Our mission is to develop a dynamic, creative community of people who are deeply devoted to Jesus and participate in God’s mission in the world, which results in the continual formation of new discipling communities.

Our Story

A few years ago, there were five of us sitting around a table at a local coffee shop beginning to dream about what a new church in the Montrose area of Houston would look like. In my opinion, Montrose has some of the best of what Houston has to offer. There is so much movement here and so many people that God cares deeply for.

Part of our conversation that day dealt with the stereotype of the church as the voice of censorship in culture and its role in limiting the free expression of ideas in society as a whole. Our conversation centered around the Genesis story and the idea that when God created human beings in his likeness, the two things that we know about him at that point are that God is, at the core of being, creative and that he is powerful enough to accomplish the work of creation.

This spurred a lot of conversation about how the church could encourage people to be creative and free in their expression of worship to God. This creativity could be expressed through, but not limited to, art, music, craft, the free expression of ideas, questions and opinions…even if those ideas and opinions differ from others in the community. Part of the beauty of the Christian community is that sometimes the only thing that we have in common is a trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and that is enough to bring us together.

Over time, God has grown, formed and molded this vision, but at its core this is still what we strive for at Canvas. So this is an open invitation. It is an invitation to ask questions. It is an invitation to come and to figure out whether or not you believe any of this Jesus stuff. It is an invitation to bring your gifts to the feet of the Lord in worship without someone saying that they aren’t quite right by someone else’s standards. Love generously. Give freely. Live compassionately. Join the Movement…

Why the Name CANVAS?

Montrose is a neighborhood characterized by creativity and a sort of radically expressive individuality.  We wanted our name to capture the spirit of this part of the city so we called the church Canvas. 

 A canvas is blank slate for a work of art.  It isn’t much to look at in and of itself, but in an artist’s hands it can be anything. It can tell a story of loss, anger, or sadness but it can also tell a story about hope, grace, and redemption.

 A canvas is a space for an artist to create.  We chose Canvas because as a community we want to be stretched and colored, made into a work of art always becoming who God created us to be so that others may see the beauty of His work in us.