Planted in 1991. Still Growing.
Our Story & Beliefs
Riverwood Chapel has called Kent, Ohio home since 1991. See where the church came from,
what it stands on, and where Jesus is leading next.
From a High School Auditorium to a Spiritual Home
How Riverwood Started
In 1991, a small group gathered inside Kent Roosevelt High School for the first Sunday service of Riverwood Community Chapel. The Chapel in Akron had planted this congregation with a specific purpose: to build an independent, Bible-teaching church that would serve the greater Kent and Stow communities.
The two founding pastors chose the name by flipping through a phone book. They wanted something that fit the landscape of Kent, a college town shaped by rivers, lakes, and wooded hills across Portage County. "Riverwood" stuck.
What started in a borrowed auditorium grew steadily. The congregation moved to its permanent home on Fairchild Avenue in 1997. Growth continued, and by 2000 the church had brought on full-time youth and worship pastors.
In 2015, Riverwood became debt-free and began planning a campus expansion. A gym, kitchen, and classroom addition followed in 2019.
Today, Riverwood Chapel serves around 1,000 people each Sunday across four morning services. The building has changed and the congregation has multiplied. The Christ-centered mission that started in that high school auditorium has not moved an inch.
Know Jesus. Be Known. Make Him Known.
This mission drives everything at Riverwood Chapel. It shapes how the church teaches, how it gathers, and how it sends people back into Kent and Portage County every week.
Know Jesus
Scripture drives everything at Riverwood. Sunday teaching works through the Bible verse by verse, and classes go deeper during the week. The goal is a Christ-rooted faith that holds when life gets hard.
Be Known
A church of 1,000 can feel anonymous. Riverwood is built to work against that. Life Groups, personal care from pastors, and a culture that values people over programs exist so you are known by name.
Make Him Known
Riverwood gathers on Sunday and scatters on Monday. The food pantry serves Portage County neighbors in need. Local and global partners carry the name of Jesus into places this church cannot physically reach. Generosity and service flow naturally from knowing Jesus and being changed by Him.
The Authority of Scripture
We are driven by Scripture in everything we do, and devoted to exegetical teaching and preaching. We are intentional to make the Bible the core driver of every ministry we do.
What Shapes the Culture
Core Values
Committed to Intentional Discipleship
We understand everyone has a different story, and life-changing discipleship is both messy and challenging, but always worth it. Everything that happens at Riverwood is to this end, that we would pursue Jesus, grow together in community, and serve others. There is no one size fits all spiritual journey for every person, but through connection and intentional shepherding, deep life-changing discipleship is possible.
A Place Where People Can Be Known.
We are dedicated to creating a space where people are seen, known, and connected in the body of Christ. We value people over programs, seek to build a home-like atmosphere rather than corporate-style clarity, and strive for people to be known.
A Multigenerational Community
We strive to have pastors and leaders who are accessible to people, leading in sensitivity to the Spirit of God and the needs of people, allowing plans to change as the Spirit leads. We aim to be transparent, extend trust, and empower people to share in that same mission.
Community-Focused Posture
Riverwood is not just in Kent but part of it. Our heart is to reflect the gospel of Jesus in the community to which God has called us. We strive to be good neighbors, embody and share the gospel, and make a positive impact in our community.
A Foundation That Holds
Statement of Beliefs
If you are exploring what Riverwood Chapel teaches and why, this is the place to start. These beliefs are drawn from Scripture and held across the life of this church.
God
Riverwood Chapel believes in one God who is the holy and loving creator of all things seen and unseen. God exists eternally in three distinct and equal persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
People and Sin
Each person is created with dignity and value in the image of God. Through sin, humanity has lost spiritual life and is separated from the Creator. This separation affects every relationship, with God and with each other.
Ordinances (Baptism and Communion)
The Lord Jesus Christ gave two ordinances to the church: water baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper (communion). Though these ordinances are not a means of salvation, they are a means of testimony and are practiced by the church until Christ comes again.
Jesus Christ
Jesus is wholly God and wholly man. Conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, Jesus lived a perfect sinless life and died on the cross as the atonement for the sins of all people. After rising bodily from the dead, Jesus ascended into heaven where He now serves as High Priest, Advocate, and King. Forgiveness and restoration with God are found through Him alone.
The Church
All who have placed faith in Jesus Christ are members of the Church and united in the Body of Christ. The Church is universal in nature while expressed in local gatherings of believers. Each local church exists for worship, teaching, community, and reaching others with the hope and love of Jesus.
Future Things
Riverwood Chapel believes in the personal return of Jesus Christ. Christ will judge the nations and restore all things to God's original intent. Heaven and hell are real. The believer will be raised to everlasting life with the Lord, and the unbeliever will be raised to judgment and everlasting conscious punishment apart from the presence of the Lord.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is sent from God to live in all who believe in Jesus. The Spirit teaches, comforts, and empowers each believer, giving diverse gifts for serving in the church and in the world. Growth in faith, a holy life, and Jesus-like character come through the Holy Spirit.
Salvation
A perfect act of redemption was performed with the finished work of Jesus' death on the cross. Through the grace (free gift) of God, we are rescued from the eternal consequences of sin, and our broken relationship with God is restored. We receive the free gift of forgiveness and are spiritually reborn by placing faith in Jesus alone. We believe that the relationship that one enters into with God upon salvation is eternally secure.
1991
First service held at Kent Roosevelt High School as a church plant of The Chapel in Akron.
THE STORY SO FAR
Riverwood Timeline
1997
Moved to the permanent home on Fairchild Avenue in Kent.
2000
Growth led to hiring full-time youth and worship pastors..
2009
Expanded from two Sunday morning services to three.
2011
Significant work behind the scenes to pay down the original building debt.
2015
Became debt-free. Began examining a campus expansion.
2019
Completed a gym, kitchen, and classroom addition.
2024
Significant numerical growth and the move to four Sunday morning services.
See Who Leads This Community
Meet the Team
The pastors and directors at Riverwood Chapel are shepherds who know your name. They lead this community toward Jesus and toward you. Get to know the people behind this family.
