About This Field Partner
Our Story
On October 26, 2010, Hartselle Christian Church lost its building to a fire. Problems with the electrical paneling in the kitchen sparked flames that would continue for 6 hours until 60 fire-fighters from 9 different fire departments finally brought an end to the fire. Unfortunately, the the entire building and all contents within were destroyed.
In the wake of this devastating loss, Michael Sikes, Hartselle Senior Pastor, told reporters, “It’s just a building. We will rebuild. We will gather together to pray, and see where God will lead us.” What no one realized at the time is that God would lead this congregation down a new path that is rarely explored by churches in America.
Meanwhile in a neighboring city, Decatur Christian Church was also in a time of transition as it was searching for a new senior pastor and seeking God’s direction for the church. As Joe Bennett and Billy Bryant, Decatur Christian Elders, reached out to Michael Sikes and the Hartselle congregation, both churches decided to worship together for 6 months, beginning January 2011, while everyone prayerfully considered the future.
During this period of prayer and fasting, discussions between leaders of both congregations opened the door for a potential merger of the two churches, something relatively unheard of in the church world. A transition team was formed, and key members from both congregations worked diligently throughout 2011 to formulate plans for a new, unified congregation to be known as Lifebridge Christian Church.
Fifteen months after the Hartselle fire, and after a full year of worshiping, praying and serving God together, Hartselle Christian Church and Decatur Christian Church voted to merge on Sunday, January 29, 2012. After the positive vote, members of both congregations officially became members of the newly formed Lifebridge Christian Church.
Lifebridge Christian Church is an non-denominational Independent Christian Church in Decatur, AL. Our doctrine, teachings and leadership structure are based on the New Testament church model. We believe we are called to be locally governed by our Board of Elders. Lifebridge is led by Elders for both business and spiritual matters.
As a non-denominational Christian Church, Lifebridge has people from a variety of church backgrounds. We seek to meet people wherever they are in their spiritual journeys, but we do have some key doctrines that we view as non-negotiable for Christians. We believe the following statements to be not only true, but critical to our faith community.