Equip Podcast

Planting Citizens Church with Simeon Bell

• Cornerstone Church of Ames • Episode 331

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0:00 | 27:12

Emily Jensen sits down with Simeon Bell to talk about Citizens Church, a church he and his team are planting in Columbia, South Carolina. Simeon shares the unexpected timeline change that has his family moving this August, the vision behind the Citizens Church name rooted in Ephesians 2:19, and why Columbia is exactly where God is calling them.


Episode Highlights

00:27 — Simeon Bell and the Citizens Church story

01:13 — An unexpected timeline change: Simeon's family is now moving to Columbia this August instead of January 2027

02:18 — How a local Columbia church reached out and accelerated the timeline — and what that partnership looks like

03:20 — Who's going: 31 members headed to Columbia

03:52 — How Simeon's years leading Cornerstone Youth equipped him for church planting

05:50 — The meaning behind the name "Citizens Church" and its roots in Ephesians 2:19

07:50 — Citizens Church's five core motives: Spirit-filled, authentic community, purpose-driven, sacrificial living, and kingdom multiplication

07:59 — From motives to mission: preparing citizens for heaven by living faithfully on earth

13:41 — The 10-year vision: 500 members, five church plants, and a launch pad up the East Coast

14:29 — Why Columbia, South Carolina? The brokenness, the diversity, and the need

18:02 — Columbia's racial diversity and the vision for a multiethnic church rooted in Revelation 7:9

19:15 — The University of South Carolina campus: 40,000 students, under 5% reached with the gospel

20:04 — A surprising discovery: 52% of USC students come from the Northeast — the exact states Simeon has lived in

23:18 — How to support Citizens Church: give, go, pray — and why Simeon's biggest prayer request is holiness

25:58 — Simeon's gratitude for Cornerstone and what it means to be equipped and sent well


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