ABOUT
At Prairie Grove Christian Church, we strive to live by one motto:
Love God, love others, serve others. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus said that the greatest commandment of all is to “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
our STORY
What God has done for and through our Church
Our story began in 1885 when a small group of faithful believers began meeting on the corner of Kate Smith and Bush Streets in downtown Prairie Grove, AR. The name at that time was First Christian Church. It was part of the American Restoration Movement of churches that were seeking to bring unity within Christianity by calling people back to the basics of the Bible. The church had a solid foundation and a commitment to proclaiming the Word and serving the community.
In the 1980s, the church began to experience significant growth and the leadership cast a vision to serve even more people by developing a dynamic ministry toward children, youth, and families. In 1993 this growing band of believers took a huge step of faith and purchased eight acres of land that at that time was out on the edge of the city limits. In 1994 we moved to our location here at 611 Wayne Villines Rd and built our present auditorium, classrooms and gym. Along with the move came a change of name to Prairie Grove Christian Church. Since that time, we have been blessed to expand the campus to include an additional eight acres along with constructing dedicated ministry areas for children and youth. As the city has grown it became clear that God was strategically locating us along a major thoroughfare allowing us to serve all of the communities of Western Washington County.
Our Vision
What God Wants for our church
Our Mission
How God Wants us to get there
Love God
Love Others
Serve Others
Some of Our Values
Teach & Live the Bible
The Bible is the unchanging inspired Word of God. The Bible is our source of inspiration and instruction for living the Christian life.
Raise Up Godly Servant Leaders Who Will Raise Up More Godly Servant Leaders
We will build ministries of people who serve. We will equip and empower others to serve and lead in their homes, church and the world.
Be a Kingdom Minded Church
We “seek first His Kingdom.” We reach out to our community and the world with the good news of Christ.
Be a Grace Filled Place
We will extend grace to others because we have received grace from God. We emphasize relationships, not rules and freedom in Christ.
Build Healthy Family Relationships
We will meet the needs of both our church family and the community as God leads. We are a family who cares for and loves one another.
Seek Unity Among Believers
We believe we are not the only Christians, but seek to be Christians only. We desire to speak where the Bible speaks, and be silent where the Bible is silent. We believe in essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things love.
What We Believe
- We believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of all things visible and invisible. (Gen. 1:1; Matt. 5:16,45; 6:1,4,8-9; Heb. 11:3; Acts 17:24-28; James 1:17)
- We believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the eternal Word, the one and only Savior. (John 1:1,14,29; 3:16; Philippians 2:6-11; Colossians 1:15-19; I John 4:9)
- Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, both fully human and fully divine; Who lived a sinless life; Who suffered and was crucified as an atonement for sin; Who rose again bodily from the dead on the third day; Who ascended into Heaven; and Who will return in victory to rule forever. (Luke 1:26-35; Col. 2:9; Heb. 4:15; Rom. 5:15-17; Luke 22:47-24:53; John 20:24-29; I Cor. 15:3-8; Acts 1:1-9; Col. 3:1; Rev. 1:7-8; 11:15)
- We believe in the Holy Spirit.
