Rebuilding the Spirit of the City
Our Story
From a basement in 1998 to the city's church — this is what Ungoogleable Faith builds when a city says yes to God.
How we got here
From a borrowed basement to the city’s church — the short version.
1995
The call
Led to Christ by a stranger at a piano in an Eastern Michigan University lounge, Keenann R. Knox answers the call to preach in January 1995.
1998
22 people in a basement
In June, Pastor Knox gathers 22 people in his mother's basement in Clinton Township. Within weeks, the young church moves to Detroit's east side — and never leaves.
2005
The testing years
Easter at Finney High School: the church loses 60% of its congregation in a single season. What follows is a three-and-a-half-year rebuild — the length of Elijah's drought.
2009
52,000 square feet
The rebuilt church moves into its current home on the east side — acquired on faith before the money was ever in hand.
2016
Champions Club opens
In July, Impact City opens Champions Club — dedicated, sensory-friendly rooms for children with special needs. Pastor Joel Osteen joined us for the launch, and our partnership with S.K.I.P. began the same year.
2019
Debt-free
The final balloon payment lands. Every square foot, owned outright — Ungoogleable Faith with a deed.
2020–21
The city ate
Through the pandemic, cars wrapped the block week after week. At the height of it, roughly 10,000 families a week were fed from this parking lot.
2026
Impact City Church
Renamed in January — the city's church. One vision. One city. One impact.
Prayer that covers. Discipleship that grounds.
Two cultures underneath everything else we build.
COVERED
Our prayer culture
Nothing at Impact City moves without prayer. Every service, every family, every request — covered. Bring what's heavy; leave it covered.
Request prayerANCHORED
Our discipleship culture
Faith that holds isn't found — it's built. ANCHORED is how we grow people: rooted in the Word, steady in the storm, strong enough to hold somebody else.
Grow with usFounder & Senior Pastor
Meet Pastor Keenann R. Knox
Pastor Keenann R. Knox is a visionary pastor, communicator, author, and city-builder committed to transforming lives through faith, leadership, discipleship, and community impact. As Founder and Senior Pastor of Impact City Church, Pastor Knox leads with a passion to “Rebuild the Spirit of the City,” creating a ministry culture centered on hope, healing, excellence, spiritual growth, and authentic community.
Known for his dynamic preaching style and prophetic empowerment teaching, Pastor Knox communicates biblical truth with emotional intelligence, cultural relevance, practical wisdom, and spiritual authority. His messages challenge people to grow spiritually while navigating real-life issues with faith, resilience, and purpose. Through both Sunday experiences and his weekday teaching platform, PowerBurst, he has developed a voice that resonates across generations seeking transformation, clarity, and renewed strength.
Pastor Knox's leadership extends beyond the pulpit. His vision for ministry includes community revitalization, leadership development, outreach initiatives, family enrichment, media innovation, and global missions. Under his leadership, Impact City Church has expanded its influence through strategic partnerships, neighborhood outreach, discipleship systems, creative arts, and international ministry efforts reaching communities in places such as West Africa and Pakistan.
A passionate advocate for Detroit, Pastor Knox believes the Church should not simply exist within a city, but actively help shape its future. His ministry approach blends spiritual formation with practical impact — building people, strengthening families, empowering leaders, and creating environments where individuals can encounter God and discover purpose.
As an author, mentor, and movement-minded leader, Pastor Knox continues to inspire people to live with faith, intentionality, discipline, and vision. His ministry is marked by a consistent commitment to excellence, innovation, authenticity, and the belief that there is always room for “One More” life to be changed.
Pastor Knox is a devoted husband to First Lady Danielle Knox and a proud father to Keenann II, Joshua, and Kendall — all three serving in ministry alongside their parents at Impact City Church.
What We Believe
The unchanging foundation under everything we build.
One God
One God, eternally self-existent, manifested in three persons — Almighty Father, Divine Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Word
The Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God — our only rule of faith.
Jesus Christ
Virgin-born, sinless, crucified for our sins, bodily risen, ascended — our mediator and advocate.
Salvation
Redemption comes through Christ's sacrifice alone. Every person must be born again through faith in Him.
The Ordinances
Water baptism and Holy Communion — public declarations of salvation through Jesus Christ.
His Return
We await the personal, visible, imminent return of Jesus Christ in reign and victory.
The Believer's Authority
Believers walk in authority over the enemy through prayerful, prepared lives — the victory is already won.
The Church
The local church governs itself under Christ, growing believers to maturity by obedience and the Holy Spirit.
Our Core Values
How we live it out
Seven values that turn what we believe into how we pray, serve, lead, and love people. They're the reason the room feels the way it does.
- 01
We Do the Un-Google-Able
God is still moving in powerful, miraculous, life-changing ways. Prayer still works, healing is possible, families can be restored — and God still exceeds what logic alone can explain. We refuse to build ministry only around what's comfortable, predictable, or explainable.
Bold prayer. Big faith. Real transformation. Expectation for breakthrough.
- 02
We Love People Big
Every person matters deeply to God, so every person matters deeply to us. Church should feel like home — not performance, pressure, or rejection. We speak life over people, believe in their potential, and meet them with grace while still calling them toward growth.
Hospitality, kindness, relationship, care, encouragement, and genuine connection.
- 03
Excellence Honors God & Inspires People
Excellence is stewardship. Not perfection, and not performance — it's doing our best to remove distractions so people can clearly experience Jesus and receive what God wants to do in their lives.
Prepared leadership. Strong systems. Intentional experiences. Joyful service. Attention to detail.
- 04
We Build God's House Together
Church isn't something we consume — it's something we help build. Every person has value, purpose, and a role in what God is doing. Not just attend, but engage, grow, serve, lead, give, and take ownership of the vision.
Serving, generosity, leadership development, teamwork, discipleship, and active participation.
- 05
There Is Always Room for ONE MORE
This is the core of who we are. Not a campaign, not a moment — a mindset. There is always one more person to reach, one more family to restore, one more prayer to pray, one more life to impact. Growth isn't about numbers: every number has a name, every name has a story, and every story matters to God. We don't settle. We stretch.
Invitation culture. Evangelism. Outreach. Follow-up. Hospitality. Persistence. Making space for others.
- 06
We Think City, Not Crowd
The church should impact more than a Sunday service. We're not simply trying to gather crowds — we're committed to lasting impact in homes, neighborhoods, schools, and future generations, rebuilding the spirit of our city.
Community outreach. Family enrichment. City engagement. Partnerships. Generational impact.
- 07
We Live to Impact
Faith should be lived daily, not practiced occasionally. Our relationship with God shapes how we treat people, how we lead, how we work, how we respond to challenges, and how we serve the world around us.
Daily faith. Leadership. Service. Compassion. Integrity. Purpose-driven living.
The city is the assignment
DPSCD leaders call Impact City the most engaged church in the district. These are our adopted schools and standing commitments:
Adopted Detroit schools
- Hutchinson @ Howe
- East English Village Preparatory Academy @ Finney
- Hamilton
- Ronald Brown Academy
- Duke Ellington
- Blackwell Institute
Standing commitments
- Champions Club — dedicated special-needs ministry since 2016
- S.K.I.P. — a partner since 2016, putting toys in the hands of Detroit kids
- The Impact of Christmas — our signature event: 5,000 kids' Christmas covered in 2024
- City Threads — our free boutique, giving away clothing for every season to anyone who needs it
- ~10,000 families fed weekly at the height of the pandemic
- Global missions reaching West Africa and Pakistan
Loving People, Loving People.
Come see it for yourself