Faith church

[Looking]

What can anyone tell me about that big church in Dyer called Faith? Is is cultish? I heard a lot of people go there that live around there. What is it like? Can anyone go?

[ChicagoGal]

It is not cultish at all. May i ask what makes you think it might be? I just started going there myself and I think its a great church. At first it may seem a bit overwhelming - there's a lot of people there! But that just goes to show what an amazing, caring and open church it is. The church welcomes EVERYONE! Its a Christian church. I wish I could tell you more but I don't have time at the moment. I hope you go and check it out for yourself!!

[ChicagoGal]

http://www.faithchurchonline.org/getting-star...

[just a thought]

It's really big, so you may feel lost. There are a lot of cliques I have found. THey are nice to you at church for a few minutes, but that's as far as most members will take it. It's not like they will ever embrace you into their social circle. I question churches that get so big...they need a lot of money to function and sometimes the mission becomes headcount, not caring for the people that are there.

[here]

that's why they stress getting involved in a small group. So you get past the "hi, how are you" and move on to something more meaningful. I don't think the mission of this church is the headcount. More of how many can we reach? Sit down and talk with Pastor Bob, you'd be surprised at how real he is.

[Beg to differ]

here wrote:

that's why they stress getting involved in a small group. So you get past the "hi, how are you" and move on to something more meaningful. I don't think the mission of this church is the headcount. More of how many can we reach? Sit down and talk with Pastor Bob, you'd be surprised at how real he is.

Bob doesn't have the time of day unless you are the "tragedy of the month" paraded on stage or are a loaded dutchie with money to contribute to his gym.
Small groups? They are barely organized for the most part. A few seem to stand the test of time, not many. And with 4 services, you barely run into the same people to make any connection. I know some people who go once in awhile because they can get lost in the shuffle.

[Nepotism run amok]

There are also a lot of people related to each other that run things. New people wouldn't know it. Many overlapping of families hired to positions to make money. Very top heavy on administrative positions...probably don't need that headcount to run the church effectively. There is a lot of scuttle as to whether a few very high ranking people actually deserve the position they have and is doubtful they are doing the best job for hte money.

[Jason DeVries]

Hey, my name is Jason DeVries and I am on staff at Faith. I'm sorry if you had an unpleasant experience here.(One of my responsibilities is in Small Groups, an area we are working hard to make healthy.) I'm also related to a lot of people here, both on staff and lay leaders. I would love to talk to you about any concerns you have. Give me a call The forum won't let me list the phone number, but I hope you can find it. Have a great Christmas!

[JoJo]

"There is a lot of scuttle as to whether a few very high ranking people actually deserve the position they have and is doubtful they are doing the best job for hte money."

Sometimes it's best to leave the judging up to God.

[Jessica]

Amen JoJo. True that.
I love it at Faith Church. Pastor Bob might be a busy guy but in his position who wouldn't be? I personally haven't tried to reach him. BUT one thing is sure about him and can't be ignored; he preaches great, spiritually uplifting sermons that have power from above to impact you deeply to change your life.
To "Looking" (the original poster): Welcome to you and please, if you want to and haven't yet, come by and check us out. You may have done that already, seeing as it's been approximately 4 or so months since you posted!
God bless you.

P.S. There is no perfect church as it's filled with imperfect people whichever one you go to. I laughed the first time I heard this but consider: If anyone of us actually found the perfect church, we'd ruin it the very moment we walked in.:)

[captain bill]

I do agree that it is difficult to get connected in a church of that size. I really struggled to get connected, until someone pointed put to me that you only get out what you put in. Since then my life has changed more than i could ever put into words. I have seen more lives changed by putting CHRIST first, than I thought possible.We are not perfect, but we are growing.(spiritually)

[Hammond Lady]

Faith church_keep up the good work!! I had heard about the growth of faith church so I went to A Sat night service.I felt welcome and felt the spirit and love of Jesus there.I am a Baptized member of a RCA Church-and no Iam not Dutch.Faith seems to be saying how can I serve God and meet the needs of his people.Keep praying for what God wants Faith church.

[Karen]

I've been attending Faith Church for four years. It is a big church with a big mission. I have been a christian for 25 years (many of them spent in charismatic churches). I love this church my kids love this church.
I also can't tell you how refreshing it is to belong to a church whose members actually tithe - it may be a big church with a big budget but it also has a big mission.

