Dream City Church began in the early 1920s, when Phoenix was still a small farming community of fewer than 40,000 people. Just a decade after Arizona became a state, revival meetings were held under a tent in a rapidly growing desert city. In the midst of a nationwide spiritual awakening, Reverend John Eiting founded First Assembly of God in 1923, helping establish what would become a leading church movement in Arizona. Before long, “Eleventh Street and Garfield” became a name known far beyond Phoenix.

In 1979, Pastor Tommy Barnett arrived to lead Phoenix First Assembly of God and brought a bold vision for growth. Within weeks, the church launched a Singing Christmas Tree, which became The Celebration of Christmas, a tradition that drew millions of people from across the Valley over the next four decades, and continues to attract over 45,000 attendees every year. As attendance grew by thousands, the church relocated from downtown Phoenix to its current home on Cave Creek Road to make room for what was coming next.

In 1994, that vision expanded beyond church walls with the founding of the Los Angeles Dream Center. A former hospital was transformed into a place of hope for people facing homelessness, addiction, gang involvement, and exploitation. That model would go on to inspire more than 300 Dream Centers around the world, including the Phoenix Dream Center, which continues to serve the local community today.

In 2006, Pastor Luke Barnett returned to Phoenix to serve as Executive Pastor and later became Senior Pastor in 2013. Under his leadership, the church embraced a renewed focus on citywide impact and multiplication. In 2015, Phoenix First Assembly of God became Dream City Church, marking a new chapter in its mission and reach.

Over the years that followed, Dream City Church expanded to multiple campuses across Arizona and beyond, while also deepening its commitment to community care. Mom’s Pantry was founded in 2013 to address food insecurity and now provides more than half a million pounds of food each year. The Dream Center’s efforts to combat human trafficking led to the acquisition of StreetLightUSA in 2018, a program dedicated to recovery for young women. Today, these programs combined represent the largest human trafficking rescue and recovery organization in North America.

That same heart for restoration led to the founding of the Short Creek Dream Center, located in Colorado City, Arizona. What began as a life‑skills and recovery program grew into the only food bank in the region, distributing over 100,000 pounds of food each month, and later became home to Dream City Church Short Creek, the first non‑LDS church in the community.

Today, Dream City Church serves communities across Arizona and beyond, with campuses in Scottsdale, Glendale, Colorado City, Show Low, San Carlos on the Apache Reservation, Omaha, Long Beach, and McAlester.

Looking ahead, Dream City Church is pursuing a vision to launch 10 new campuses in Arizona over the next 10 years, continuing a legacy of presence, service, and faith in communities across the state.

From a revival tent to a multi‑campus church serving cities across the country, Dream City Church’s story continues to unfold. A century later, the question remains the same as it was in the beginning:

Where will God take us next?