Veritas Church in Tiffin has been a flourishing community since its founding in 2010. Veritas was originally planned to focus on college ministry, but has grown to encompass all ages.
James Pusey, the Creative Arts Director, has been part of Veritas’s journey since its early stages.
“For the longest time, our service met downtown. The [University of Iowa] campus has been a big part of what we do. One of the ways the vision has evolved is at first, we didn’t have a ministry for the youth. The need has grown from college students to youth ministry,” Pusey said.
Veritas currently has three services on Sunday mornings. The church saw a need for a larger space with the growing congregation.
In the fall of 2026, Veritas is scheduled to open a 1,500-seat auditorium and kids’ classrooms. This project totaled $17.5 million.
The planning of this project put a lot of thought into maintaining the current environment on Sunday mornings. The church wanted to build a larger building without it feeling like a cavernous arena.
“We visited Cornerstone in Ames, two churches in St. Louis, a few in Nashville, some in Cedar Rapids and Ankeny. We don’t want to put the pastor on a video screen to see them,” Pusey said.
Veritas is excited to open up its new space to old and new members alike. Pusey believes people like Veritas because of the blended style of music and straightforward teaching on Sunday mornings. However, the resources for a larger congregation are not without challenges.
“What we keep coming back to is that as we grow, it doesn’t mean that you have to be spread more thin. As long as your commitment is teaching the Bible, and as long as people are coming to hear the truth, we have a seat for you,” Pusey said.
Carleigh Maher, 12, has gone to Veritas for the past three years. She attends Veritas’s youth group on Wednesday nights and volunteers in the kids’ wing on Sunday mornings.
“I know there are a lot of people already going to Veritas, but I’m still excited to see how it’s going to grow and bring more families in. And for the kids ministry, right now we can’t support the amount of people,” Maher said.
There is also a large interest in the youth group at Veritas.
The high school youth group stands out in the community because students support each other to grow in their faith. The leaders help formulate an environment that is relevant to students.
“I feel like especially with everything that’s going on in the world and social media is a big thing too, ministry is helping people bring people back to youth groups,” Maher said.
As Veritas prepares for a new chapter, they are ready to enter into this next season with purpose and excitement to see how the church will grow.
“We’re building a building, but the church isn’t the building. It’s the people. Hopefully, people are saying I want to be a part of this family that is building to live deeper than just in the world,” Pusey said.
