Catasauqua has a new church.

And, it's not your traditional church.

Revolution Church, 5 Race St., held its grand opening Sunday, Jan. 26. The church is led by Bishop Jim McIver.

The church was previously located in center city Allentown. However, due to the influx of crime and many members of the church traveling from the suburbs, McIver said he began searching for a larger building in a safer area.

"We started exploring," he said. "We started looking at where people were coming from. We really prayed a lot about the move."

While searching for a new building to house his congregation, his son Brandon reminded him of the building on Race Street he casually looked at previously.

"My son said 'Let's look at that building in Catty,'" McIver said. "I finally thought I would take a look."

McIver said he was looking for the right building in the right location. He said he initially had his reservations about the building, but after some thought and reflection, Catasauqua became the prized location.

"It [building] was an unholy mess," he said. "The building looked sad, but it grew on me. We just really liked Catty."

Closing for the building, which previously was a warehouse, took place September 2013. Immediately after closing, McIver said he and his team sprung into action, turning the hollow building into a place of worship. The entire inside of the building had to be remodeled, from the plumbing to the electric, he said.

"I brought in all the people I needed," he said. "We renovated the building in two months."

The end product includes a modern sanctuary, equipped with state of the art technology, two children's rooms, bathrooms, a greeting area with a cafe, pastoral offices and a soon-to-be teen room on the second floor.

McIver, who teaches classes in financial management, said the church purchased the building with cash.

Revolution Church offers a more modern form of worship. While non-denominational, many church members are Pentecostal, McIver said. The church offers a basic church membership class, Bible study classes for men and women, children's classes and a healing school.

"Anyone who desires to worship is invited," he said of the church.

McIver, who holds a PhD from the North Carolina College of Theology, Wilmington, N.C., has been in ministry for over 40 years. In addition to his duties leading Revolution Church, he also ministers to a church in Honduras and Jamaica as well as runs an orphanage in Haiti. He also has his own publishing company and is the author of over 15 books.

Services are held 10:30 a.m. Sunday and 7 p.m. Wednesday.

"Our services are exciting," McIver said. "We have a little different presentation. The message is relevant to both adults and children. I preach and teach the word of God."

To date, Revolution Church averages 175 to 200 attendees a week. McIver said in the future the church may begin offering two Sunday services to accommodate a growing congregation.

McIver said he also hopes to work with the neighboring churches in Catasauqua. He also said the church is currently working on a website.

He and his wife, Pastor Mary McIver, are the parents of five children, all of whom are affiliated or serve in some form of church ministry.

For those who do decide to stop by for worship at Revolution Church, McIver will not be hard to find. He's the man holding the Bible with the big, friendly smile.

"I want to be relevant to people and I want people to approach me," he said.