible international independent relief forces. The motto of the Volunteer Minister is Something Can Be Done About It.
Over 46 million people have been helped by Scientology Volunteer Ministers. Hundreds of thousands of Scientologists and others have been trained in person or online in a wide range of skills that use Scientology fundamentals to bring relief from physical, mental or spiritual suffering, including communication, study, marriage, parenting, dealing with stress, success in the workplace and achieving goals. A global network of volunteers forms the permanent Volunteer Ministers Disaster Response Team that mobilizes in times of natural and man-made disasters. Working with some 2,800 government agencies, relief organizations and community groups, they have provided physical support and spiritual aid at hundreds of disaster sites, including responses to the 9/11 attacks in New York, the Asian Tsunamis, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Haiti earthquake, flooding in Pakistan and the Japan earthquake and tsunami. Wearing their signature bright yellow shirts, Volunteer Ministers are known for being among the first to arrive at disaster zones and the last to leave.
The Broader Church Structure
The Church of Scientology International (CSI) is the Mother Church of the Scientology religion, headquartered in Los Angeles, California. CSI oversees the ecclesiastical activities of all Scientology Churches, Organizations and Groups worldwide and ensures that individual Churches receive guidance in their ministries. CSI provides the broad planning and direction needed to support the Church's international growth.
The Religious Technology Center (RTC) is a nonprofit religious organization formed in 1982 to preserve, maintain and protect the Scientology religion and is itself a Church of the Scientology religion. RTC holds the ultimate ecclesiastical authority regarding the standard and pure application of L. Ron Hubbard's religious Technologies. RTC holds the Dianetics and Scientology trademarks and service marks, which Founder L. Ron Hubbard donated to RTC in 1982. David Miscavige is the Chairman of the Board of RTC.
The Church of Spiritual Technology (CST) is a California nonprofit religious corporation formed in 1982 to preserve and archive the Scientology Scripture. CST owns the copyrights to L. Ron Hubbard's works and licenses their use. CST has preserved the writings and lectures of Dianetics and Scientology on more than 135 tons of archival books, stainless steel plates and nickel-plated records, stored in 2,300 titanium capsules in calamity-proof vaults.
The Scientology religion now has more than 11,000 Churches, Missions and Groups around the world. In addition to Kansas City, current Ideal Churches of Scientology include Los Angeles, London, Bogota, Berlin, Tel Aviv and Tokyo, with more Church openings planned for cities across North America, Australia, Europe and the United Kingdom.
Visiting the Church
The Church welcomes visitors of all beliefs and religions. The Public Information Center is open for self-guided tours from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day. A free personality test is also offered during the same hours, with an in-depth analysis from an expert evaluator, with no obligation. Films such as The Story of Dianetics are shown throughout the day.
The Church is at 1805 Grand Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64108. Telephone: (816) 753-6590. Free tours and reservations for the Hubbard Dianetics Seminar, the Personal Efficiency Course, and other services can be made online. Books by L. Ron Hubbard are available in the on-site Bookstore.
The Church is featured in an episode of Scientology Network's Destination: Scientology series, available on DIRECTV Channel 320 and at scientology.tv. Bookstore orders and a free catalog of books, audiobooks, films and lectures can be requested online.