Our Story
"God had BIG plans and we had the privilege to see them unfold before our very eyes."
-Pastor Mike Seewald
Founding Pastor Kevin, Kristin (left), and current Pastor Mike and Brenda (right).
The
Beginning
Founder and Former Lead Pastor, Kevin Plain (wife Kristin) [2016-2020]
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"In 2014, while Kristin was preparing to graduate from nursing school, we began earnestly praying about where God was calling us to serve. We both felt a stirring to plant a church in Branson, so we laid out a simple fleece before the Lord: if Kristin was offered a job in Branson, we would know that’s where we were supposed to go. But she was never offered the position in Branson, instead she was offered a position in Bolivar. We wondered what God was doing. Around that same time, I prayed that if He truly wanted us to plant a church, He would give us a unique name. Six months later, during my daily reading, I came across Ephesians 2:19 — “We are no longer foreigners and sojourners, but citizens of the kingdom of heaven.” In that moment, I felt God speak clearly: plant the church and name it Citizens.
Though we were living over an hour from Branson, doors began to open that confirmed His calling. In 2016, Kristin was offered a rare day-shift nursing job with just two years of experience, and I had just transitioned to working from home a few months prior — freeing us to move at the beginning of May. Our first week living in Branson, the first family reached out wanting to join us, and by September we launched Citizens Church with a “Party at the Park” community event that drew over 200 people. Our first service had around twenty in attendance, and by early 2017 we were steadily growing. Without any prior ties to Branson, God continued to provide — leading us to our next location across from Branson Clinic, where our ministry expanded with youth and college services. By 2020, we were averaging around sixty each week and seeing lives changed.
As we approached Easter of that year, both Kristin and I felt the Lord leading us to step away. Our plan was to share that with the church the week after Easter… but COVID hit, and everything shut down in March. When we finally gathered again in May, the conviction to step away remained strong. Though it was very difficult, the church board was completely understanding. Unbeknownst to us mortals, the very week we announced our decision, the current pastor at Citizens, Mike and Brenda Seewald, were visiting because they felt a call to move to the Branson area from California. It was a powerful reminder that God had been orchestrating every step from the beginning for Citizens Church and He would continue to do so under future leadership."​
Following God's lead
Lead Pastor, Mike Seewald (wife Brenda) [2020-present]
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"On May 23, while visiting Branson, I Googled "churches in Branson." We were in Branson seeking the Lord and wondering why He had set a deep burden in our hearts to move to the area. It was a trying time for us personal and ministerially as many changes were taking place back in California. My wife, Brenda, had applied for multiple jobs in Branson. For me, this was a "fleece" to see if God was really drawing us away from California and into something new in Branson. I remember stating that if she landed a job while we were visiting that the writing was on the wall and we were to move. Well, God had other plans. Brenda never landed a job there. But, that got us to Branson. And as I read the list of churches showing up in Google, I picked one... Citizens Church.
We decided to attend the next day. We had no idea what to expect, but knowing it was a smaller church, we just wanted to worship with people because things had been shut down in California due to COVID. The Lord met us in the service immediately. Minutes after worship started, my wife was crying. The Lord was affirming things in our hearts that all was going to be just fine. Then, Pastor Kevin got up to speak and said these words, "I am resigning." I went ghost white and looked down the row to see my family sitting there shocked. As my son Jackson said after the service, "You wanted to hear from the Lord and He spoke to us."
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We continued to pray for our 9 day trip while trying to process what happened. The day we got home, I resigned from the church I was currently pastoring and we just followed the God to Branson, MO. God had big plans and we had the privilege to see them unfold before our very eyes. We got a front row seat (well, technically we sat in the third row).
We are honored to help lead Citizens Church into its next chapter by the help of God's Holy Spirit with an amazing group of people."
