Jay Dennis retired pastor of Church at the Mall, is launching City Central Church, which he describes as a non-denominational congregation, The Ledger article.
The new church is leasing the sanctuary at 310 Frank Lloyd Wright Way; it was formerly part of St. Joseph Academy and is now owned by Florida Southern College.
FSC spokeswoman Kelly Semrau said the college is focused on renovating the 55,000-square-foot former school building on the tract’s west side for classrooms and laboratories.
The sanctuary is not ready for renovations, which will be more costly, Semrau said by email. She said Florida Southern intends to use the entire space eventually for its nursing program.
Florida Southern has no timetable for how long City Central Church will be able to use the sanctuary, Semrau said. Dennis said he hopes his church will occupy the space for three to five years.