Church Graft Update #4 (August 2026)

We’re a little over a month into our journey together as one church! With each passing week, God’s hand in bringing us together has become increasingly evident. It has been such a joy to spend these past few weeks worshiping, serving, and doing ministry together as one church family.

And we have another exciting update to share—renovations have officially begun at the Cornerstone Main St. building! Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, we’ve been able to begin making some much-needed improvements to the space. Our first priority is renovating the office suite and the large meeting room.

Why start there? Because completing the offices will allow us to move out of our current office suite, saving the church money each month on rent, utilities, and other related expenses. And once the large meeting room is ready, we’ll have a flexible space that can immediately be used for courses, crews, meetings, classes, and other church gatherings. Work on both spaces began last week, and we couldn’t be more excited to see things already underway!

This is just the beginning. As we continue making progress and raise funds, we’ll keep tackling projects throughout the building and checking off areas as we move closer to bringing our primary worship services and gatherings to Cornerstone Main. There is a lot ahead of us, but it is incredibly encouraging to see the vision becoming reality—one room, one project, and one step at a time.

We’re currently working on putting together a time for Ministry Partners to take a “field trip” to see the building, walk around, and pray over what we believe God is going to do in this place. We’ll continue to keep you updated with important dates, as work progresses, and as more exciting milestones are reached!

Church Graft Update #3 (July 2026)

What began as a season of prayer has become a beautiful new chapter. Over the past several months, the Cornerstone and Riverside church families have prayerfully walked through the process of becoming one church. As of July 5, we are grateful to share that we are now worshipping together as one unified church family at Cornerstone.

This transition has been about so much more than combining two congregations. It has been about celebrating what God can do when His people choose unity, generosity, and faith over comfort. We have witnessed incredible stories of welcome, new relationships, and a shared commitment to seeing more people experience how Jesus changes everything.

As we continue moving forward together, many of our ministries are also joining together. While some areas are still in the process of transitioning, our heart remains the same: creating one church family where every person can find the Father, a family, and a fulfilling future.

If you've been part of this journey—thank you. Your prayers, flexibility, and encouragement have helped make this transition possible. If you're new to Cornerstone, there's never been a better time to jump in. Whether you've been attending for years, are joining us from Riverside, or are visiting for the very first time, we're so glad you're here.

We're excited for what God has done, but even more excited for what He's still going to do through our church family as we move forward together. More updates on renovations and next steps to come!

Church Graft Update #2 (April 2026)

Thank you for taking the time to submit questions regarding the potential grafting of Riverside Alliance Church into the congregation at Cornerstone! Please note—any questions we received that were similar were combined together. Also, it’s important to note that all answers are based on if both churches decide to move forward in the process. We are currently in the Exploratory Phase—no documents have been signed, no deals have been made. “Getting to know each other” conversations are ongoing at this moment, and all of this is potential. Keep that in mind as you read the responses to the submitted questions. These answers are predicated on the hypothetical scenario that both churches decide to move forward with Riverside joining Cornerstone. Thank you again for your input and please continue to pray for clarity, wisdom, and guidance for both congregations!

I feel like we haven’t heard a lot of specific updates since Pastor Jacob’s original announcement on Vision Sunday. Why is that?

When Pastor Jacob first shared about the possibility of bringing Riverside into Cornerstone, we intentionally described this season as an Exploratory Phase. What that means is that this process is not driven by the broader congregation—but by the Boards of both churches. Their role right now is to explore—to ask hard questions, to do careful due diligence, and to prayerfully discern whether this is something God is truly leading us into. Because of that, there hasn’t been a steady stream of updates—and that’s by design. There isn’t much “new” to report. Much of the work right now is conversations, evaluations, and discernment that need space to unfold thoughtfully before anything is finalized or shared more broadly. If and when this process moves forward in a meaningful way, the congregation will absolutely be brought into the conversation with clarity, transparency, and opportunity to understand what’s next. We promise—you won’t miss anything important!

