Our Story

18th Street Church

Our Story: Two Churches, One Calling

One Church, Rooted in Two Stories

For 75 years, Trinity Baptist Church served the Sioux Falls community — through Sunday mornings worship gatherings, funerals, baptisms, potlucks, and everything in between.

A few miles away, Invitation Church was doing the same: welcoming newcomers, building community, and pointing people toward Jesus.

Two congregations. Two histories. One calling.

In 2025, those two stories became one. This is how it happened — and why we believe it's just the beginning.

Why We Merged

This wasn't a rescue. It wasn't a takeover. It was a conviction shared by leadership on both sides: we could do more together than we ever could apart.

Trinity Baptist brought deep roots in the community, decades of faithful ministry, and a beloved building. Invitation Church brought a growing young family ministry, momentum, and fresh energy.

Neither church needed to disappear for the other to thrive. Instead, we asked a different question: What could we build if we entered into a shared mission?

After months of prayer, conversation, and honest listening between both congregations, the answer became clear. In April of 2025, Trinity Baptist Church and Invitation Church officially became one church. 18th Street Church.

What Stayed the Same

- Our convictions. We remain grounded and guided by a few central convictions:

  1. We believe in the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all fully and equally God.

  2. We believe God the Father was perfectly and uniquely revealed through the divine, resurrected, and living Son, Jesus Christ, whose Spirit is present today in sincere followers of Christ called the Church.

  3. We believe the Holy Spirit and the Holy Bible to be the ultimate authority over the life and faith of the Church, Christ being the only head of the Church.

  4. We believe salvation is available only through the grace of Jesus Christ to all who believe.

  5. We believe followers of Jesus Christ, the Church, are called and commanded to glorify God, discern his will, and serve others in the love of Christ.

- Our commitment to the neighborhood. This community has always been — and remains — close to our heart.

- Our people. Every member from both churches has a seat at this table.

What's New

- A shared name and identity: 18th Street Church, carrying forward the best of both.

- Combined leadership: The existing staff teams of both congregations came together to lead the church into the future God was preparing for them.

- A renewed vision: Our vision is to grow a community loving God with our whole being and loving our neighbor as ourselves so that our lives and the communities we touch will be forever changed. We envision creating a church where people are empowered to live the way of Jesus, a place where we care deeply about people encountering God through Jesus, people claiming an identity as a Jesus-disciple, people finding a place to belong, and people living out a call to serve.

What This Means for You

If you called Trinity Baptist home, this is still your church family — just bigger. If you called Invitation Church home, the same is true. And if you're new to both, we'd love for this to become your story too.

We're not two churches sharing a building. We're one church, sent together.

Join us Sundays at 10am / 2400 W. 18th Street

Our Weekend Gathering

We gather each Sunday at 10am at 2400 W. 18th Street

We have engaging community, vibrant worship, and you’ll hear a message from God’s word that will encourage, empower, and equip you to live the way of Jesus. In addition to our worship gathering, our team has also created a space for kids to encounter God and connect with each other.

Our team would love to welcome you to Littles (birth-3 years), or 18th Street Kids (4 years-4th grade). Please know that if your children are more comfortable staying with you in the service, they are welcome to do so!

If you’re worried about what you should wear, please don't be. We understand that God cares much more about our inner spiritual condition than our outward appearance. We have people who wear hats to church, t-shirts, dresses, and even dress shirts and slacks.

Our hope is that you’d come as you are. We consider your presence among us a gift.

We’re looking forward to seeing you this Sunday!

Our Vision

AT 18th Street CHURCH WE CARE DEEPLY ABOUT

1) People having an ENCOUNTER with Jesus

 This means that we are focused on creating an environment that helps people experience God’s love, grace, and power in meaningful ways.

2) People having an IDENTITY to claim 

This means that we are focused on creating an environment that helps people embrace their identity as sons and daughters of Almighty God.

3) People having a PLACE to belong 

This means that we are focused on creating an environment that helps people embrace the truth that church is not an organization you join, but a family you belong to.

4) People having a CALL to live out 

This means that we are focused on creating an environment that helps people explore their spiritual gifts and God-given purpose in life.