HIGH RIDGE – Active outreach is having positive effects, bringing new people into Fellowship Baptist Church of High Ridge. Three years ago, the church of seventy people, invited Reggan Jett to become their lead pastor. Now, the church averages 250 with as many as 400 on “big” Sundays like Easter and Christmas.
“We’ve experienced a true revitalization here,” Jett said. “It required the congregation to change and to take an honest look at our focus. We found that we had a selfish, inward focus: our programs, our traditions, our way of doing things. So, we decided to apply the Great Commission to our decision-making process. For the next few years, all decisions will involve the people outside of our building.”
Jett said the decision was not necessarily an easy one. The congregation had many long-time members.
Ron and Mary Ellen Seal fit the description of long-time members. “I was the first bed baby in the church,” Mary Ellen said, “and Ron has been a member here since ’71.”
HIGH RIDGE – Cooper Jacobs and his friend, Donnie, go for a ride during an event at Fellowship Baptist Church here.
“I think our church growth is awesome,” Mary Ellen continued. “We were ready to follow the vision Reggan had for reaching out to the community. Change is hard and many people do not always like it because ‘it has always been this way,’ but we were a dying church, and the people were hungry to reach out.”
“Our first step was to double our missional giving,” Jett said. “We had a lack of resources, only enough to pay into the cooperative program and to pay our bills, but we decided to step out on faith, purchase land, and build a church in Oaxaca, Mexico. In October of 2019, we took a special offering, and the people gave $17,500. It was a selfless, heart-felt move for them. Now, the church is looking to partner with another group in the Dominican Republic to minister to Haitian refugees.”
For 2021, Fellowship took on the challenge of personal invitations in the community. “We didn’t do door hangars or use Facebook,” Jett said. “We set a goal of 320 personal invitations, and we ended up with 450.”
Jett used a visual to encourage the congregation. “When a personal invitation was made,” Jett said, “the member put a blue ball in the container. It was exciting to see the level of invitations go up.”
Jett also outlined the plans for avoiding pitfalls of growth. “To sustain a healthy, growing church,” he said, “we would need more volunteers. We needed more teachers for the children and the small groups were not small. So, I preached a series of messages on “I Will” as an emphasis and after the last one, we had a Service dinner. We gave a ‘service packet’ to each person attending the dinner. Inside, we had information on all the needs and opportunities for service throughout the church. Each position had a ministry description and provided the answers to many of the questions.”
Larry Kiefer and his family of five, joined the church in December of 2020. “Fellowship is serious about reaching people and enriching lives,” he said. “We love the challenge to our family of serving outside our comfort zone. We’ve worked only with children in the past, but now, we are also teaching adults.”
Ron Seal mentioned the excitement of new surroundings in the church. “During Covid, we took on some renovations of the building,” he said. “We took out the pews, reworked the stage and painted. Volunteer mission groups helped us with that and a couple in the church made us a personal loan for supplies.”
Jett is quick to point out that construction is not what is bringing in the new people. “It is not a build it, they will come scenario,” he said. “We have changed our hearts and mindset to others. We’ve thought of new ways to reach the community.”
One of those new ways is a welcome bag for people moving into the community. A variety of fun items are placed in the bags with coupons to neighborhood restaurants and information about the church. They also include a magnet with local emergency numbers listed.
Kiefer agreed that activities are designed with the community in mind. “We hold block parties, trunk or treats, Rides on the Ridge to invite the community to join us on campus to make connections. We want them to feel loved and welcomed. I look forward to seeing what God has in the future of this Christ-centered church.”