Who will be our pastor? Will we join the two staffs? Will we have a combined Board of Directors?

Pastor Jacob will continue to be the Lead Pastor. We will join both staffs into one, adding the three staff members currently employed at Riverside onto the Cornerstone staff. Also, we are working on a new structure for the Board of Directors that would include current people from both the Cornerstone and Riverside congregations.

Can you tell me a little bit about the new building we’d be using?

The Riverside Alliance Church building is located at 2433 S. Main St.—only five minutes away from our current church building. It is more than three times our current size—8,000 sq. ft. compared to 25,000 sq. ft. It’s a wonderful space with numerous large classrooms, an office suite, a beautiful Auditorium that currently seats 350, a baseball field, tons of storage space, a large kitchen, and a 5,000 sq. ft. attached gym.

Will we still have two services? If so—would they still be at the same time?

Yes. We would continue to have two services, and they would remain at our current times of 9 and 11 AM.

Will there be a group tour through the Riverside building at any point?

Yes. If things continue progressing well with both churches, we’ll be scheduling a “field trip” for Ministry Partners to tour the Riverside building.

If we move into Riverside’s building—are we going to sell our building on Arlington Rd.? And if we keep it—how are we going to use it?

We would keep the Arlington Rd. building and continue to use it. We’ve always talked about additional streams of income to help fund the ministry of our church. The Arlington Rd. building could do just that, as we could start to rent out that building for external events—like weddings and parties. We would also still use it for internal church use—like funerals and special services. The wonderful thing is that there are many options for how we can continue to use that building going forward.

What would be our church name?

Our name will still be Cornerstone Church, as the Riverside congregation will be grafted into our church body.

How will we afford to pay the mortgage on the Arlington Rd. building and new church building?

We would only be paying the mortgage on our Arlington Rd. building, as the Riverside building is paid off and owned by The Christian & Missionary Alliance denomination. The added cost of the Riverside building would be maintenance and utilities—which are expenditures that we could take on without it negatively affecting our budget.

How soon would we start meeting for worship services at the Riverside building?

We don’t know. A lot of specifics on the exact timeline are up in the air and dependent on certain milestones being hit. But if things continue progressing and leadership affirms to move forward, our goal would be to start meeting for worship services in the Riverside building by Winter 2026.

Would we become a multisite church? Would both locations hold services?

We would be a multisite church in the sense that we would have more than one property. But our worship services, groups, and other activities would run out of the Riverside building. We wouldn’t hold worship services at the Arlington Rd. building unless growth of the church necessitated that kind of use.

Will we be finished with updates to the Arlington Rd. building?

Most major renovations at the Arlington Rd. building are finished. But we still have a list of rooms and renovations we plan on completing—things like the restrooms and the kitchen. But we are in no hurry to make those final updates. We plan to conclude them in the future as availability of time and finances allow.

Do we know of issues at the Riverside building that would cost a lot of money to fix?

No. From all indications, the Riverside building has been well loved and well maintained by the congregation. There are no known issues with the creek in the back, with the soil on the property, the roof or the AC units. Everything seems to be in good shape. One immediate issue is not something that needs fixed so much as something that needs added. Additional parking will be needed onsite, as the current parking lot has about as many spaces are our current building does—despite this building being three times our size.

What would be the costs to remodel and renovate the Riverside building?

We don’t know. But we won’t sugar coat it—it will be expensive. We will want to update the property inside and out to make it look and feel similar to our Arlington Rd. building. And for a 25,000 sq. ft. building? That will be costly. But the good news is most of the updates will be cosmetic—things like flooring, paint, hardware. The really expensive things—like tearing down walls or moving plumbing—wouldn’t be a part of our remodel.

So we wouldn’t keep the Riverside building looking the exact same way?

