Identity, Belonging, and Purpose in Fortville
Fortville Christian Church sits along North 200 West in the small town of Fortville, Indiana, a short drive east of Indianapolis in Hancock County. The congregation describes its mission with a single phrase that appears on the welcome page: Connecting people to identity, belonging, and purpose in Jesus Christ. Every ministry and program at FCC - from the nursery on Sunday morning to short-term mission trips abroad - is meant to advance one of those three ideas.
What a first-time visitor encounters on a Sunday is a working expression of that mission. Two identical worship services are offered each Sunday, both designed so that children, students, and adults can be in the same service together for at least part of the morning. The 10:30 gathering is also broadcast online for those who cannot attend in person.
Three Core Beliefs
FCC's core beliefs rest on three passages from Matthew's Gospel, and they shape the rhythm of the church.
Identity. Quoting Matthew 22:37, the church teaches that every believer is called into a daily, intimate relationship with Jesus - a heart-level commitment shaped by prayer, worship, and time in Scripture. Identity is forged in those everyday habits at the feet of Jesus.
Belonging. Quoting Matthew 22:39, the church teaches that followers of Christ are made for community. Believing that the New Testament contains more than thirty "one another" commands, FCC encourages members to live in small, accountable groups where they can forgive, serve, and bear one another's burdens. Jesus modeled this with His twelve disciples, and the church expects its members to follow the same pattern.
Purpose. Quoting Matthew 28:19-20, the church teaches that every believer has been gifted and redeemed to point others toward Jesus. The Great Commission - going, baptizing, and teaching - is the natural overflow of a life transformed by grace.
Statement of Faith
Alongside the three core beliefs, FCC holds to a written Statement of Faith that walks through the major doctrines of Christianity. The church teaches that the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired, inerrant Word of God and the final authority on matters of Christian faith and practice. God is revealed in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and is the Creator and Sustainer of all things.
Jesus Christ is fully God and, through the incarnation, fully man, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the cross as a sacrifice for sin, was raised, ascended to heaven, and now serves as the only mediator between God and humanity. The Holy Spirit brings conviction of sin, regenerates the heart, and indwells the believer at the moment of faith and baptism, then guides, comforts, instructs, and empowers the Christian for godly living through spiritual gifts.
The church teaches that people were created for relationship with God but rebelled through sin. Forgiveness comes only by grace, received through faith in Jesus, with baptism by immersion as the Biblical pattern of public profession. The church, the Church universal, is composed of all regenerated believers and gathers in local congregations for teaching, fellowship, prayer, worship, and disciple-making. FCC also affirms the literal return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, final judgment, and the real, eternal existence of Heaven and Hell. Transformed lives, marked by Christ-likeness, are described as salt and light in the surrounding community.
Sundays at Fortville Christian Church
The church gathers at 9450 N 200 W on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. for in-person worship, with the 10:30 service also livestreamed through the Church Center platform. The two morning services are built around the same teaching and music, so families can attend either hour without missing content.
Children and students stay with their families for the opening songs in the Worship Center before heading to age-specific rooms. FCCkids programming is offered at both services - birth through 6th grade at 9:00, and birth through 4th grade at 10:30 - and the church teaches through the entire Bible on a three-year rotation, always pointing children to Jesus as the center of the story. FCCstudents (7th through 12th grade) meets during the 9:00 service; students sing with the congregation first and then move to the Student Room for breakfast and teaching.
On Sunday evenings during the school year, FCCstudents gathers again at 7:00 p.m. for large group games, teaching, and age- and gender-based small groups.
FCCkids and FCCstudents
FCCkids partners with parents to lead children from birth through sixth grade to love and follow Jesus. The ministry teaches that parents are the primary disciple-makers in a child's life and that the church's role is to equip them. Sunday programming centers on a Bible passage each week, with age-appropriate activities, songs, and teaching.
First-time families are greeted at the door of the kids wing by a check-in team that gathers the necessary information and walks them to the right room. Every adult leader has passed federal and state background checks, the kids wing has a single entrance and exit, and a security-tag system is used for both check-in and check-out. Restrooms in the kids wing are reserved for children only. A written Well-Child Policy and a 3-Strikes Procedure help the team keep the environment healthy and productive for every child.
FCCstudents is built around the same conviction - that parents are the primary disciple-makers - and provides students with opportunities to encounter Jesus through Scripture, connect with peers and adult leaders, and discover God's purpose for their lives. In addition to Sunday morning and Sunday evening meetings, the ministry hosts special student events throughout the year, and family resources are available online.
