Our Story

Evangelist Judy Shaw, December 1986, in Sioux Falls, SD, founded Center of Life Church, formerly called Deeper Life Church, under the leadership of Bishop Carl Roberson, Buffalo, NY.As Sis. Judy began pioneering in Sioux Falls, she started out with one family until it grew to where it is now.From hotel to hotel, from leasing one church to another church, she held fast to the vision that God had given her.To-date, the Center of Life is an international ministry, representing about 8 nations.Located in downtown Sioux Falls, Center of Life is committed to community ministry, while they continue to be a strong, present truth, life giving, body of believers building the Kingdom of God.

In November 1996, the vision began to unfold.Finally, after years of searching, a church home was found!That which was considered the city’s main bowling alley soon became a beautiful sanctuary filled with the Glory of God.After extensive renovations to a two-story 18,000 square foot building, in April of 1997, phase one was completed.

In May of 1997, the church had its grand opening “Founders Week”.In that week, three significant things transpired:firstly, the dedication of the sanctuary, then the official change of name from Deeper Life COGIC to the Center of Life Church, and the ordination and appointment of Pastor Judy. From that time on until now much has changed to Pastor Judy's elevation to the office of Apostle, to membership, leadership, and the place where we worship, but the mission has always been to "Keep the love of God at the center".

In July of 2021, after 24 years of pastoring, Apostle Judy passed the baton to her spiritual son, Pastor Joshua Duncan. Pastor Joshua had served from leading the media ministry, youth ministry, and executive pastor in his 20 plus years of being at COL since he was 14 years old.

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

Creating an atmosphere of worship that manifests Gods presence
Having multiple ministries functioning inside and outside the church
Ministering to the whole family (children’s, youth, couples, etc.)
Providing support ministry groups (recovery ministry, singles, men/women, young adults fellowship, etc.)
Providing Christian education for training and development
Impacting our community as the light of the world
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

The Bible
- We believe that the entire Bible is inspired by God, without error, and the authority on which we base our faith, conduct, and doctrine.
God in three persons
- 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.
Salvation
- 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.
Water Baptism
- 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.
Holy Spirit Baptism
- 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.
Gifts of the Spirit
- 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
Communion
- We believe in the regular taking of Communion as an act of remembering what the Lord Jesus did for us on the cross.
Personal Relationship with God
- 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.
Identity in Christ
- 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.

Our Values

Faith — We walk by faith, not by sight. (Hebrews 11:6)
Love — Love is the foundation of everything we do. (1 Corinthians 13)
Biblical Authority — Scripture is our standard for faith, conduct, and doctrine. (2 Timothy 3:16)
Commitment — We contend for the faith with endurance. (Jude 1:3)
Integrity — Character matters in public and in private. (Proverbs 10:6)

Our Leadership

Pastor Joshua S. Duncan, Ph.D — 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.

More information coming for our leadership team.....