Our story begins at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, where a passion for reaching college students took root. Back in 2015 Pastor Derek Quinby got plugged in with the Chi Alpha Campus Ministry that his older brother was starting and quickly saw the huge mission field that is the college campus. God moved in powerful ways on campus and then in 2020 Pastor Daniel Quinby felt a calling to plant Sent Church in Cedar Falls out of their Chi Alpha, so that not only the college campus would be reached but also the community. Pastor Derek took over the Chi Alpha and from 2020 to 2026 he served as the Chi Alpha Director at UNI seeing God do powerful things on campus and through their church plant.

However, in 2025 a new dream was born to see what God was doing in Cedar Falls not stay in Cedar Falls. A huge burden started to grow for the over 107,000 people in Johnson County far from Jesus and the over 31,000 students at the University of Iowa with no Chi Alpha presence. Someone had to do something about this need in Iowa City. What started as a calling became a vision: a church seeking a move of God in Iowa City that changes the world.

In the Fall of 2026 a team from Cedar Falls moved to Iowa City and launched a Chi Alpha at the University of Iowa where they’ve already established a thriving ministry on campus. The dream is to plant a church out of this ministry that reaches not only the campus…but the entire community in 2027.

Seek Church exists because we believe God wants to move in Iowa City. We believe that a church that Seeks God, is Shaped in Community, and Lives Sent on Mission can change not only Iowa City…but the entire world.