[Terrie Merrillville In]

I've recently had my 2nd visit to Faith Church which i felt very welcomed with members greeting you prior to going inside the doors. The 1st visit I took my husband with me which he feels a bit intimidated with large churches, however the Pastor came out to introduce himself to us and shake our hands and invited us back if we don't have a church home at which my husband felt it was awesome. I learned not to ever knock something unless you've witnessed first hand the situation. Now we're going together every Sunday our work schedules permit.

[get involved]

Beg to differ wrote:

<quoted text>
Bob doesn't have the time of day unless you are the "tragedy of the month" paraded on stage or are a loaded dutchie with money to contribute to his gym.
Small groups? They are barely organized for the most part. A few seem to stand the test of time, not many. And with 4 services, you barely run into the same people to make any connection. I know some people who go once in awhile because they can get lost in the shuffle.

The answer to this church is to make an honest effort to get involved. Yes, you can get lost in the shuffle if you let that happen, I agree. I got involved in the choir then on to other ministries and I have gotten to know many people that care about me and my walk with the Lord. As far as Pastor Bob goes, I think he does the best that he can with 3-4,000 people attending each week. He is not super-human. If you find this to be true,there are other pastors that will connect with you if you take the effort to do so. You will get to know church family and staff body if you get involved. There are many, many areas to do that because this church has lots of out-reach ministries afforded to you. All I know is when I go I am anxious to get back again to worship and find myself challenged to be a better human being and Christian.

[Faith Member]

The problem with the internet is that you only get one side for the story, if you want to discover what Faith Church is like go there and find out. It may be the church for and it may not there is only one way to find out.

[Robert Knol]

As someone who leads a church just down the road from Faith, I want to say that while they are not perfect, their heart is to love God and love others. Like every church, they don't fit everyone's needs, and don't do everything right - but they're honest about who they are and what they're trying to do. So I encourage you to try them, or any of the other wonderful churches in this area that are trying to follow and be like Jesus.

[Church of Laodicea]

Jesus said,"Many shall come in My name"...Read about the Church of Laodicea in Revelation. The false church that is mentioned in the Bible will sound close to the Truth, but it will not be. It will fool many. Jesus said that if they hate you, remember they hated Him first. The church was not meant to be a "feel-good" place where everyone, including your kids, get entertained. They should leave feeling convicted & want to turn from their sin. Look around you Faith people...do you see changed people, regenerated spirits? Or do you see worldly behavior?
Jesus also said that the road was narrow. You must be discerning in these "last days", which I believe we are in. Look at events since the restoration of Israel May 14, 1948? We have watched Bible prophecy be fulfilled right before our eyes.
Does it bother any of you parents at Faith Church that their website (in the "Garage" area) refers to us, the parents, as "parental hassles"? How about teaching them to honor & obey their parents?.....They also condone the One World agenda. If you're not familiar, look it up. Rick Warren has a 5 point P.E.A.C.E. plan that is falling right into place. Obama at the helm of the government, Rick Warren has "the church" fooled, and then you have Bono of U2 even talking President Bush into the "Save the Planet" debt relief to other countries.check out One.org . You can even check out pictures of Bono wearing a headband that has the cross, the muslim crescent, & the Jewish star all "coming together" in "unity". Why do you think that all eyes are on Israel? Ever notice that everyone hates them?Try to exterminate them from the face of the earth? The false churches(many are mega) that are popping up all over don't like to talk about hell & repentance because it makes us feel bad and guilty. It is all part of the building of the anti-christ. I am not saying that Obama, Rick Warren, or Pastor Bob are even aware of their participation in this, but they are. It is Biblical.

[Deer Creek CC]

Please come to Deer Creek Christian Church and experience a great fellowship. If know one has heard of it it is in University Park on Exchange St. Children ministries is well run and youth ministries is run very well. Pastor Roberts speaks from the Bible and is out in the hall shaking hands or standing in the back of the church to speak with anyone. Childrens minister Butch is awesome with the kids and Pastor Rutledge is awesome pastor for the teenagers.There is always something going on in the church.......

[Mega churches too big]

We tried a mega church and found it way way too impersonal. We joined a small group (rarely met, but was advertised as "the thing" to do). We volunteered in various areas to meet people...cliques were already established.

For kids...I did not like handing them off to strangers via computerized safety code process...how impersonal!! They had a hard time meeting kids...too many, not enough came to the same service so they could meet the same kids...felt disconnected.

Preacher refused to address everything regarding modern society...drugs, booze, gays, marital problems...always about "Jesus, Jesus...love Jesus". Little substance.

Yes...mega churches work because people have no accountability.

Trying too hard to be too much to too many without staying true to scripture.