FAQ

The River Church

The River Church exists to help people become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. The vision is to help everyone in Grant County Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, and Make a Difference.

Spiritual fervency, bigger vision, momentum for mission, evangelistic heart and focus, commitment to shepherd people, critical mass, financial health

Generous financial giving, jail ministry, addictions recovery focus, ideal location for a regional church in Grant County, facility space and a campus with room for growth

Both ministries have been shaped around the things that move the heart of God - a clear focus on living out the Great Commandment and fulfilling the Great Commission. Both churches have the same heart, the same spiritual DNA, the same legacies, and together we can accelerate God’s mission in Grant County and beyond!

We have already communicated with our missionaries regarding this proposal. I have received messages from several of our missionaries expressing their prayers for us as we consider this decision. Our commitment is to continue our support of all of our missionaries for at least 12 months. Assuming a "yes" vote, we will begin working on integrating the missions of Lakeview with The River. If we determine that support of one or more missionaries will conclude, we will give inform them of that decision this summer. Missionaries receiving that communication will continue to receive support for 12 months.

Since The River Church is a Wesleyan Church, the governance structure falls under the guidance of The Discipline of The Wesleyan Church.

People from Lakeview will be invited to serve on the Dream Team, step into leadership roles, and do whatever God asks them to do to move the mission and vision of The River forward in helping us reach the 42,000.

On July 8, in the evening, we have scheduled a Dream Team Impact Night. This will be an opportunity for you to explore all of the Dream Team opportunities at The River. You can simply connect with the corresponding team that matches the team or teams you serve on here at Lakeview. Or, you can decide to try something new. July 8 will get you connected. You will go through orientation. And you will be given a clear pathway to begin serving at The River right away. This will be one of the keys to getting connected into the life of the newly combined churches, so we strongly encourage everyone to attend the Dream Team Impact Night on July 8.

If approved, joining forces would create a regional church of thousands of people serving Grant County and the surrounding areas with a focus on Knowing God, Finding Freedom, Discovering Purpose, and Making a Difference. A regional church with a sole focus of making disciples who make disciples on the current Lakeview property aligns with the original vision of the founding pastor of Lakeview Church, Gene Cockrell.

Pastors Matthew and Chris will do everything in their power to shepherd the people of Lakeview through this transition so that every person currently in the Lakeview Church congregation would be fully integrated into the life and ministry of The River Church. Even though this will be our goal, it is possible that some people may not want to make this transition. We will continue to shepherd them and help them find the right church where they could feel at home.

This property will be transferred to the care of The River Church. The sanctuary will be renovated to modernize the facility and increase the seating capacity. We do not have any drawings, plans, or established timelines to share with you at this time. We only know that Lakeview Christian School will remain where it is and functioning for at least the next school year. Additionally, the transfer of the property will not have an impact on Westminster Preschool or Life Center Counseling Services. Assuming a "yes" vote, we will form a building committee to work through the design phase of the renovations. Once that is complete, a renovation timeline will be established.

This property will be the main location for The River Church until the renovations of the Western Avenue property are complete. To accommodate the additional attendees coming in from Lakeview, The River will be adding a fourth service beginning in August. Once renovations are complete, the main location will shift to Western Avenue and the Lenfesty property will be used for community focused ministries and could be leased out to other organizations (i.e., for example, a Christian school).

All of our current staff have participated in an exploratory conversation with The River. This conversation gave Pastor Amy Biegel, Executive Pastor at The River, an opportunity to get to know Lakeview staff and to hear their stories. It also gave Lakeview staff an opportunity to learn more about The River culture and the ins and outs of what it looks like to serve on The River team. Assuming a "yes" vote on June 15, Pastor Amy will be meeting with Lakeview staff to make them aware of the specific role and job description that we believe the staff member would be a good fit for. And then, the next steps will be laid out for that staff member if they would like to interview for that role. In a few instances, it may be that we do not have a role available that is a good fit for a staff member. In that case, we will offer the staff member a generous severance package.

We will use the following timeline:

• May 18 - Local Church Conference

• May 21 - PM and PC begin hosting “coffee with the pastor” gatherings at The River Church (759 S. Lenfesty Ave) to meet Pastor Matthew, tour the facility, and engage in dialogue around the issues related to joining forces. There are 11 of these gatherings between May 21 and June 12. You can sign up HERE (https://my.theriver.cc/registration/coffeewiththepastor).

• June 4, 6 to 8 pm - Town hall #1 - Members will gather to share their perspective, ask their questions, and dialogue about the upcoming decision

• June 14, 10 am to 12 pm - Town hall #2 - Members will gather to share their perspective, ask their questions, and dialogue about the upcoming decision

• June 15 - Members will vote at a polling station 90 minutes before church service and one hour after church service. People will sign in at the table, receive a ballot, fill in their ballot, and then drop it in the ballot box. Absentee ballots will be available.

• Once the vote concludes, appointed tellers will count the vote and complete a voting report which will be submitted to the LBA, the Lead Pastor, and the District Superintendent immediately.

• If a yes vote, the District Board of Administration (DBA) will be asked to ratify the decision.

• If a no vote, the process will be concluded.

• June 22 - Results of the vote will be announced to the church.

• June 29 - Final service as Lakeview Church at 5316 S Western Ave property.

• July 6 - First service as The River Church at Lenfesty Ave property.

Small groups are one of the many things Lakeview does well. We will be bringing what we have learned and developed for small groups into The River Church. This means that your small group can continue, if you choose to do so. We will have ongoing training that we are going to ask all current group leaders at Lakeview and at The River to go through if they wish to continue leading a small group this fall.

Because of your faithful giving in The GO Initiative, we have reduced our debt from $1.5M to 1.1M over the last few years. We have also given $60,000 of our $80,000 commitment to Africa Wesleyan University and we are ready to send the remaining $20,000 to finish that commitment. Additionally, we are prepared to complete our commitment to local partners for this current fiscal year which began on May 1, 2025. Assuming a "yes" vote, we will be able to join with The River knowing that all outside commitments made in The GO Initiative have been fully satisfied and that we made major progress on reducing our debt during this season. For those wishing to fulfill the commitment you made to The GO Initiative, we can discuss the options available to you in a personal meeting.

Lakeview Christian School will continue to use this facility for school for at least the entirety of the 2025-2026 school year. We will begin working with LCS this summer to determine the right next steps for all of us to take so that any transitions position both organizations to effectively serve our community.

$4.4M refinanced into one loan through Wesleyan Investment Foundation.