This is Carson City: LifeChurch’s expansion at work to touch all of Northern Nevada

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Many hands were needed to help teach LifeChurch Carson City’s children when it first opened its doors in December 2023. Staff members constantly were recruiting volunteers as services kept growing. There was a vibrant energy filling the property at 1600 Snyder Ave. again with newcomers bringing their little ones and their curiosity about the area’s newest worship center.

To thank those who helped build its rotation of teachers for its young children, a table propped up personalized flasks in June. The gifts were left over from a dinner dedicated to honor those who faithfully were serving but couldn’t attend while staff members kept looking to distribute them to their owners.

“There was such a need to teach the children,” co-Pastor Christie Braun said. “They always have a big smile. Now we have enough, thankfully, where they can do a rotation.”

LifeChurch Carson City was planted as an expansion to the original Reno campus established by Pastor Dave Pretlove and his wife Clare, originally from Western Colorado. The Carson location is overseen by husband and wife campus Pastors Dusty and Christie Braun. Together with the Pretloves, they see their mission as helping the next generation to grow its faith in God and create connections with each other in Nevada’s capital city.

Founded in faith

LifeChurch Reno was planted 18 years ago in the Pretloves’ living room before it moved to and celebrated a grand opening at Galena High School. Two years later, the body began its purchase of 10 acres adjacent to Damonte Ranch High School at 10300 Rio Wrangler Parkway and began meeting on campus.

“It was our great desire that it wouldn’t just be one part of Northern Nevada but really to be something that would touch all of Northern Nevada,” Pretlove said. “We always thought one day we would have a campus in Carson City and we’ve been working hard to open one in Spanish Springs.”

LifeChurch Reno saw an “incredible opportunity” when the Capital Christian Church property at 1600 Snyder Ave. opened in 2019, he said. Members began considering its possibilities for planting a Carson home with it, but the timing wasn’t right.

“And then COVID came soon after that, and it was quite a journey to pull that together,” he said.

Most worshippers who attend church either in Reno or Carson now stay connected through Life’s livestream capabilities and are reaching out to others by invitation. Plans are to continue making improvements to LC’s Carson campus. Its goal is to be a “great source of good” to its community and to the vulnerable.

“We’re all about trying to make a difference with the next generation,” Pretlove said. “And we’ve always said whoever wins the kids is the winner.”

Pastors Dusty and Christie Braun fell in love with LifeChurch and wanted to help in their local community. They had two young children of their home when they moved to the area. Christie was raised in Fallon while Dusty came from Central California and despite different backgrounds, the thought of joining the church’s staff began growing on them both.

The couple has been married for 20 years after meeting at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla. They have a son, David 15, and daughter, Dylann, 14. Both have a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy, and Dusty earned a doctorate in clinical psychology.

Pastor Dusty Braun reads a passage written by author C.S. Lewis during a message June 30.

Coming home to 1600 Snyder Ave.

The former Capital Christian Church was built in 1988 at 1600 Snyder Ave. with its gymnasium, kitchen, 15 classrooms and office space. An additional building was established in 2009 and Capital Christian congregants used it as a worship center. They provided two audiovisual systems and converted it into a performing arts center.

The Carson City School District became interested in purchasing the property in 2019 as it looked toward future enrollment potential and limited real estate opportunities in the city before COVID-19 occurred. The process was carried out with due diligence, including a 90-day feasibility study and community tours. The school board authorized former Superintendent Richard Stokes to draft a purchase agreement. But the action was tabled in May 2020 after multiple discussions about price and the district’s ability to retrofit an older campus with its capital needs, such as carpet replacement, painting, making repairs to the ceilings where there were water stains, easements and other needs.

The Brauns said they walked on the campus in April 2019, also before the pandemic, and felt the potential for them as a church.

“We didn’t know what this property was going to look like,” Dusty said. “It’s been a journey for us. God has just revealed step by step, we always wanted this to be a second campus of LifeChurch.”

“We were really praying about it, and then we were ready to do something and then COVID happened,” Christie said. “You weren’t allowed to gather. There was so much to it. And four years later, it was still available, actually two years later, we were able to rent it through a nonprofit, for the schools to be here, and the church bought it last April.”

Expansion and connection

LifeChurch Carson City held its grand opening on Dec. 10, 2023. Most who have come are newer residents to the area, the Brauns said. Some are younger with children and are enjoying its offerings with its children’s ministry.

“There have been a lot of people that now have come and found a connection,” Dusty said.

The campus offers an activity center that had been converted into the LC Kids center, providing young explorers a large slide and space for them to learn about Jesus, the couple said. The gym in the center is used daily by partnering private schools Grace and Wonder and Legacy Christian Academy, which opened in September 2022, as well as a homeschool co-op.

The church now is firmly established as two campuses, but there is a vision ahead to plant another campus in Sparks within a year. For now, the Reno and Carson sites join often online via livestream in worship. Dusty said the experience helps keep both congregations close.

“It’s been really incredible seeing new people come, especially a lot of people that have moved into Carson since COVID has happened,” he said. “There have been a lot of people that now have come and found a connection.”

“People walk on this campus and feel His love, like, right away,” Christie said. “There’s like a burning need that this church needed to be here. It’s why, even though we have other jobs, we knew this needed to happen and to be the campus pastors, because there was such a need.”

One of its major populations for outreach and demographics it has been successful at retaining are younger families with children who are seeking a strong Biblical and social program.

“LifeChurch in Reno has a massive heart for kids and always has,” Dusty said. “The first building they built was the LifeChurch Kids building, and the adults met upstairs in what was supposed to be a dodgeball building.”

LifeChurch Carson converted its activity building into another LifeChurch Kids building and provided a large slide for kids.

“It has life, and we want to do our kids’ ministry with excellence,” he said.
There are eight on staff for the Carson campus with a mix of part- and full-time positions. Grace and Wonder has 25 on staff and Legacy has 10, but everyone feels connected and they’ve been glad to work together, the Brauns said.

The LifeChurch Kids Center on campus was remodeled and offers classroom space and a giant slide for children to play in when they attend church.

‘Source of good’ for Northern Nevada

Pretlove said, who started out as a youth pastor in Texas, started a church in western Colorado and eventually moved to Northern Nevada to begin LifeChurch, said he hopes the campus will be a “great source of good” to anyone in vulnerable situations.

“We’re going to be making some improvements to the Carson City campus to create some outdoor space where people can gather and possibly looking at building an additional playground, but looking at building a space that can be more available to the public, and we’re super excited to have a Carson campus,” he said. “We always thought one day we would have a campus in Carson City and now we’re working hard to open one in Spanish Springs.”

Pretlove said it’s been “incredible” to see his congregation flourish.

“It’s been incredible,” he said. “Our great desire is that it wouldn’t just be one part of Northern Nevada but really to be something that would touch all of Northern Nevada.”