About Us
Our History
The Rising began as a Command from Jesus Christ, spoken at the beginning of the first century in Palestine shortly after His crucifixion and resurrection:
Matthew 28:19-20: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I Am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Believing this Command, a ministry of New Life Community Church in Belton, Missouri acted by moving a number of college aged students to the campus area of UMKC. We were determined to make Jesus’ message and story considered on that campus. Over time God put it on our hearts to graduate this ministry into a Church plant to midtown Kansas City. We officially planted in 2013 and set out on our own, confident that his promise of presence would guide and sustain us.
Without a building in which to meet, our first year was an exciting mix of meeting in peoples’ homes, at the UMKC Student Union, in open air services at Loose Park, and other midtown venues. Increasingly, as we grew, we felt the need to put down roots in the community and began a site search. In February 2015, God provided the building at 43rd and Walnut that we are in today.
Over the last nine years, the Rising has more than doubled and we’ve expanded our meeting space to accommodate our growing church family. We’re extremely blessed with talented artists in multiple disciplines—including music—and due to our close proximity to KCAI, we enjoy using our space as a gallery to showcase local talent. We focus our energies around a few key ministries: loving one another, discipleship, serving the poor and needy in our community, and teaching Christian apologetics to students and anyone searching for answers in an unsettled world— at UMKC, in the Mid town area, and at the Art Institute.
What We Do
We believe Jesus Christ called His Church to action. First and foremost, we want to love one another in community as Christ loves us. Our focus in midtown Kansas City is centered around meeting felt needs in our community: Build strong marriages and families; Disciple one another; Serve the poor, downcast and wounded in our city; and Represent the message and news of Jesus Christ to students at UMKC and the Art Institute. If you'd like to see this in action we'd love for you to be our guest. Just check out the events page and pick a time to swing by or feel free to reach out by email to any of our pastors— Kevin or Daniel. We'll be happy to answer any questions and get your feedback. For a complete list of upcoming and weekly events, head to our Events page.
Our Pastors
Kevin Berger
Kevin Berger was born in Saint Louis, Missouri in 1960. Raised Roman Catholic and educated by Jesuits, he was awakened by the Holy Spirit in 1981 and spiritually born again while attending Kansas City Art Institute. He graduated in 1984 with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and went on to earn a Juris Doctorate degree at University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Law in 1991. He is a licensed Attorney in Missouri and Kansas and practices civil law in Kansas City. Kevin was ordained a minister of Gospel in 2000 by the Great Commission Association of Churches, and helped pastor New Life Community Church in Belton, Missouri until being called to help reach the college campuses of KCAI and UMKC with the Good News of Jesus Christ. He’s been a Pastor with Rising Fellowship since its start in 2014. He has a passion for education in all of its discoveries and since 2005 has taught high school Debate and Political Science at Whitefield Academy, a Classical Christian school. His greatest achievement in life has been winning the hand of his wife Sarah in 1989 and helping raise their seven children. He’s an avid tennis player, although routinely beaten, and is currently blessed with seven grandchildren.
Daniel Flanagan
Daniel grew up in Kansas City with six little brothers and parents with Christ-like patience. He has always been curious about truth and the nature of mankind's purpose. In the midst of deep, personal struggles and a heart burdened by shame and guilt, he discovered confidence and peace in the truths expressed in God's Word. From there, he found Jesus Christ, and that confidence blossomed into something tangible, life-changing, and heart-healing.
Daniel now works as a software engineer and is married to his best friend, Valerie, the most beautiful and joy-filled woman in the world. Together they raise two delightful little boys they adore, Oliver and Dax. Daniel enjoys debate, heavy metal, drumming, computers and technology, and games of all kinds.
At Rising, Daniel can be found running around doing all sorts of things: playing drums with the Sunday morning worship band, teaching, running the audio-visual system, and other small things. He immensely enjoys servant-leading in the local church, playing his role in God's grand plan.
Meet The
Ministry Leaders
What’s Next
The Rising has a fairly simple goal: See God uplifted and glorified in Kansas City. Towards that end, we focus our efforts on four prime values (Holiness, Discipleship, Community, and Outreach). Please link to any of these values from the Home page to enter the discussion.