by Laura Adelmann
Thisweek Newspapers

Purpose-driven and emergent church growth movements may be trendy, but a new church in Elko is seeking to expand its congregation with solid Biblical teaching.

"I've come to see sort of the chinks in the armor of just simply gearing services to draw people in," said Rev. Tim Fulkerson, pastor of Faith Community Church in Elko New Market. "I think there's a lot of people out there that just want to learn the Bible."

Instead of building a church where activities and programs define the Christian lifestyle, Fulkerson said, Faith Community offers a back-to-basics approach to living faithfully.

"I told the congregation early on … we can either design our services to be a stage or an altar. We can give a performance and entertain people and maybe draw a crowd. Or we can make it an altar where we can come and sacrifice our lives … and present ourselves as an offering to him," Fulkerson said. "We decided we're going to be a church where we give ourselves to God."

At Faith Community, members are encouraged to attend weekly worship, join one of the small-group Bible studies, and eventually get involved in a ministry that fits their individual gifts.

Fulkerson said if too many programs are going on, people can become burned out and may not ever realize a true understanding of salvation through Jesus Christ.

"Everything hinges on Jesus because he's the only way to God. His sacrifice on the cross makes us right with God. While we were once separated because of our sins -- and all of us have sinned and fallen short of God's perfection – God had to send Jesus to die and rise again to defeat death. Without Jesus, none of us ever could enter heaven," Fulkerson said.

At Faith Community, a typical worship service opens with praise and worship. Prayer takes place in small groups, but those who prefer can choose to pray individually.

While Fulkerson said he has delivered topical sermons in the past, for now he is practicing expository preaching -- verse-by-verse explanation of Scripture.

Application of biblical principles and life issues are tackled as they come up in the passages.

He acknowledged it has been a leap of faith to begin a new church but said God has been faithful to lead him and his wife Amy as they fulfilled this calling.

The congregation formed last fall after holding a series of events this summer, including its first vacation Bible school.

Now, about 50 worshippers are consistently attending the 10 a.m. Sunday service held at the New Market Township Hall.

Fulkerson is teaching on the book of Luke, a journey that is expected to take several years to complete.

During the sermon, children are excused to Faith Kids Sunday school, taught by Amy.

Thursday nights, the couple hosts a Bible study and fellowship in their New Market home.

The congregation's Life Transformation Groups consist of about three or four same-sex members who meet in members' homes for fellowship and Bible study.

Occasionally, the church will host a social event. For example, in March the congregation has planned a ski trip.

With about a decade of experience in youth ministry, Fulkerson said he is planning for a church youth group in the future.

Part of the Christian Missionary Alliance denomination, Faith Community is being sponsored by three local churches of the denomination, including Hope Church in Apple Valley, Eagan Hills Church in Eagan and New Prague Christian Missionary Church in New Prague.

"We just want to be a church that serves God … The greatest compliment I could get is not, "You preached a good sermon," but, "We really sense that God is here."

Laura Adelmann is at dceditor@frontiernet.net.

Comment from jon bird, 1/30/08

tremendous--rite on the mark , its the truth --Keep up the good work of proclaiming the good news to the walking dead

Instead of having parties with them - speaking gibberish and going by their feelings --as is the case in most churches where He is most certainly absent

Jon