Our History
From a small team sent out in faith to a growing, sending church.
THE BEGINNING
A Beginning Rooted in Sending
In 2009, a team of 20 people was sent from Aletheia Church in Harrisonburg, Virginia to plant Aletheia Church in Tampa, Florida. This wasn’t just a new church, it was part of a growing movement of church planting that had already seen multiple churches launched between 2001–2008.
Why Tampa? We believed God was leading us to a growing, diverse city filled with college students, young professionals, and families—people from all backgrounds who needed to hear and respond to the gospel.
From the very beginning, our vision has been clear:
To see a greater worship of Jesus through disciple making and church planting.
Our hope has always been that as people grow in their worship of Jesus, they would bring others along with them—impacting not just our city, but the world.
THE EARLY YEARS
A Church is Born
We first began gathering on the University of South Florida’s campus, with an initial focus on reaching college students. But it didn’t stay that way for long. Soon, young families and others from the surrounding community began joining, forming a diverse and growing church family.
KEY MILESTONES
May 2009 – Our first baptisms
August 23, 2009 – First Sunday night services at the Marshall Center (USF)
May 2010 – Transition to Sunday morning services at the BCM building (USF)
Summer 2011 – Sent a team to plant a church in St. Petersburg
Summer 2012 – Sent a team to plant a church in Gainesville
CHURCH PLANTING
A Season of Growth & Sending
In August 2012, we moved to the New Tampa YMCA, where we gathered for seven years. During that time, God moved powerfully—nearly 150 people were saved and baptized.
Even as we grew, we continued to send:
Fall 2016 – Sent a team to plant a church in Seminole Heights
Fall 2018 – Sent a team to plant a church in Lakeland
In Fall 2019, we moved to Liberty Middle School, where we met on and off for over four years, navigating the challenges of the COVID season while continuing to see God’s faithfulness.
BEING PLANTED
A New Chapter
February 2024 – Moved into our building on Fletcher Avenue
February 2025 – Launched two Sunday services
What began as a small, college-focused church has grown into a multi-generational, diverse family—and by God’s grace, a sending church.
OUR DNA
A Culture of Sending
Each year, thousands of churches close their doors across America. We believe one of the primary ways God advances the gospel is through the planting of new churches.
Because of this, sending isn’t something we occasionally do—it’s who we are.
We’ve planted 4 churches
We’ve sent missionaries to Japan, Spain, Colombia, and China
We regularly send teams on short-term trips to places like the Dominican Republic and Spain
Our DNA is simple: we raise up, send out, and trust God to work.
THE LORD HAS DONE GREAT THINGS
What God Has Done
As we look back over the past 17 years, we see God’s faithfulness woven into every step of our story.
Over 200 people saved and baptized
More than 100 people sent out for church planting and missions
Hundreds of thousands of dollars given to support gospel work around the world
Our church plants in Gainesville and Lakeland have especially flourished, bearing fruit beyond what we could have imagined. In fact, Aletheia Gainesville planted a church in Colombia in 2019, our first “granddaughter” church.
And the story continues—The King’s Church in Lakeland is preparing to plant their first church soon.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Future We Are Praying For
Upcoming Church Plant
In Fall 2027, we will send out our fifth church plant: The Stone Church, led by Pastor Sage Rodrigo and his wife Mariah. They, along with their four children, will arrive in Summer 2026 to train, build a team, and prepare to launch in Downtown Tampa.
A Vision for the Next 5 Years
We are prayerfully pursuing:
A bi-lingual church plant in West Tampa, serving the Latino community
A church plant in Northeast Spain, building on existing gospel relationships
Additionally, we are developing a pipeline to equip and send future leaders, planters, and missionaries—so that the mission continues for generations to come.
TO HIM BE THE GLORY
Our Story is Still Being Written
From 20 people sent out in faith to a growing, sending church family, every step has been marked by God’s grace.
And we believe this is just the beginning.