A Downtown Andover Church on Elm Street
Free Christian Church sits in the heart of downtown Andover, Massachusetts, at 31 Elm Street. The current meetinghouse has been the congregation's home since 1907, when members moved from an earlier building on Railroad Street. For more than a century the Elm Street block has anchored its ministry across the Merrimack Valley, and the church has steadily added to its footprint over the years. The Bell House at 40 Elm Street and the Parish House came alongside the main building in the early 2000s, and in 2021 the congregation acquired the land and buildings at 35 to 43 Elm Street, the very opportunity that had been closed to it for many years. Those properties are now being developed into a new ministry center called the Lighthouse.
Sundays at Nine and a Quarter to Eleven
The church gathers for worship on Sunday mornings at 9:00 and 10:45 a.m. Both services last about an hour and follow a steady rhythm: a few quick announcements, congregational singing, prayer and Scripture reading, an expository sermon, and a closing worship song. Expository biblical preaching, working through books and passages of the Bible, is described by the church as a hallmark of its worship. Services can be followed online at online.church, audio recordings are posted to SoundCloud, and video archives live on Vimeo.
Love God, Love Others, Make Disciples
The church's vision statement is short and direct: Love God, Love Others, Make Disciples. Loving God means a life of trust, obedience and worship, made possible through Christ's atoning work and the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. Loving others means extending the same grace the church has received: authenticity, self-sacrifice, and care for neighbors near and far. Making disciples means sharing the good news of Christ across the street and across the sea, raising up whole-life followers of Jesus who disciple others in turn.
Eight values shape how the congregation lives out that calling. The Bible stands as the central axis of every discussion and decision. Worship is meant to be Holy Spirit fueled, Christ-honoring, culturally relevant and biblically sound. Prayer is foundational to everything the church does. Evangelism is a way of life. Missions and service extend the church's witness beyond its walls. Whole-life discipleship is fostered at every age and stage. Authentic relationships are built in small groups. And a legacy of faith takes a stand for righteousness without being guided by popular opinion.
What to Expect on a First Visit
Visitors enter the sanctuary through the big white doors on the left front of the building. The church's downtown location means on-site parking is limited, so additional Sunday morning parking is available at 1 Elm Square, on-street on Elm and Florence Streets, and at the municipal lots on Park and Bartlett Streets, with a pedestrian access beside 34 Park. A weekly email goes out each Wednesday at 6 p.m. as a kind of bulletin, and a Connect Card online is the easiest way to introduce yourself, ask questions, and connect to small groups or volunteer opportunities.
Children and Youth
At the 9:00 a.m. service, childcare is offered for infants through five-year-olds, with drop-off up to ten minutes before the service begins. At the 10:45 a.m. service, Cuddle Corner cares for infants through two-year-olds, Kids Church welcomes PreK through fifth graders (who are dismissed from the service before the sermon), and Youth Church gathers middle and high school students who are also dismissed before the sermon. Through the summer, childcare for ages five and under continues at the 9 a.m. service. Heidi Rask serves as Children's Minister and Maxwell Murphy as Youth Pastor, and the Lighthouse Project's new ministry facility is intended in part to give both ministries dedicated, state-of-the-art space.
The Lighthouse Project: A Hundred-Year Vision
In 2021, Free Christian Church acquired the land and buildings at 35 to 43 Elm Street, the very opportunity that had been closed to it for many years. The plan, called the Lighthouse Project, is to convert the ground floor of the apartment building into a new ministry center with a midsize gathering room, kitchenette, rooms suitable for counseling and spiritual direction, and office space. The upper floors will be renovated into residential units whose rental income helps pay down the mortgage. The Bell House at 40 Elm Street was added to the project and renovated into two two-bedroom units: one for the property managers and one for ministry housing or short-term rentals for visiting global partners. Outdoor green space behind the buildings was developed in 2024 with grading, drainage, paving, sod, irrigation and a fire pit area, and was used for the first time by Vacation Bible School that summer.
The church sees the project as a spiritual endeavor in its own right, requiring the congregation to listen to God, trust God, and work together. Gifts to the project are called the Proverbs 3:5 Fund, after Proverbs 3:5: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." A separate FCC Lighthouse Inc. board oversees the project, with Eryck Bredy serving as president. Just as the 1907 move from Railroad Street provided for more than a century of ministry on Elm Street, the congregation prays that the Lighthouse will provide for the next hundred years.
