LAUNCHING FALL 2025 | EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN
WHO WE ARE
Our number one value is the gospel. Jesus will always be at the center of everything we do and preach. In the gospel message, Jesus teaches us how to walk with Him and what it looks like to be transformed by Him. We believe that these values point us toward a transformed life where we can learn to walk with Jesus.
CONNECTION – Relationship is the context in which ministry is done. That’s how Jesus did it, and that’s how we do it. Who are your 2 am friends?
LEARNING –The Word of God is our guiding light (Ps 119:105). We rely on it to guide our lives and convict our actions. What is God teaching you through His Word?
PRAYER –Faith is a relationship, not a religion. And prayer is the way that we keep our relationship with God fresh and alive. Are you communicating often with God?
REST –We are designed to reconnect regularly with God. It’s not so much about stopping our work as it is about setting apart time for reconnection with our Creator. Is sabbath a part of your weekly rhythm?
KINGDOM WORK – Everything we have comes from God and is given to us in order to build up His kingdom. How are you using your gifts, talents and resources to further God’s kingdom instead of your own?
WORSHIP – Worship is not something that happens on Sunday. Romans 12:1 tells us that when we offer God our entire life to go and do whatever He calls us to, that is how we truly worship Him. How do you display your love for Jesus every day?
MULTIPLICATION –God’s plan was always multiplication, not addition. We do this by investing in and discipling people. Who is your one person that God has called you to invest in?
WHY EAST LANSING?
We believe that God has prepared us and called us to plant a church in a college town. Growing up I, Jay, have many core memories of watching MSU football and basketball games with my family. Over the past few years, my son and I have had season tickets to MSU hockey games and I have enjoyed creating some of those memories with him. We love MSU, but that’s not the reason that we feel called to plant a church in East Lansing. We believe that college students desire to have mentorship in their lives. And with a campus that is less than 2% evangelical believers, we believe that there is a need to disciple this generation of young people and equip them to walk with Jesus and be transformed by Him.
WHY CEDAR CITY?
If you’ve been to East Lansing you know that Red Cedar trees are everywhere. The Red Cedar River runs through the heart of the city and is even mentioned in the first line of the MSU fight song. The cedars provide the backdrop for our city and they remind us that both students and community members can live in unity with one another since we all live under the shade of the same cedars. Psalm 92 tells us that if we learn to follow Jesus in our lives, then we will be like the cedars of Lebanon transplanted in the house of the Lord. Given the landscape in the city of Jerusalem, it would be nearly impossible to transplant a cedar tree into the house of the Lord. Yet, that is the picture that the psalmist paints. If we live Godly lives, then we can flourish in a dry and lifeless place. How amazing would it be to see students living their lives on fire for Jesus, and see them plant themselves in places that so desperately needs more of Him.
MEET THE LEADLEYS
We are Jay and Mallory Leadley. We have been married since 2011 and we have been blessed with 3 children, Ira (8), Thea (6), and Cora (3). We are both from Southeast Michigan but have moved around quite a bit throughout our childhood and adult lives. Most recently we have sensed God calling us to move to central Michigan to plant a church in the city of East Lansing.
I, Jay, grew up in the faith but struggled to commit my life to following Christ until I was in my junior year of college. My college years were extremely important in my faith journey and by the time I was a senior in college, I decided to commit to a life of vocational ministry. I’ve always carried with me a heart for young adults and college students because of the ways that I encountered Jesus during those formative years of my life.
I, Mallory, grew up in a Christian home as a “pastor’s kid”, and have been following Jesus since a very young age. I’ve spent my entire life learning and getting to know Him, although it wasn’t really until I moved away to college that I fully embraced my relationship with Jesus and made it my own. Looking back, it’s been amazing to see all the God-led steps that have brought us to East Lansing. We are both so eager to see the transformative power of the Gospel in the lives of these college students and are open and excitedly expectant to see what God will do through us in this next chapter.
Since we’ve been married God has been shaping us and giving us opportunities to both serve those around us and He has been giving us experience and skills needed to do ministry in a variety of different contexts. Shortly after graduating college Jay attended seminary and has been working in ministry on college campuses, at Christian schools, and in churches in a variety of roles. Mallory has worked diligently to provide supplementary income for our family to continue doing ministry while also investing in the lives of our children.
We didn’t know this at the time, but throughout the past several years God was preparing us for this new adventure. This past year we have sensed God’s calling to plant a church and that calling has been affirmed through prayer, friends, mentors, colleagues, church leadership, and formal assessments. We have now relocated to East Lansing to prepare to launch Cedar City Church in the spring of 2025!