The Coppenraths

Stephen Coppenrath has served in a variety of roles within the local church since 2004, and most recently planted The King's Church in Ontario, CA in the fall of 2022. He and his wife, Katie, have four kids, Owen, Penny, Margo and Wesley. Raised in Southern California, he enjoys beating his kids at Mario Kart, dating his wife, traveling to new places, and occasionally riding his bike.

The King's Church aims to be an outpost of Christian community devoted to loving their neighbors, serving each other, and honoring King Jesus in all that they do. Transformed by the gospel, they follow the teachings of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and encourage humble and missional living as they anticipate his return.

Over the past year, I’ve been thinking a lot about Jesus’ illustration of new wine and new wineskins. In many ways, the Lord has been reshaping the core of our church. Some families have moved away, others have joined us, and our church looks quite different than it did when we first planted a little over four years ago. That hasn’t always been easy, but it’s also been a real blessing. We’ve seen new people step into meaningful relationships, take ownership of the ministry, and use their gifts to serve in ways that might not have been possible before. It’s been encouraging to see how the Lord has been at work, even through some of the harder transitions, preparing our church for what He has next.

Please continue praying for our family, especially as our kids get older and navigate school, friendships, and all the changes that come with growing up. It’s hard to believe we’re already beginning to think about life after high school! Pray that Katie and I would have wisdom as we parent our four kids and help them grow in their own love for Christ. We’d also appreciate prayer for meaningful friendships and community for our family. One of the unique challenges of church planting is that we often find ourselves leading and caring for others, while sometimes struggling to find those same kinds of relationships for ourselves. Pray that the Lord would continue to provide those friendships and help us remain healthy and encouraged as we serve.

One of the things I’m most excited about is our Servant Leadership Cohort (SLC), where we’re currently training ten committed members of our church in what it means to serve and lead God’s people. We’re studying the biblical foundations of service, the heart and character of a servant, and how God uses the gifts He’s given each of us to build up His church. Our hope is to identify, train, and commission several new deacons by Easter of next year. This would be a significant step in the life of our church as we continue moving from a young church plant toward a healthy, established congregation with shared leadership and a growing culture of service. More than anything, we’re praying that the Lord would continue to mature our church, deepen our love for one another, and use us to reach our community with the gospel.