our history & mission
Encounter Community Church is a church community that rose up out of Belding, Michigan in October of 2007 as a church plant from Impact Church in Lowell, Michigan. The spirit behind this new church plant was born out of the simple longing to see more people discover the heart of God, the way of Jesus and their role in God's story.
OUR PURPOSE
ENCOUNTER our community with biblical values through weekly gatherings and life groups.
OUR MISSION
EQUIP our community with biblical truth as a lifestyle through our life groups and weekly gatherings
OUR VISION
EXPAND into our community establishing 25 ongoing life groups by 2025.
our plants
We believe that the number one vehicle to bring the gospel to the world is through church planting. It’s a part of our DNA because WE were a church plant. As a result we intentionally strive to reach into new communities through this vehicle as well as giving 10% of our annual income towards church planting.
Greenhouse Church Planting Network - October 2010
Encounter Community Church in October of 2010 became a part of Greenhouse to work with several other churches in our area to plant churches locally and nationally. With their partnership we have helped resource a dozen church planting projects in the past decade.
Greenhouse is a relational network of churches working together to transform lives and communities through disciple making and church planting.
Visit greenhouseplantingnetwork.com to learn more.
Jim & Rachel Bowen - June 2011
CHURCH PLANT #1
Jim was the founding pastor of Encounter Community Church and in June 2011 we commissioned him and his family to plant several new churches in the Detroit metro area.
Pete & Claire McNaught - May 2019
CHURCH PLANT #2
In August of 2017 Pete & Claire came on staff at Encounter in preparation to plant a Missional Community (MC) called Refuge Church in the Greenville, MI area. They were commissioned in May of 2019 and officially launched their MC as of June 2019.
Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. - Hebrews 13:3
Nate & Nikki Smith - June 2020
CHURCH PLANT #3
In the fall of 2017 we were approached with a unique opportunity to expand our mission of healing and restoration. God opened an incredible door for us to plant a campus of our church inside the Bellamy Creek Prison in Ionia, Michigan. The campus meets in the prison every Sunday at 9am where we see over 100 men encounter God. On June 1st 2020, the Bellamy Creek Campus was released to be it’s own church called Straight Street Church. This concludes a two year journey of moving the campus to be its own autonomous church. This becomes Encounter’s third church plant.