Small Groups, Rooted, and Bible Studies
The Groups ministry at FCC is where belonging becomes concrete. The church runs adult small groups that meet during both Sunday services, with studies led by Brian Robbins in Room A4 at 9:00 a.m., Aaron Adams in Room A6 at 9:00 a.m., and Tim Flick in Room A5 (and on Zoom) at 10:30 a.m.
Rooted is a ten-week small-group experience designed to help participants connect with God, with the church, and with their God-given purpose. Over ten weeks, group members practice seven rhythms that include daily devotions and a weekly small-group meeting, with a prayer experience and a serve experience woven into the schedule. At the end of the ten weeks the groups come together to celebrate.
Men's and women's ministries round out the discipleship pathway. FCCmen hosts two ongoing studies with no registration required - Saturdays at 7:00 a.m. and Sundays at 7:30 a.m., both in Room A5. FCCwomen regularly offers short-term Bible studies and groups for women throughout the year.
Elders and Staff
FCC is led by a team of elders working alongside the staff. The elders are Tim Flick (Elder Chairman), Bob Ellis, Chad Gray, Rex Nelson, Jimmy Privett, and Andy Turner. Each elder serves in additional ministry areas - leading adult groups, serving on the kids team, playing bass on the worship team, and supporting the church's financial and building efforts.
On staff, Rob Rigsbee serves as Lead Pastor, providing visionary leadership and spiritual oversight alongside the elders. Rob has served in ministry for more than thirty years and, with his wife Carol, has two married sons. Matt Dugan serves as Family Pastor, overseeing ministry for kids and students from birth through high school, and is passionate about equipping parents as the primary disciplers of their kids. Shelli Albright is the Care & Connection Director, making sure every person who walks through the doors is welcomed, cared for, and doing life together in a group. Emma Flick leads the FCCkids team and Sunday morning children's programming, with a heart for teaching kids that the Bible is one big story pointing to a relationship with Jesus.
Mission Partners Around the World
FCC supports a long list of mission partners who serve in their own communities around the world, including Ascent 121, Colegio Biblico, Diamond Willow Ministries, Faith York at Team Expansion, the Fortville Area Resource Mission, Hippo Valley Christian Ministries, the International Conference on Missions, International Disaster Emergency Services, Maritime Christian College, Ministry Care International, Mountain Mission School, North Burma Christian Mission, Pioneer Bible Translators, The Ark Christian Ministries, John and Julie Gerig at World Partners, the Liebrandts at LCBM/DEAF, Jill Shaw, and the Kager Medical Ambassadors Mission Dispensary in rural Kenya.
The Kager dispensary was started in 2002 by Pastor David Kayando and grew from a small clinic with one nurse and one nurse's aide into a recognized rural health provider before losing a key funder in 2019. FCC helps support the work of bringing medical care, maternal health support, and the gospel to villages that would otherwise have no access to either.
A Decade with Gregorio Thomas in the Dominican Republic
The closest of FCC's long-term partnerships is with Pastor Gregorio Thomas, who leads a church in the Sabaneta de Yasica region of the Dominican Republic through SAP Ministry - Servir al Prójimo, "Serve your Neighbor." FCC formed the partnership in January 2013 after four leaders traveled to the DR to meet six potential partners and unanimously chose to walk with Gregorio.
Since then, more than 150 people from FCC have traveled to the Dominican Republic to serve alongside him. Teams have fed children at the Nutrition Center, run VBS programs, painted the church and several houses, built a kitchen for the Nutrition Center, and constructed a concrete walkway to keep the feeding center accessible when the road floods. They have walked the community praying for the people they meet, handed out invitations to Gregorio's church services, and witnessed baptisms in the river by the church - scenes of new believers being buried and raised with Christ.
FARM and the Fortville Community
Closer to home, FCC partners with other area congregations through the Fortville Area Resource Mission, a collaborative ministry that provides food relief and spiritual help to the surrounding community. FARM is one of the most tangible ways the church lives out its purpose - using the gifts God has given to bless neighbors in need.
Planning a Visit
Fortville Christian Church is located at 9450 N 200 W, Fortville, IN 46040. The phone number is (317) 485-4934, and the office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Sunday worship is offered in person at 9:00 and 10:30 a.m., with the 10:30 service also livestreamed online. A "Plan Your Visit" registration is available through the Church Center app, and the app itself is the hub for event sign-ups, group connection, sermon access, and online giving. Visitors who want to get a feel for the church before arriving can watch services live or catch up on past sermons through the Church Center platform.