No. We’d be making changes to fit the scheme and aesthetic of Cornerstone Church. But things like the beautiful stained glass windows in and around the Auditorium wouldn’t be touched. In fact, we’d accentuate the gorgeous details already around the building while working to incorporate our Cornerstone look and feel.

Do the people at Riverside want to be a part of Cornerstone? Are they being “forced” into this by their denomination?

The Board of Elders at Riverside will be meeting with their members at some point to discuss and vote on the potential grafting with Cornerstone. So they will get to decide if they want to be a part of our church. And no—Riverside is not at all being forced into this potential grafting by their denomination. Riverside’s denominational leadership, led by Superintendent David Lane, has been nothing but supportive to Riverside as they’ve sought out God’s next best step for their congregation.

Are we protecting ourselves so that we can’t lose the Riverside building or be forced to leave?

Yes. We are currently working on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Christian & Missionary Alliance that would legally ensure our occupancy of the building—including contingencies for exclusive rights to eventually assume or purchase ownership of the building in the future. Having security when it comes to our occupancy of the building is non-negotiable in this process.

Are we joining the Christian & Missionary Alliance denomination?

Yes and no. Joining the Christian & Missionary Alliance (CMA) as a denominational church is called accreditation. Accreditation means that you are no longer a self-governed church—that you submit to the bylaws and governance of the denomination. This is what it was like when Cornerstone used to be a part of the Free Methodist denomination years ago. We’re not doing that. We’d be joining the CMA as an affiliate—meaning we would be a self-governed church in partnership with the CMA to advance the Gospel. We would have our own bylaws and structures that govern Cornerstone, keeping us independent. So for all intents and purposes—nothing about how we work as a church would noticeably change.

Can you tell me a little bit about the Riverside congregation who would be joining Cornerstone?

The people at Riverside are exceptional, and there is undeniable alignment of heart behind our two ministries. Our missions. Our values. Our love for people on the margins. Our desire to reach the last, the lowest, and the least. This congregation is made up of faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who have blown us away with their character and humility.

I’ve heard something about Riverside having a Recovery Ministry. Would we keep doing that if they join us at Cornerstone?

Yes. Riverside has a Recovery Ministry that has been doing wonderful work in the city of Akron. And if you’ve been around for any period of time—you know that we also have a heart for recovery at Cornerstone, so this is a natural fit for both churches.

Will we still operate the way we do as a church? I’d hate to lose the things that make us unique at Cornerstone.

Yes. Cornerstone will retain our own set of bylaws and governing documents. Our culture, our mission, our values, our DNA, our “vibe”—none of those things would be going away. From Day 1, the leadership at Cornerstone and Riverside have been open and honest about our church cultures, theology, operating procedures, bylaws, governance authority, etc. This is to make sure both churches know exactly “what they’re getting into” by joining.

Who makes the decision on whether we join or not?

Riverside Alliance Church is its own church and legal entity. It’s also a part of the Christian & Missionary Alliance denomination. That means that Cornerstone has no say in how they and their denomination decide whether or not to move forward—nor should we! But Cornerstone will decide whether to move forward or not through a vote of our Board of Directors. Our Board is nominated and elected by the congregation to make big decisions on behalf of the church—hiring a pastor, purchasing property, etc. And this opportunity with grafting in Riverside is the exact kind of large-scale decision that they get to vote on.

Church Graft Update #1 (February 2026)

Below is an excerpt from Pastor Jacob’s Vision Weekend sermon “While You Were Sleeping” where he first announced the possibility of Cornerstone grafting Riverside into our congregation…

“A few months ago, we received an email from the leadership at Riverside Alliance Church. They were asking for prayer as they entered a difficult season—continuing forward without a Lead Pastor. What made that timing so striking is that it happened during Banner Year Weekend—a time where we were celebrating Cornerstone’s story and all that God has done in our church. If you were here that weekend, you might remember that we paused right before the sermon to pray—for Riverside. We prayed believing that God was not finished with that church, just like He wasn’t finished with us when we re-launched in the middle of COVID.”

