Our Story
Center of Life Church was founded in Sioux Falls in December 1986 by Evangelist Judy Shaw. Originally known as Deeper Life Church, the ministry began with one family and grew into a multicultural church representing eight nations.
In 1997, the congregation dedicated its renovated church home and officially became Center of Life Church. Through seasons of growth, leadership change, and new worship locations, the mission has remained the same: keep the love of God at the center.
In July 2021, Apostle Judy passed the baton to Pastor Joshua Duncan after 24 years of pastoral leadership. Pastor Joshua had already served Center of Life for more than 20 years in media, youth ministry, and executive leadership.
Today, Center of Life Church gathers at the University Welcome Center (formerly Sioux Falls Seminary), 2100 S. Summit Ave in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. We are a Christian church and leadership-equipping community helping people know God, grow through Scripture-based teaching and discipleship, develop as leaders, discover their gifts, and serve Sioux Falls and beyond.
Mission & Vision
Mission
To Love, Equip, and Deploy people into Kingdom purpose.
Vision
To be a ministry where emerging leaders mature into their Kingdom calling within the fivefold ministry gifts. We endeavor to equip and activate leaders to reach the lost in their specific community.
Culture Statement
We are a community of faith-driven leaders who love unconditionally, equip purposefully, and serve passionately. Grounded in biblical truth, we cultivate integrity, foster commitment, and create spaces of worship and support for all. Together, we mature in our Kingdom calling, activate our gifts, and unite to transform families and communities as the light of the world.
We will do this by
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Creating an atmosphere of worship that manifests Gods presence
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Having multiple ministries functioning inside and outside the church
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Ministering to the whole family (children’s, youth, couples, etc.)
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Providing support ministry groups (recovery ministry, singles, men/women, young adults fellowship, etc.)
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Providing Christian education for training and development
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Impacting our community as the light of the world
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Uniting with other believers building gods kingdom
Our Mandate
Lay it right. Build it deep. Send it out.
We lay the foundation of biblical truth. We build deep through discipleship, equipping, and accountability. And we send out Kingdom workers who are formed, not just informed.
What We Believe
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The Bible
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We believe that the entire Bible is inspired by God, without error, and the authority on which we base our faith, conduct, and doctrine.
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God in three persons
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We believe in one God who exists in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to this earth as Savior of the world.
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Salvation
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We believe Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood for our sins. We believe that salvation is found by placing our faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross. We believe Jesus rose from the dead and is coming again.
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Water Baptism
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We believe that water baptism is a symbol of the cleansing power of the blood of Christ and a testimony to our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Holy Spirit Baptism
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We believe that Holy Spirit baptism is the promise of the Father given by Jesus after His ascension, initiated at Pentecost. We believe that each believer has the ability to experience a Holy Spirit baptism of power after experiencing the indwelling of the Holy Spirit at salvation.
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Gifts of the Spirit
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We believe that the nine fruits of the Spirit are the by-product of a Spirit-filled life. We believe the nine supernatural gifts of the Spirit are active today and are different manifestations of the same Spirit. We are instructed to diligently seek the gifts. Corporately, these gifts are to be exercised in a posture of love and humility for the edification of the Body and the salvation of the lost
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Communion
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We believe in the regular taking of Communion as an act of remembering what the Lord Jesus did for us on the cross.
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Personal Relationship with God
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We believe every believer should be in a growing relationship with Jesus by obeying God's Word, yielding to the Holy Spirit, and being conformed to the image of Christ.
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Identity in Christ
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We believe that as children of God, therefore we are kingdom citizens overcomers, and more than conquerors, and God intends for each of us to experience the abundant life He has in store for us.
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Our Values
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Faith — We walk by faith, not by sight. (Hebrews 11:6)
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Love — Love is the foundation of everything we do. (1 Corinthians 13)
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Biblical Authority — Scripture is our standard for faith, conduct, and doctrine. (2 Timothy 3:16)
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Commitment — We contend for the faith with endurance. (Jude 1:3)
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Integrity — Character matters in public and in private. (Proverbs 10:6)
Our Pastoral Leadership Team
Senior Pastor
Pastor Joshua S. Duncan, Ph.D — Our Senior Pastor, Dr. Joshua has served in ministry for over 20 years across worship, teaching, counseling, and leadership development. He holds a Doctorate in Developmental Psychology and brings a unique blend of apostolic vision and clinical precision to pastoral ministry. He leads Center of Life as an apostolic hub— a house of formation, equipping, and deployment. He is married to Hailey, and they have a daughter Ivy.
Associate Pastors
Pastors Dan & Shiela Freed — Outreach & Equipping Pillar Leaders
Associate Pastor
Elder Joseph Oyeyode — Presence Co-Leader & Prayer Leader
Children's Pastors
Pastors Ian & Tabitha Sadler — Formation Pillar Leaders & Children’s Ministry Pastors
Center of Life is governed through six ministry pillars. Pillar leaders and support teams serve across Connection, Presence, Formation, Equipping, Outreach, and Administration, so every person can be loved, formed, equipped, and deployed.
Our Board of Apostolic leadership at Center of Life Church includes Apostle Judy Shaw, Bishop Joseph McCargo, Bishop Michael Cole, Apostle Steve Youngblood, & Apostle Spring Huemme.