About LIIV
Our story
LIIV Atlanta was born from a journey of pain, purpose, and a renewed calling to this city. Hear Dr. Mayo and Kai Sowell share how Atlanta became home again and how their story shaped a church committed to helping all people flourish.
Our founders
Our founders, Dr. Mayo and Kai Sowell, are the proud parents of three amazing kids: Cannon, Brave, and Liberty.
Mayo is a people person through and through, always the first to strike up a conversation and make someone feel seen. He recently earned his Doctorate in Global Missiology from Southeastern University, and when he's not leading, you'll find him chasing scratch golfer status on the course or fired up on the sidelines coaching his son's football team.
Kai is a powerhouse: a devoted wife and mom who brings passion and heart to everything she touches, all while standing shoulder to shoulder with Mayo to lead LIIV Atlanta. She's got a magnetic energy that shows up whether she's cheering on her kids, attending a workout class, or soaking up time with family and friends.
Together, they love this city fiercely. They love watching Atlanta come alive and flourish, and they're all in, giving everything they have so people across this city can thrive.
What LIIV stands for
The name “LIIV” is not only a confession for our city, it’s an acronym for what is important to us: Love, Integrity, Influence, and Victory.
We LOVE people despite their deficits.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."John 3:16 NIV
“Our outcome is Sacrifice.”
We LIIV with INTEGRITY because people trust us.
“Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”Mark 7:36-37 NIV
“Our outcome is Excellence.”
We use all INFLUENCE to pull others up and push others forward.
“Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you—”Joshua 1:2-3 NLT
"Our outcome is Movement.”
We experience the VICTORY of Jesus Christ.
“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”1 Corinthians 15:57 NIV
“Our outcome is Confidence.”
01—04
Our faith is rooted in Scripture and reflected in how we worship, serve, and love our city. Below are the doctrinal foundations that guide everything we do at LIIV Atlanta.
The Holy Bible is the authoritative Word of God — the final authority in all doctrinal truth. In its original writing, it is inspired, infallible, and inerrant.II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 16:25-26
Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. Fully God and fully man, He lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, rose on the third day, and will return again in power and glory.John 1:1,14, 20:28; I Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-6; I Timothy 2:5
There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — coequal and co-eternal.I John 5:7; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 3:7-11
We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ — His death, burial, and resurrection. Salvation is a gift from God, not the result of human effort or good works.Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16, 3:8; Titus 3:5; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; Hebrews 9:22
Man was created good and upright, but by voluntary transgression he fell. His only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.Gen. 1:26-31, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21
Repentance is the commitment to turn away from sin and follow Christ, through which we receive forgiveness and are regenerated by the Holy Spirit.Acts 2:21, 3:19; I John 1:9
The blood Jesus shed on the Cross is 100% sufficient to cleanse mankind of all sin and free all who believe from the penalty of sin, which is death.I John 1:7; Revelation 1:5, 5:9; Colossians 1:20; Romans 3:10-12, 23, 5:9; John 1:29
The promise of the Father, given at Pentecost and sent by Jesus after His Ascension, to empower the Church to preach the Gospel throughout the whole earth.Joel 2:28-29; Matthew 3:11; Mark 16:17; Acts 1:5, 2:1-4, 17, 38-39, 8:14-17, 10:38, 44-47, 11:15-17, 19:1-6
The Church is the Body of Christ — the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments to fulfill Jesus' Great Commission. Every person born of the Spirit is an integral part of the Church.Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23; John 17:11, 20-23
A unique time of communion in the presence of God, when the elements of bread and grape juice are taken in remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross.Matthew 26:26-29; I Corinthians 10:16, 11:23-25
Healing is illustrated in the life and ministry of Jesus, included in His commission to His disciples, and given as a sign to follow believers. It is part of Christ's work on the Cross and one of the gifts of the Spirit.Psalm 103:2-3; Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 8:16-17; Mark 16:17-18; Acts 8:6-7; James 5:14-16; I Corinthians 12:9, 28; Romans 11:29
Jesus Christ was physically resurrected from the dead in a glorified body three days after His death on the cross. Both the saved and the lost will be resurrected — the saved to life, the lost to eternal judgment.Luke 24:16, 36, 39; John 2:19-21, 20:26-28, 21:4; Acts 24:15; I Corinthians 15:42, 44; Philippians 1:21-23, 3:21
After one life on earth, unbelievers will be judged by God and sent to Hell, where they will be eternally separated from Him.Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 14:9-11, 20:12-15, 21:8
Jesus Christ was conceived by God the Father, through the Holy Spirit, in the virgin Mary's womb. Therefore He is the Son of God.Matthew 1:18, 25; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:27-35
For anyone to know God, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.John 6:44, 65; Matthew 19:28; Titus 3:5
Sanctification is the ongoing process of yielding to God's Word and His Spirit to develop Christ's character in us. Through the Holy Spirit and the Word, the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.I Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23; II Corinthians 3:18, 6:14-18; Romans 8:29, 12:1-2; Hebrews 2:11
Christians are people who have invited the Lord Jesus Christ to live inside them by His Holy Spirit, relinquishing the authority of their lives to Him — making Jesus both Savior and Lord.John 1:12; John 14:17, 23; John 15:4; Romans 8:11; Revelation 3:20
The Holy Spirit manifests through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and sanctify the Church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection, and confirm the power of the Gospel. All believers are called to earnestly desire these gifts, which always operate in harmony with Scripture.Hebrews 2:4; Romans 1:11, 12:4-8; Ephesians 4:16; I Timothy 4:14; II Timothy 1:6-7; I Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-40; I Peter 4:10
Following faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the new believer is commanded by the Word of God to be baptized in water in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12, 36-38; 10:47-48
We believe marriage is defined in the Bible as a covenant — a sacred bond between one man and one woman, instituted by and publicly entered into before God.Matthew 19:4-6
It is the Father's will for believers to become whole, healthy, and successful in all areas of life. While the fall may prevent the full receipt of these benefits on earth, believers should never stop seeking the full provision of Christ in order to better serve others.John 3:3-11; II Corinthians 5:17-21; Romans 10:9-10; II Timothy 1:7; Philippians 4:7-8; Isaiah 53:4-5; Malachi 3:10-11; Luke 6:38; Philippians 4:19
Heaven is the eternal dwelling place for all who believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.Matthew 5:3, 12, 20, 6:20, 19:21, 25:34; John 17:24; II Corinthians 5:1; Hebrews 11:16; I Peter 1:4
Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to earth to establish His Kingdom. The date of His return is not disclosed in Scripture.Matthew 24:30, 26:63-64; Acts 1:9-11; I Thessalonians 4:15-17; II Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 1:7
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