“Later, I mentioned that conversation to one of our Staff members, Chestly Lunday. And in a way that only God seems to orchestrate, Chestly happened to know the superintendent who oversees Riverside. So we reached out—not with an agenda, not with answers—just to ask what’s going on and if there’s any way we could help. One conversation led to another. Which led to sitting down with the Riverside Board of Elders…and then with our own Board of Directors. And somewhere along the way, the question shifted. It was no longer: ‘What can we do for them?’ It was instead: ‘What might Jesus be up to between our two churches?’”

“So over the past few months going back into the fall of 2025, we’ve been praying and discerning over what it could look like for the Riverside congregation to be grafted into becoming a part of Cornerstone—not as two churches. Not as two locations. Not as a multisite. But welcoming their congregation into ours—what God is doing here at Cornerstone—and becoming one church. One family. In one location.”

“Now, let me be clear—this is exploratory. They’re not going to pop out from behind stage or anything, like: ‘Meet your new church family!’ There’s no decisions and no announcements and no finish lines crossed. But what has been undeniable is the alignment of heart behind our ministries. We’ve discovered incredible similarities between our churches—our mission. Our values. Our love for people on the margins. Our desire to reach the last, the lowest, and the least. We’ve shared our approach, our ministry, and our story with them—openly, honestly, scars and all! And they’ve done the same with us.”

“And let me tell you…the people at Riverside are exceptional. Dan, Mike, Walt, Tom, and Anthony—their elders—are amazing. I’ve been blown away by their character, humility, and integrity. And what’s been wild is discovering how connected we already are. Dan, one of their elders, is the father of one of my close friends from elementary school. My wife Jessica went to Christian preschool at Riverside. Vicki Tavenier, a MP here at Cornerstone, was Jessica’s teacher there! Some of our own people have previously held groups there. Some of you already know people in that congregation. Our Youth Group is currently using their facility on Sunday nights. There are so many connections. So when I say they would join us, hear me—we wouldn’t just be “adding people”…we’d be welcoming incredible, faithful brothers and sisters in Christ to Cornerstone.”

“Now, part of what would come with the potential grafting of Riverside into Cornerstone is their facility—which is a building five minutes from here. More than three times our current size…8,000 to 25,000 sq. ft. It’s a wonderful space with classrooms, offices, a beautiful Auditorium, bathrooms with more than two stalls, a baseball field, and a 5,000 square foot attached gym. It’s a beautiful facility.”

“We truly believe God is in something here. We just don’t yet know what. There’s still so many questions to talk through and details to answer. And that’s why I’m telling you now. We didn’t want this to be something only a handful of leaders were praying about. We believe in the power of a praying church—a church that knows how to recognize when God is moving. A church that can discern when a moment has weight to it and not miss it. So today, we’re asking you to pray with us. Asking the Holy Spirit for wisdom. For clarity, unity, and courage. And for restraint, if it’s not from Him.”

“And I’ll say this personally…if the Holy Spirit continues to affirm this path—it will honestly blow me away. Because many of you know the road we’ve been on, specifically when it comes to our facility. The challenges with our current property. The land issues. The timing. The funding. The frustration. And yes—we’ve had some people get upset and be frustrated with the process. And to that I would say: ‘Join the club!’ Look, I’ll own this—I’m not a genius. I’m not a business guru. But I am trying to follow Jesus faithfully. And so is our Board and our Staff. And we’re trying to make decisions not just for our church—but for the church that’s still coming. For our kids…and their kids…running through these halls someday.”

“And as I look back now, with a little more perspective and hindsight being my guide, I can’t help but wonder…what if those roadblocks we’ve hit weren’t failures? What if they were divine obstacles? What if God was protecting us from getting into a loan and from being locked into something smaller? What if he was protection us from settling too early? What if, like Jacob said: ‘Surely the Lord was in this place—and we were’t even aware of it!’”