History
On October 9, 1994, 125 people met at the YMCA in downtown Massillon to discuss the possibility of forming a new church. Motivated by the desire to follow the Bible and share the Gospel without their previous denominational affiliation, 101 of them signed a covenant to begin anew and offered a call to their previous pastor towards assisting them in this major new step of faith. Upon acceptance of that call, another meeting was held on October 23, at which the initial members of the church’s governing body were elected. On November 13, 1994, the first worship service of Faith Community Fellowship was conducted at Watson Elementary School in Perry Township. Arrangements were made to conduct various social functions and Christmas Eve’ services at the Ohio Family Foundation, a local retreat center. Realizing that the church’s faith and focus were essential to the church’s existence and purpose, its statement of faith and mission statement were voted by the congregation on March 12, 1995. Since then the church has continued its calling to reach out to others with an emphasis on families and youth. Its vision for ministry and its Biblical values were also clarified. While meeting at the elementary school,the church actively prayed for a site where it could develop its ministries further. A building was purchased in December of 1995. After extensive renovations, the first Sunday morning worship service was held at the new site on Easter Sunday of 1996. At that time the church also applied for membership in the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches, and was received into membership at the NACCC’s annual meeting in Minneapolis that year.The church began a second worship service and added a full time Youth Minister to the staff in the summer of 1996. Within a short period of time it became clear that additional room was needed. Plans for an expansion were put in place as the year progressed, and presented to the congregation in February of 1998. The project renovated and expanded the sanctuary further and added classroom space, doubling the church’s available square footage, and was formally dedicated in January of 1999. After a series of retreats, the leadership of the church decided that the church was better served by have a mission statement that could be easily memorized by all of its members. A new statement was approved in August of 1999, and is found on the main page of this web site. Continuing its calling to bring the Gospel to families and youth, the church next added a part-time Director of Children’s Ministry in September of 1999. In response to its growth and the need to disciple new and current members into Christian ministry, the church added a part-time Disciple Ministry Director in January of 2001. Now averaging around 270 in its worship ministry, the church has 168 people involved in 16 groups, and is currently praying about how to demonstrate the love of Christ to the 30 unchurched families sending their children to a midweek Adventure Club for elementary age children.
Affiliation
As indicated in the above history, Faith Community Fellowship is a member of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches. This section of the church’s web site is intended to give a brief description of the NACCC for those who may want to become aware of what the group is about. The NACCC was formed in 1955 in order to continue the Congregational way of local church life and ministry in America. Congregationalism began in England in the sixteenth century in England based upon three Biblical principles: that the local church is comprised of those who have a regenerate (born again) relationship with Christ, that Christ Himself is the head the local church (and not, therefore, a bishop), and that the local church gathers around a mutual commitment (covenant) to follow Christ (and not, therefore, a statement of faith). These principles were in reaction to realities in England once the King of England made the church subservient to the English crown at that time. Since baptism automatically made a person a member of the Church of England without necessarily indicating what they believed or how they lived as they grew into adulthood, Congregationalists observed Biblically that the church is made up of those who retain a conscious profession of faith in Christ. Since control of the local church was exercised by bishops whose spiritual qualifications and motivation were sometimes questionable, Congregationalist observed Biblically that Christ declared Himself the head of the church, and that under His Lordship local churches governed themselves in mutual fellowship and counsel. Since differences over minor points of doctrine seemed to create major fractures in church life, Congregationalists observed Biblically that it was a common commitment to follow the Lord that formed the center of church life and ministry. Such people were the ones to flee persecution in England, live in Holland, and sail for America in 1620 aboard the Mayflower. Such people continued to emigrate to America, found the city of Boston, and develop the political and spiritual life of the New England colonies. In fact, Thomas Hooker, a Congregational minister, authored the constitution of Connecticut, which was used as a starting point for the drafting of the Constitution of the United States. As American history continued, Congregationalists continued to play a vital role in religious, social, educational and political life. Congregationalists founded Yale in 1701. Jonathan Edwards was a primary leader in the first Great Awakening of the 1740’s and was the first president of Princeton. Charles Finney was an evangelist and abolitionist, playing a leading role in the second Great Awakening of the 1800’s and the founding of Oberlin College. The first woman ordained to Christian ministry in America, Antoinette Brown, was ordained as a Congregationalist. Dwight L. Moody was a Congregationalist and founded what continues today as the Moody Bible Institute. Today, the NACCC contines as an association of over 400 churches that appreciate these principles and history. It is always available to further its mission “To encourage and assist local churches in their development of vibrant and effective witnesses to Christ in Congregational ways.”
