By Stephanie Byrnes

Too often it seems churches are defined by their walls. Members support, minister and work with the people that file in and out of our church building on a weekly basis, and often forget about the church across the street, across town and across the state.

What could we accomplish if we had a greater connection to all of the churches that have the same mission and the same God? How many more could we serve if churches would call on one another for financial assistance, service project help and biblical instruction?
That question is exactly what Fellowship Bible Churches are exploring with the concept of “one church in many locations.” With churches in Little Rock, Benton, Cabot, Conway, Searcy and Northern Arkansas, Fellowship Bible churches are quickly impacting Arkansas with their similar styles and missions.
Fellowship Bible Church, which began with a single church in Little Rock, has uniquely planted and supported new churches all over the state. While Little Rock, Benton and Cabot continue to be the only three campuses still directly linked with Sunday morning video casts and joined ministry efforts, the independent Fellowship Bible Churches in Arkansas all began with the central support system of Fellowship Bible in Little Rock and continue to model the style and mission of their initial foundation.
Charlie Loften, campus pastor at Fellowship Bible Church in Cabot, detailed Fellowship’s mission “to equip and unleash Christ followers to change the world through lives of irresistible influence.” He said, “We want people to come into new relationships with God through Jesus, see them built up in their faith and then send them out into the world using their gifts in ministry.”
The Fellowship Bible Churches exemplify a few unique approaches to this ambitious mission. Unlike the traditional structure of Sunday morning churches, Fellowship does not have Sunday school. Instead, adults and youth attend worship one hour and serve in the children’s ministries, greeting services or other ministries one hour.
Adults and youth participate in what is known as “community groups” at another time during the week in individual homes. This setup places an emphasis on Christ’s call to service and allows a more intimate setting for small group Bible study.
Fellowship Cabot is one of the newest churches planted and has received tremendous response and support from the community. Since its establishment in early 2007, the church has already outgrown one facility and relocated to another on Bill Foster Highway in Cabot. What began with just 12 families and one pastor has become a congregation of over 400 and four pastors in the last two years.
The tremendous growth Loften credits to “Fellowship being a welcoming, worshipping community of believers.”
“Together, we experience the warmth, intimacy and convenience of a hometown congregation with the added benefit of monthly biblical teaching via video from Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock.”
Loften also explains that Fellowship’s concentration on God’s call to service ministry keeps them as a church intimately connected to the community. “One of the big community projects we do is called ShareFest,” he said, “where all the churches adopt schools, neighborhoods  and other locations to serve in whatever capacity is needed at the time.” 
The church has also launched other numerous ministries into the community, including free medical clinics, fostering and adoption ministries, mentoring programs for children and food banks.
By providing alternatives to Sunday morning Bible study, placing a greater priority on community outreach and service, and establishing multiple churches that are joined by common mission and structure, Fellowship Bible Churches have increased their influence for Christ. Fellowship Bible Churches still have church buildings like other churches, but through their innovative approach to community, they are finding ways to extend their walls to include all believers committed to the same service.