ABOUT US
Creo: to create in Latin
We inspire, connect, and equip missionaries of beauty — forming communities where art and faith flourish.
OUR PURPOSE
Rooted in the gospel and held together by a shared faith, Creo Arts is a national nonprofit ministry devoted to awakening the world to the beauty, goodness, and truth of the Christian story through the arts. We gather artists, patrons, and communities of all Christian backgrounds to be formed, inspired, and sent—participating together in the creative work God is already doing.
OUR IMPACT
Since 2022, we have supported diverse artistic projects that have touched communities across more than 20 states.
We are honored to have a strategic partnership with Belmont University’s Creative Arts Collective to offer grants for art projects that tell the Christianity story for a new generation.
What
We Do
Who We Serve
Inspire
We inspire missionaries of beauty by creating content, including short films, books, music, art, and other media.
Artists
We support artists by connecting them to a national network, by forming local art guilds and cohorts, and by providing consulting, training, and offering grants to create art that tells the Christian story. We long to help artists discover belonging, purpose, and new opportunities to offer their work within the life of the Church.
Connect
We connect missionaries of beauty in communities where art and faith flourish by offering a national network and by forming local art guilds.
Patrons
We partner with patrons to dream together how their investments can have a Kingdom impact to help communities thrive and flourish through the arts and faith. We also invite patrons into meaningful partnerships with artists, supporting and commissioning works that tell the Christian story for a new generation.
Equip
We equip missionaries of beauty by
offering grants, consulting, training,
and retreats for art projects that tell the Christian story.
Churches & Organizations
We work across sectors to equip churches and organizations—from rural to urban—to cultivate creative initiatives such as art guilds, galleries, traveling exhibits, and gatherings. By connecting artists with churches, we help communities celebrate the creative gifts already among them while reimagining sacred spaces through beauty and collaboration.
WE BELIEVE
The arts are essential in fulfilling the Great Commission.
In our modern world, many people are seeking purpose and meaning. What if God wanted to use the arts to help us fulfill the Great Commission by engaging people’s imaginations? What if you have a special role to play in the new thing God is doing in and through the arts? We believe the answer is yes.
Art by Winfield Bevins
OUR FAITH
Creo Way of Life
Though our backgrounds and art forms differ, we are united by a common faith in God the Father—the Maker of all things, visible and invisible—and a shared way of life that shapes how we create, serve, and live in the world. If this vision awakens something in you, we invite you to join us as a missionary of beauty.
Co-creation
We are committed to co-creating art with God that is birthed from a place of prayer and partnership with the Holy Spirit.
Exodus 31:1-11
Sabbath
We are committed to working from a place of rest and taking time to do small things with great love that will have a Kingdom impact.
Matthew 11:28-30
Community
We are committed to forming communities of artists, patrons, and churches where art and faith flourish.
Acts 2:42
Place
We are committed to bringing beauty to the places where we live, nourishing and being nourished by the land and those who inhabit it.
Jeremiah 29:7
Hospitality
We are committed to practicing hospitality and generosity in everything we do, promoting all forms of art for the flourishing of the church and the world.
Acts 20:35
Ecumenical
We are committed to fostering unity across the whole church by building bridges across denominations and church traditions through the arts.
John 17:21
Beauty
We are committed to be missionaries of beauty who create art that reflects the light, love, and hope of the gospel for today’s world.
Psalm 90:17
What We Believe:
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We believe in one God, the Father, the almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made,
of one being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the father.He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified.He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.Amen.
WHAT WE DO
Our Offerings
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Our team creates and produces stories of God’s beautiful work through the arts. We support and partner with creators, artists, churches, and organizations across the United States.
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Creo partners across sectors to inspire and equip churches and organizations of all sizes, from rural to urban. Our team is experienced in assisting churches and organizations in cultivating and supporting faith-driven artists to thrive in their local communities.
Our founder, Winfield Bevins, is an internationally recognized author, artist, and speaker with years of experience cultivating communities where faith and the arts thrive together. He speaks at numerous conferences and events a year, and can work directly with you to revitalize the arts in your context.
To book Winfield or another team member to speak at your church or conference, or to learn more about consulting, contact us here.
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Creo Arts offers Art Project Grants to support faith-driven creatives and organizations in bringing meaningful art to life. These grants provide funding and community for individual artists with projects that tell the Christian story and cultivate beauty, goodness, and truth through artistic expression. Past recipients have created works in film, visual arts, music, installation, performance, and more.
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We have an art gallery in Wilmore, KY that supports and celebrates faith driven artists to create and showcase original art, of all types. We also host different events, art shows, and workshops. Sign up here to receive updates for our Wilmore events.
