Mission Indy was born out of Chapel Rock Christian Church in 1996 with a desire to help teens take the skills and motivations learned and developed in foreign and domestic mission fields and put them into action at home in their own cities. The goal was to help students see the mission of God as a lifestyle rather than a trip. 

    In the first year (Summer) of 1997, over 200 youth and adults from 20 different churches came to reach out to the inner city of Indianapolis. From 1998 to 2000, the numbers grew to 300 youth and adults from 25 churches. Mission Indy did not have a goal to start anything new but wanted to partner with existing churches and ministries in the city.  

    After the summer of 1999, Ron & Marsha Greiner and the original founding members of Mission Indy sensed God's leading to take the ministry to a different level. Several people prayed with them about God's actions and how He would direct the future. The first years included only one week of group participation, but by 2000, it was seen that the number of weeks needed to be expanded. 

    After much prayer and many talks, a core group of people moved to incorporate Mission Indy in October of 2000. A board of directors was put together, and Mission Indy received nonprofit status in 2001. Ron Greiner was named the Executive Director and became full-time in March of 2001.  As a 501 (c) 3, Mission Indy began to be supported by several churches and individuals. In 2001, Mission Indy offered three weeks of the Summer Program; by 2004, it increased that to four weeks. 

    In 2003, two significant changes happened. First, Niccole Wilkes joined the staff of Mission Indy as the Director of Training.  Second, college students began to be hired as summer interns to assist with the summer program. In addition to the summer program, groups came into the city to serve with Mission Indy on selected Saturdays during the year. Because our mission is about equipping and not simply service, more strategic training elements were added, and close attention was paid to ensure that all aspects of the programs were focused on equipping. Niccole left to work with Parent Life, a Youth for Christ program.

    In 2010, Matt Cutler joined the staff of Mission Indy as the Director of Operations to further increase the capacity to do things such as weekend retreats and designed opportunities. In 2013, Ryan Steuer joined the staff as the Director of Mission Development.  In 2017, Nathanael Kelly began to lead Mission Indy's IFI Fellowship. Both Ryan and Nathanael have since moved on.

    Mission Indy continues to grow its partnerships throughout the greater Indianapolis area.  We are thankful to God for many years of serving churches and are excited to see where the Lord will take the ministry in the future. If you would like to see more about Mission Indy's story and heart, see the video below.