Our History

For a video version of Substance's history, check out our short film called:  "A Brief History of Substance."

Over 68% of the Minneapolis/Saint Paul population is under 34 years old – making it one of the youngest metropolitan cities in the U.S.  It is also one of the most secular and well educated cities being that there are almost 2 million 20-somethings in the metro area that want nothing to do with Christianity.  Even worse, less than 9.1% of the total population attends a charismatic or evangelical church of any kind.  And the number is steadily declining.  Thus, it was this disturbing idea that ended up becoming the motivation for a new church called Substance.

In 2003, Pastors Peter and Carolyn Haas were happily senior pastoring a thriving church in Wisconsin.  Moving was the last thing on their minds.

But God had different plans.

Peter and Carolyn had been concerned about some friends they knew from the Twin Cities and their struggle to find a church they felt fit them. Despite the well-known churches in the area, it seemed very few were successfully reaching people under 40. Grieved by the statistics they had discovered, Peter and Caroline felt God calling them to pray for the cities, asking God to raise up new churches.

As they began praying, they realized God was calling them to resign their senior pastorate and plant a brand new church--calling them to be the answer to their own prayers. Starting a church from scratch didn't seem very logical considering they were already pastoring a well known regional church. Yet, convinced that God wanted a new church in the heart of the Twin Cities, Pastors Peter and Carolyn said goodbye to their comfort zones and set out to follow God into the unknown.

With hardly any personal contacts in the Twin Cities, Peter and Carolyn scraped up a launch team of more than 40 Twin Cities’ residents. 

On September 18, 2004, this rag-tag group of young people began holding a Saturday-night church service with dreams of starting a city-wide fire.  Eight months later, in May of 2005, the budding community decided to launch their very first Sunday morning service. 

Within a year the trickle of wild conversions became a flood.  From 2005 to 2008 this small portable church which started on the U of M campus toured through over 11 different facilities on it's way to becoming a multi-site church--now in four different locations.

In this incredibly short time, Substance has exploded into one of the fastest growing multi-site churches in the United States.  Being positioned near downtown Minneapolis and surrounded by over 16 colleges and universities, Substance has also become one of the "youngest" mega-churches in the United States with literally thousands of attendees (over 70%) under 29 years old -- most of whom were unchurched before coming to Substance.

From turn-tables at the center of Sunday worship to its progressive cell methods, the Substance staff have become well sought consultants and conference speakers on new ways of reaching unchurched people.  Having a strong emphasis on music and film, Substance has quickly amassed a strong following of artists and authors who are passionately determined to reach the nations.

Substance has locked arms with amazing independent church planting organizations such as the Association of Related Churches.  As a result, Substance has had a significant hand in helping launch hundreds of other churches.  Almost every week pastors from across the United States visit and seek out Substance resources to learn multi-site, progressive church governance, and free-market cells methods.  Thus, in a few short years, Substance has surprisingly taken-on a national role in equipping pastors and church leaders with new ways of thinking about church.

Substance’s goal is not to make a name for itself but a name for God.  We want to turn the tide of Christianity in this city. We want to weed out self-centered religion from our hearts.  We want to round up a harvest force that God can be proud of.  So join us.  And let this story be filled with miracles and sacrifices that reveal His-story to every last pocket on earth.