Who convicts of sin; Who indwells every Christian; Who helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us in prayer; and Who empowers us to a fruitful Christian life. (John 16:8; I Cor. 3:16; 6:19; II Tim. 1:14; Rom. 8:26; Gal. 5:22-23)
- We believe God inspired the original writings of the Scripture and those original writings were consequently without error. (Mark 12:36; John 14:26; 16:12-15; Acts 1:16; I Cor. 2:12-13; II Tim. 3:14-16; II Peter 1:20-21)
- We believe that the Bible is the final authority for all matters of faith, truth, morality, and Christian living. (Isa. 4:8; Ps. 119:11,105; Matt. 5:18;24:35; Rom. 15:4)
- We believe the Bible teaches that God is the Creator and Sustainer of human life; that God creates each person in His image; and that life is therefore sacred, from conception to natural death. We believe that God creates each person as male or female; that these two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the “image of God” in humankind; and that each person’s biological gender is an intrinsic, immutable aspect of his or her nature and identity. (Gen. 1:26-27; 2:7, 21-22; Ps. 139:13-18)
- We believe the Bible teaches that God established marriage in the beginning as a lifelong, exclusive relationship between one man and one woman; that He has reserved sexual intimacy as an expression of love and commitment between married couples; and that any intimate expression of sexuality outside of Biblical marriage is sin. (Gen. 2:23-25; Ex. 20:14,17; Lev. 18:1-20, 22-23, 20:11-21; Matt. 19:4-6, 9; Rom. 1:18-31; I Cor. 6:9-11, 15-20; I Tim. 1:8-11; Jude 7)
- That man, created by God, willfully sinned against God and is consequently lost and without hope apart from Jesus Christ. (Isa. 53:6; Acts 4:12; Rom. 3:23)
- That salvation—the forgiveness of sins—is only by grace through the blood of Jesus Christ. (Matt. 26:28; Rom 5:9; Eph. 2:8-9; I Peter 1:18-19; I John 1:7)
- That one receives salvation by putting faith in Christ, repenting of sin, and confessing Christ, and that the Bible commands every believer in Christ to be baptized by immersion; (Matt. 28:18-20; Rom 5:1-2, 10:9; Eph. 2:8-9; Acts 2:38; 3:19; Gal. 3:27; Col. 2:12; I Pet. 3:21)
- That those who have received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ are sent into the world to proclaim the gospel and to love and serve the world just as Jesus Himself did. (II Cor. 5:11-21; Eph. 2:10; Matt. 28:18-20; Jn. 20:21)
- We believe the Bible teaches that every Christian should be an active member of a local church. (Heb. 10:24-25)
- We believe that the Elders of the church are the overseers of its affairs and the shepherds of its members; that they are the final interpretive authority of the Bible’s meaning and application for the church; and that they are responsible for the oversight, instruction, edification, discipline, and restoration of church members. (I Pet. 5:1-4; Titus 1:9,2:1-15; Heb. 13:17; Matt. 18:15-17; Gal. 6:1; I Cor. 5:11-13)
- Use our natural abilities and spiritual gifts to serve one another. (Rom. 12; I Pet. 4:10; Gal. 5:13)
- Love one another, bear with one another, accept one another, and forgive one another. (John 13:34-35; 15:17; I John 4:7; Rom. 13:8, 15:7; Eph. 4:2,32; Col. 3:14;
- Seek unity, agreement, and peace with one another. (Rom. 12:16-18; I Thess. 5:13; Phil. 2:2; II Cor. 13:11)
- Encourage and build up one another. (I Thess. 5:11)
- Bear one another’s burdens and pray for one another. (Gal. 6:2; James 5:16)
- Spur one another to love and good deeds. (Heb. 10:4)
- Submit to the authority of the elders of the church. (Heb. 13:17)
- Support the church financially. (II Cor. 8:7; I Tim. 5:17-18)
- Pursue personal holiness and obedience to God’s Word. (II Cor. 7:1; I Thess. 4:17; I Pet. 1:15)
- Strive together to fulfill the Great Commission. (Matt. 28:18-20)
Staff
Sarah Allen
Administrative Assistant
Keith Bostian
Community Engagement Minister
Sarah Catherine Davis
Children's Director
Vance Eubanks
Senior Minister
Sarah Kahl
Administrator
Zach Kuykendall
Worship Minister
Katie Lanier
Women's Ministry Director
Cassy Melcher
Early Childhood Assistant
Kendra Nebeker
Children's Ministry Assistant
Brian Parnell
Facilities Director
Matt Tibbit
Lead Student Minister
Elders
Craig Campbell
Richard Hale
Mike Martin
Don McFatrich
Curtis Spatz
Rick Strickland
First Step Class
In our First Step Class, you will meet with a small group of new guests and PGCC staff members to learn more about who we are and what we are doing. This is a great opportunity to learn about our church values, ask any questions that you may have, and connect with individual ministries to learn what they are doing and how to get involved. If you’re interested in attending, please register.
