If you visit The Chapel Church on a Sunday morning, you might hear the statement, “Come alive” a few times before you leave. This is not just random; it is a belief that runs at the core of what the Church stands for. According to Pastor Anthony Taylor, the Student Ministry Pastor, to come alive means experiencing a revival that is not restricted to a tent but a constant occurrence within every believer walking with Jesus. He explains that coming alive should be recurring for Christians because it should speak directly to our growth and how we die daily to become more like Christ.
If you visit The Chapel Church on a Sunday morning, you might hear the statement, “Come alive” a few times before you leave. This is not just random; it is a belief that runs at the core of what the Church stands for. According to Pastor Anthony Taylor, the Student Ministry Pastor, to come alive means experiencing a revival that is not restricted to a tent but a constant occurrence within every believer walking with Jesus. He explains that coming alive should be recurring for Christians because it should speak directly to our growth and how we die daily to become more like Christ.
Igniting spiritual revolution
Founded in 1994 in Illinois, The Chapel is a beacon of hope for the gospel and living authentically Christian. The Church aims to ignite a spiritual revolution across their community and the world. Since meeting at a warehouse for Church services, The Chapel has grown from one to nine different locations. In its twenty-nine-plus years, they have experienced different seasons of growth and restructuring, and The Chapel has always served as a place where people encounter Christ and the joy of walking with God.
With an unconventional approach to how a Church service should run, The Chapel serves about five thousand attendees weekly across the nine campuses. The services are divided into three stages: presence, revelation, and breakthrough. Pastor Taylor stated that it’s paramount that God is the center of people’s experience from the beginning to the end. And allowing Him to show up how He wants to is critical to a God-centric service. “Our job is to foster a space where God can move freely,” he said.
Intending to become a place for constant revival, Pastor Taylor explains that pursuing a less seeker approach to growing the Church is vital. “We are no longer a seeker-sensitive Church, but a Church focused on seeing God’s kingdom come and believers helping others come alive to God,” he said. According to him, The Chapel has moved from appealing to people’s comfort to becoming more missional-minded, committed to developing Christians. He further explained that while the Church lost a few members because of the pivot, the Church’s dedication to the course is yielding results.
Although The Chapel caters weekly to over 500 families in the surrounding communities through their pantry ministry, the Church’s approach to outreach is majorly based on adult and student ministry programs. The programs are slightly different because the adult outreach focuses on small-group interpersonal connections. These are deemed essential as gathering in homes makes it easy for neighbors and friends to learn more about God from people they trust.
On the other hand, the leadership intentionally makes the student services vibrant and age-relevant to make it easier for the students to invite their friends. They invest in different outreach programs like the Fall Blast to promote fun ways to present the gospel. Pastor Taylor reiterated that the ministry is pivotal to the Church’s growth and is one of the most impactful.
Among many life-changing stories, recently, a student who did not know Jesus was invited to the student service and later gave his life to Christ. He, in turn, influenced his parents to follow suit. Within a short period of his first attendance, he now serves in the Church’s production team and runs his faith race with vigor.
Pastor Taylor believes there is always room for growth. He said that among other organizations like World Vision and Back2Back, the Church’s partnership with Convoy of Hope is deeply rooted. He said this is because of their passion and commitment to reaching the world for Christ by being the boots on the ground for the gospel. Beyond finances, the student ministry goes on mission trips with the Convoy of Hope organization to serve alongside the team.
Referencing the Church of Christ, Pastor Taylor stated the need to step beyond calling people to salvation and leaving them there. He said it is crucial to teach Christians how to live like Christians and be devoted to the cause of the faith. “Many churches are stuck in the circle of leading people to the river of salvation and leaving them there without intentionally helping them to grow in their experience with Jesus,” he explains.
While the question of future expectations for the Chapel Church is evolving, the Church looks forward to continuous life changes as people come to see what God is doing. The leadership, Pastor Taylor said, is committed to leading all who call the Church home to become more intentional in pursuing God and His purpose for their lives. In addition, he believes the Church of Christ will be more effective if every Christian looks like Jesus Christ. He said that by behaving like Christ, Christians would attract people to want to know more about the faith and why we follow Jesus.