Small Groups and Discipleship
Small groups are described by the church as the primary environment for life-changing spiritual growth: communities of six to twelve Christ-followers who meet regularly to study the Bible, pray, and grow in Christ-likeness. Dan Hayner serves as Pastor of Discipleship and oversees the network of groups, which meet in homes, on Zoom, and at the church. The current lineup includes a range of men's groups (Bald Hill Guys, Brown Bag Lunch, Daybreak Disciples, Image Bearers, Men of Grace, Parish House Pilgrims, and Seekers of the Way), women's groups (Crack O'Dawn, Double Hanson, Working Women, and a Wednesday morning group called WWC), and co-ed groups for every life stage: E2 on Wednesdays, a Wednesday Morning Zoom Fellowship, a Family Group meeting Sundays at 4:30 p.m., Singles in Christ for adults 35 and up on Saturdays, Rooted for young adults 22 and up on Thursdays, Senior Link for the 55-plus crowd on Fridays, and a Danvers Small Group that meets twice a month.
Pastoral Care, Counseling, and Spiritual Direction
Laurie Lawliss serves as Pastoral Care Minister and leads a caring and support ministry that includes Christian counseling with licensed clinicians, monthly spiritual direction, and short-term Care Groups for people walking through hard seasons. Care Groups cover situations such as divorce, grief, addiction, and supporting family or friends in prison. GriefShare meets Sunday mornings from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Meals Ministry coordinates home-cooked meals, delivered meals, gift cards and take-out for people during difficult times. Christian counseling is offered on a sliding scale, with possible insurance coverage and assistance from the FCC Communion Fund. Andrea Bliss-Lerman serves as Minister of Spiritual Direction, meeting with directees for hour-long monthly sessions of quiet, conversation and prayer. Prayer support after Sunday services is also available, and requests can be sent to prayer@freechristian.org.
Alpha, Discovery, and Membership
For those exploring faith or new to the church, the Alpha course runs in ten weekly sessions, typically on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Each evening starts with a meal, followed by a short film on a big question of life and faith, and then a small group discussion. The course is open to anyone, of any background, and is designed as a low-pressure space to ask questions. A "Check Out Alpha" supper is offered as a first step.
For those considering membership, the church offers Discovery, the first step in its membership process. Discovery is a short course that meets with pastors and others exploring the church and is offered twice a year. After Discovery, the next steps are completing a membership application, meeting with the elders, and making a public commitment of membership during a Sunday service. Baptism is also available as a public profession of faith.
What the Church Believes
Free Christian Church holds to a biblical, Christ-centered statement of faith centered on one eternal, holy, Trinitarian God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The church confesses that humanity was created to bear God's image but fell into sin through Adam, that God offers redemption through faith in his Son Jesus Christ, and that Christ became human, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, rose bodily, and will return in power and glory. The Old and New Testaments are accepted as the only inspired, infallible, inerrant and authoritative written Word of God. The church is understood as the living body of Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the gospel and make disciples in all nations. Christian Baptism and the Lord's Supper are recognized as the two sacraments Christ gave to his church, and the return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and the final judgment are held as certain hope.
Leadership and Mission
The pastoral team is led by Senior Pastor Jon Paul. Other staff include Dan Hayner (Discipleship), Heidi Rask (Children), Maxwell Murphy (Youth), Stephanie Lento (Worship), Cheryl Crawford (Connecting), Andrea Bliss-Lerman (Spiritual Direction), Maureen Smith (Missions and Community Service), Laurie Lawliss (Pastoral Care), and John Sanderson (Communications). Operations and property are handled by Mandi Bickel, Penny Martin and John Martin. The Board of Elders includes Carolyn Hanson (Board Chair), Jennifer O'Handley (Board Secretary), Norbert Johnson, Steve Knepper, Ingrid Rosales and Beth Wescott, alongside the Senior Pastor. The Missions Committee, led by Maureen Smith, includes Cate Kaluzny, Lindsey Krupansky, Fred Mottley, Brian Ricci, Justin St. James and Alena Staats, guiding the church's local and global mission involvement.
Giving and Staying Connected
The church supports its ministry through tithes and offerings. Gifts can be given online through Realm, by texting FREECHURCH plus the amount to 73256, or through traditional envelopes available from the assistant treasurer. A weekly email goes out on Wednesdays at 6 p.m., and the congregation stays in touch through Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo and SoundCloud, where sermons are archived. A Ministry Request Center handles event and communications requests from staff and volunteers, and Job Opportunities are listed across the church's ministries.