Fairdale Christian Church sits at the end of Brown Austin Road, right where the Gene Snyder Freeway meets New Cut Road in the South End of Louisville. The congregation describes itself with the phrase Real People Rooted in Jesus. As a Restoration Movement church, the body gathers under a simple promise: where Scripture speaks, the church speaks, and where it is silent, the church is silent too. Leadership wants the congregation to stand as a beacon of hope in this part of the city, and the building is set up to host a wide range of ministries all week long.
Three Sunday Mornings, One Family
Sunday morning at Fairdale Christian starts early and keeps going. Worship services are held at 9:00 a.m., 10:15 a.m., and 11:30 a.m., each running about an hour. The 10:15 a.m. service is the one that is livestreamed for those joining from home. The 11:30 a.m. service includes ASL interpretation. There is no dress code, and the pastors themselves do not dress up. Visitors can expect a casual setting with live music, relevant teaching, a dedicated time of communion and prayer, and free Every Tribe Coffee (with a soda machine for non-coffee drinkers) before and after the service. Every Tribe Coffee is brewed on-site specifically because it supports missions, and the church passes it along as a gift to those who walk through the doors.
Communion is observed every week as a meaningful time of worship for immersed believers remembering the sacrifice of Jesus. Guests who prefer not to participate are welcome to use the moment for prayerful reflection. Baptism by immersion is taught as an essential step of obedience and a public declaration of faith, symbolizing the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
Spanish Worship in the Family Life Center
Alongside the English services, Fairdale Christian offers Spanish-language preaching and worship in the Family Life Center. Children's programming for that service is provided from birth through fifth grade. The Spanish ministry is led by Eduardo Sera and Melisa Dominguez, who coordinate the preaching, worship, and children's environments for the Spanish-speaking congregation.
FCC Kids: Birth Through Fifth Grade
The children's ministry, FCC Kids, is built around the idea of Real Kids Rooted in Jesus. Programming runs during all Sunday services for children from birth through fifth grade, with three environments designed for each stage:
- Nursery (Birth to 36 months) - Volunteers cuddle infants and play with babies who are on the move. Toddlers get interactive Bible lessons and music that introduce them to God and His world.
- Preschool (3 to 5 years) - A hands-on, active approach with singing, dancing, puppets, and laughter as Bible stories come to life.
- Elementary (K to 5th grade) - Called The Warehouse, this large-group environment teaches the Bible in a creative, relevant way with time for kids to sing and dance during the 9:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. services. During the 10:15 a.m. service, kids start in the Warehouse and then split into small groups for Sunday school, building relationships with peers, leaders, and God.
Child safety is taken seriously. Each week families check in at a kiosk and receive a randomly assigned pickup number. If the tag is lost, identification is required to release the child. Mary Art serves as the Children's Minister, and a pre-registration form is available to speed up Sunday morning check-in.
Students: Middle School and High School
Student Ministry at FCC, led by Riley Reinhardt, focuses on helping teenagers take ownership of their faith. The team describes their goal this way: We win when a teenager takes a step toward owning their faith. Whether students realize it or not, the ministry says, they are continually asking the question Who am I, and how do I fit into the world? The answer being shaped here is whose they are in Christ, modeled through time spent with God, life in real community, and discovering and using their gifts.
Two weekly environments anchor the ministry:
- Middle School (grades 6 to 8): Sundays from 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. in the Family Life Center. Games, teaching, and small groups.
- High School (grades 9 to 12): Wednesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Family Life Center. Dinner is served from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m., followed by the service from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Small groups, called REAL groups, are the centerpiece of student ministry. Each teenager is connected with a consistent adult leader and a community of peers, and the relationships built inside those groups extend well beyond the church walls. Weekly devotionals are distributed, and the ministry hosts larger events throughout the year, including the CIY MOVE summer conference for high school students, dodgeball tournaments, pool parties, and hikes.
Celebrate Recovery on Friday Nights
Friday nights at 5:30 p.m., the church opens its doors for Celebrate Recovery, a Christ-centered program built on the Twelve Steps and Eight Principles based on the Beatitudes. The ministry is designed for anyone dealing with hurts, habits, and hang-ups, offering a safe place to be honest about struggles without judgment. The program is led by Larry Mitchum and draws people from all walks of life. Each step is paired with a Scripture passage, tying historical recovery work to timeless Biblical teaching, and the ministry serves as a regular landing place for newcomers from across the community.
