Our Story

Our story didn’t begin with a building. It began with God’s invitation.

In 1969, while home on furlough from missionary service in Haiti, Harry and Marion Rich sensed God calling them to plant a Church of the Nazarene in Belton. Before there was a congregation, there was simply a conviction that God was already at work in this community and an invitation to join in that work.

God stirred the hearts of others to share that vision. At that year’s Kansas City District Assembly, people across the district were invited to help “Boost Belton.” Anyone who pledged $50 toward the new church plant received a small sack of “Belton dirt.” It was a tangible reminder that God was planting something new in this place. By the end of the campaign, more than $5,000 had been raised to help launch the new mission, and the Kansas City District committed ongoing financial support to help the young congregation take root.

The first worship services were held in the Springdale Lake Recreation Center, where a small group of believers gathered to worship and trust God's leading. Then, on August 8, 1971, Belton Church of the Nazarene was officially organized. What had begun as God’s call to a missionary couple had become a community of faith, gathered to worship God, grow in grace, and serve their neighbors.

Over the years, God continued to provide what was needed for the congregation’s ministry. In 1975, the church moved into a district-owned modular chapel on South Cedar Street. Less than a decade later, after years of prayer and discernment, God opened the door for the congregation to purchase its current property on Chestnut Drive. Facilities were expanded, additional land was purchased with hope for future ministry, and, years later, that same property was sold when faithful stewardship called for a different path. Through every season of change, God remained faithful, continually inviting the congregation to ask: how are we being called to serve Belton today?

In 2002, the congregation adopted the name Belton New Horizons Church of the Nazarene. This name gave voice to something that had been true from the very beginning. Ours has always been a story of God leading people into places they had never been before. The name reminds us that God’s work is never finished and that faithfulness often means stepping toward horizons we cannot yet fully see.

Every generation has received this congregation as a gift. None of us started New Horizons Church of the Nazarene, yet each of us has the privilege and responsibility of caring for what others have entrusted to us and handing it on to those who will come after us. We remember our history not because we are looking backward, but because remembering God’s faithfulness gives us courage to trust God with the future.

Perhaps you’ve been part of New Horizons Church of the Nazarene for decades. Perhaps you’re visiting for the very first time. Wherever you find yourself, we hope you’ll see that there is a place for you in God’s story here. The people who first answered God's call to “Boost Belton” could not have imagined everyone who would one day walk through these doors. Yet God was already making room for each of us. Now we have the privilege of welcoming others, serving our community, and continuing the work God began long before we arrived.

Today, we continue that story. We are a community gathered by God in worship, transformed by grace into the likeness of Christ, and sent by the Spirit in love. Grateful for our heritage and confident in God’s faithfulness, we look toward the new horizons God is still unfolding before us.

Milestones Along the Journey

1969

A Vision Is Planted

Harry and Marion Rich begin planting a Church of the Nazarene in Belton while home on furlough from missionary service in Haiti. The “Boost Belton” campaign raises more than $5,000 to help launch the new mission.

1970

The Mission Begins

The Kansas City District provides monthly Home Mission support, and the first worship services are held at the Springdale Lake Recreation Center.

1971

A Church Is Organized

Belton Church of the Nazarene is officially organized on August 8, 1971.

1975

A Place to Gather

The congregation moves into a district-owned modular chapel on South Cedar Street, creating a new home for worship.

1984

A Permanent Home

After years of prayer and planning, the congregation purchases its current property on Chestnut Drive.

1995

Making Room for Ministry

A foyer addition is completed, and the parking lot is paved to better welcome the community.

1999

Looking to the Future

The church purchases ten acres along Highway 58 as an investment in future ministry opportunities.

2002

A New Name

The congregation becomes Belton New Horizons Church of the Nazarene, celebrating both its heritage and its hope for the future.

2014

A New Chapter of Leadership

Rev. Jay Wilson begins serving as lead pastor, continuing the congregation’s mission of worship, discipleship, and service.

2022

Faithful Stewardship

The congregation approves the sale of the unused Highway 58 property, recognizing that faithful stewardship sometimes means letting go as well as acquiring.

2026

The Harbor Opens

The church launches The Harbor Youth Center, creating a new space for ministry, welcome, and connection in the community.

Today

The Story Continues

God continues to gather people into this community of faith as we worship, grow together in grace, and serve Belton with compassion and faithfulness.