Art by Mattie Karr
Our Team
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Winfield Bevins
Founder & Executive Director
Dr. Winfield Bevins is an internationally recognized author, teacher, and artist. As an ordained minister and an artist, he has been working at the intersection of art, faith, and the church for more than two decades. He is the founding director of Creo Arts and he is also artist in residence and an affiliate professor at Asbury Theological Seminary. Over the past decade, he has helped train leaders around the world and has helped start several non-profit organizations, including a non-profit art gallery and studio. He is the author of several books including Liturgical Mission (InterVarsity Press, 2022) and Ever Ancient Ever New (Zondervan, 2019). Winfield’s work has been featured in various outlets such as Christianity Today, Publishers Weekly, Outreach Magazine, and Religious News Service. In 2021, he was commissioned to paint an icon for the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in honor of his visit to New York City.
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Kay Bevins
Administrative Coordinator
Kay is Co-Founder of Creo Arts alongside her husband, Winfield and serves as Administrative Coordinator for the team. Prior to Creo Arts, she served with her husband as they planted Church of the Outer Banks, in Nags Head, NC, where they lived and raised their family for nearly 10 years. Kay has a deep love for the Carolina coastline and plans family trips back to the sand as often as possible. Kay is passionate about hospitality, and cultivating a sense of place for those she loves, a place where creativity thrives and curling up with a good book is encouraged. She and Winfield have been married for 25 years and are grateful to be sharing life with their three lovely daughters (and one sweet dog) in the gorgeous bluegrass region of Kentucky.
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Janelle Whitaker
Gallery Manager and Community Coordinator
Janelle is a warm-hearted host and creative spirit with a deep love for beauty, belonging, and in-person connection. Born and raised in Michigan, she’s since lived in Florida, California, England, and now calls Kentucky home. She earned a BA in Theatre and Cinema Performance from Asbury University and later completed her master’s in Theatre Arts at the University of Akron. Since then, she has built a career caring for people and cultivating community. Most notably, she spent ten years working for a worldwide personal finance brand as their Chief Delight Officer. In this unique role, she specialized in remarkable hospitality, surprise-and-delight moments, and the production of large-scale events for devoted brand fans. Janelle is passionate about creating spaces where people feel seen, valued, and rooted in real connection—whether through thoughtful events, creative collaboration, or a simple shared meal. When she’s not at the gallery, her days are joyfully spent tending her home and garden and adventuring with her husband, David, and their son, Teddy.
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Jonathan Rodgers
Media
Jonathan Rodgers is a creative freelance photographer and videographer with a B.A. in Business Marketing. Passionate about storytelling, Jonathan specializes in capturing the essence of people and their craft, transforming their passions into engaging short documentaries. With a keen eye for detail and a love for authentic narratives, he brings stories to life through compelling visuals and thoughtful editing.
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Victoria Butler
Graphic Design
Victoria Butler grew up in Kansas around artists and musicians and has always expressed herself creatively. She graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Digital Art and in 2024 with an M.A. in Theological Studies (Spiritual Formation) from Asbury Theological Seminary. Victoria currently lives in Winfield, KS with her husband, Jordan, and daughter, Bennie, and is managing her family’s coffee shop, College Hill Coffee. She is passionate about showing the love of God through hospitality and bringing people together. Victoria enjoys graphic design, music, painting, and photography. She’s seen God move through community and art, and longs to see others awakened to the beauty of God.
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Linda Stratford
Scholar in Residence
Linda Stratford, Ph.D., is a historian, writer, and educator dedicated to fostering thoughtful discussions about art. Initially trained as a studio artist, she has become a teacher-scholar and mentor, notably as the Director of the Asbury University Paris Semester. She served as board president of Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA) and co-founded The Association of Scholars of Christianity in the History of Art (ASCHA). Stratford co-edited ReVisioning and has contributed to various publications, including Religion and Contemporary Art (Routledge, 2023) and God in the Modern Wing (IVP, 2021). At Asbury University, she teaches Art History, French History, Art Theory, and Aesthetics and actively participates in College Art Association meetings.
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Wes Vander Lugt
Theologian in Residence
Wes Vander Lugt is a pastor-theologian, writer, educator, nonprofit leader, and arts advocate. He teaches theology and directs the Leighton Ford Center for Theology, the Arts, and Gospel Witness at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte and is the Co-Founder of Kinship Plot, a nonprofit that creates stories, places, and schemes of rooted belonging. Wes holds a PhD in Theology, Imagination, and the Arts from the University of St Andrews, and he is the author and editor of several books, including Beauty is Oxygen: Finding a Faith that Breathes (Eerdmans, 2024), A Prophet in the Darkness: Exploring Theology in the Art of Georges Rouault (IVP Academic, 2024), and Theatrical Theology: Explorations in Performing the Faith (Cascade Books 2014).