Life Groups and the Three Roots
The church's overall mission is summed up in three roots: Reaching Out with the message of Jesus Christ, Growing Strong together in unity as disciples, and Giving Back generously to those in need. Scripture undergirds each root, from Colossians 2 about growing down into Christ, to Jeremiah 17 about trees planted along a riverbank whose leaves stay green and never stop producing fruit.
Life Groups are how the three roots get lived out. Groups meet on Sunday mornings and throughout the week, ranging from Bible studies to recovery groups to interest-based gatherings. The church runs a groups portal where people can browse and sign up.
Men's and Women's Ministry
The men's ministry, led by Deacon Mike Bale, gathers regularly for breakfasts in the Family Life Center with a teaching series called Fight Club that challenges men to lead their families, church, and community in God-honoring ways. Vivian Collins leads the women's ministry, which plans day trips (including an annual visit to the Glendale Crossing Festival), holiday wreath-making parties, and other gatherings throughout the year.
Other ministry leaders round out the team. RJ Phillips leads the Usher Ministry, Tony Whitehouse heads Foster the City (a foster care and adoption ministry), Lucian Pickering oversees Visitation and Prayer, and Mike French leads the Greeting Team that welcomes visitors at the doors.
What We Believe
Fairdale Christian teaches a straightforward evangelical faith rooted in the Restoration Movement tradition. The full statement of beliefs covers God (one God in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), the Bible (inspired and trustworthy), humanity (created in God's image, fallen, and in need of forgiveness), Jesus Christ (fully God, born of a virgin, crucified, raised, and literally returning), the Holy Spirit, salvation by grace through faith, baptism by immersion, weekly communion, the sanctity of life from conception, marriage as a lifelong union between a man and a woman, and the church as the body and bride of Christ.
The church also holds the Restoration Movement distinctive that the church of Jesus Christ on earth is essentially one, valuing unity across denominational lines. The famous summary is printed across the church's materials: In essentials, unity; in opinions, liberty; in all things love.
Getting Connected: Starting Point
For newcomers, the church offers a two-hour class called Starting Point that includes a meal and childcare. The gathering is open to anyone curious about the church or considering making it their home.
Sermons and Online Worship
Sermons are preached in weekly series. Recent series include studies through the book of Acts, Open Hands, Move, Summer Mixtape, Deeper Questions, and A Thrill of Hope (an Advent series). The church also hosts guest preachers and a Next-Gen Preaching Team that includes students and young adults. Sermon audio is available online, and the 10:15 a.m. service is livestreamed each Sunday for those who want to join from home.
Bible Reading Plans and Stewardship
For members who want to grow in daily Bible reading, Fairdale Christian offers three downloadable plans: a six-month plan for beginners, a 100-day plan for those ready to go deeper, and a one-year plan for readers familiar with the Bible who want to incorporate more of the Old Testament. The church also runs an email newsletter signup, an online bookstore cart, and accepts stock donations in addition to regular online giving. Periodically, the Family Life Center hosts a Red Cross Blood Drive as another way to serve the surrounding neighborhood.
Visiting Fairdale Christian Church
The church sits at 9000 Brown Austin Road, Louisville, KY 40118, near the Gene Snyder and New Cut Road interchange. Main entrances are on either side of the building, and Greeters from the Greeting Team help direct visitors. Weddings and Family Life Center rentals can be requested through the church office. The office can be reached at 502-368-1858 or office@fairdalechristian.org. Visitors can also join the livestream, give online, or plan a visit from home.
Lead Minister Brandon Hatfield is supported by Executive Minister Jonathan Wimp, Worship Minister John Glowacki, Children's Minister Mary Art, and Student Minister Riley Reinhardt. The deacon team includes RJ Phillips, Tony Whitehouse, Mike Bale, Lucian Pickering, and Mike French. Spanish ministry is led by Eduardo Sera and Melisa Dominguez, women's ministry by Vivian Collins, and Celebrate Recovery by Larry Mitchum.