The CitySalt Story...

CitySalt Church (formerly SouthHills Church) is part of the Foursquare family churches and was established in September of 2004.

The church was started by Pastor Shannon Kearney following her 13-year service as an associate pastor and counselor at Eugene Faith Center. With a heart drawn to the South Eugene area, she and a group of 60 people began a prayerful search for a meeting location. The group settled on the 70-acre campus of Oak Hill School--where a team of faithful volunteers transformed the school's gymnasium and classrooms into sacred gathering spaces.

In time, the vision and characteristics of the church began to emerge. Staff, ministries, and programs were established as God stirred up passion and vision for various needs within the fellowship. In 2009, Dusty and Julie Johnson joined the staff to help the growing needs of the church. Dusty served as a part-time associate pastor until assuming the role of Senior Pastor in January of 2010. Shannon continued her service to the church as associate pastor until she retired in the Fall of 2012.

In the Fall of 2013, church leadership began to feel a stirring of a fresh vision and relationship to the city of Eugene. This would ultimately lead to major changes in both the name and location of the gatherings.

In the months and years to follow South Hills Church made purposeful steps to contend for a new home for the church gathering. As part of the preparation, it became clear that the church’s ministry call was for the city of Eugene rather than specifically the South Hills area. A new name, not location-specific, would have a prophetic calling for the future. In the Fall of 2014, the church’s 10-year anniversary, membership celebrated the new name, CitySalt Church.

With energized vision and a new name, CitySalt Church continued its search for the next location to root its ministry. Creative solutions, outside-of-the-box thinking, and partnerships across denominational lines opened up a new opportunity in the University District of Eugene. Leasing space from Emerald Community Fellowship and partnering with First Baptist Church of Eugene’s college ministry, and Eugene Chinese Christian Church opened the doors in 2016 for CitySalt to move into their new home, and current location, The Box at 661 E 19th Ave.

2016 was also the year Mike D’Eliso came on staff serving as Assistant Pastor alongside Dusty Johnson and John Rice. In the coming years, the leadership and congregation were able to deeply explore what it meant to be God’s “salt seasoning” in the city of Eugene and our daily lives.

In the midst of the early 2020’s COVID-19 pandemic, Pastor Dusty confirmed a stirring within his heart that it was time to step down from senior ministry leadership, explore other gifts, and empower the next leader’s vision of navigating the post-pandemic world. Working with Foursquare district leadership Dusty retired from the role of Senior Pastor in 2021. Through a season of discernment, Pastor Mike D’Eliso was installed as the next Senior Pastor of CitySalt Church in November of that same year where he serves today.