How did a small, church plant in Oklahoma go national in the past ten years? Such is the story of Life Church, now known as LifeChurch.tv. From its beginnings in Edmond, Oklahoma, Life Church now has twelve different campuses across the nation (including Arizona, Texas, Tennesse, Florida and New York.

Admittedly, not all of these campuses are new church starts. Several of them involve existing churches coming into the LifeChurch.tv network.

However, this year Lifechurch.tv launched what it calls “Second Life,” which is a fully interactive, online church. Yep. You can do church online… Hooboy.

According to their website, “Currently LifeChurch.tv is hosting nearly 20,000 people every weekend across all its campuses during 47 worship experiences.”

Life Church is a part of the Evangelical Covenant Church denomination, and it has a well-expressed, though abbreviated, set of core beliefs:

• The Bible is God’s message to us (2 Timothy 3:162 Timothy 3:16
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  16 Every writing inspired by God literally, God-breathed is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction which is in righteousness,
  
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• Jesus Christ changes lives (John 3:3, 14:6John 3:3, 14:6
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  3 Jesus answered him, “Most assuredly, I tell you, unless one is born anew, The word translated “anew” here and in also means “again” and “from above”. he can’t see the Kingdom of God.” ¹⁴ As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
  
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• The church is a spiritual family (1 Corinthians 12:12-131 Corinthians 12:12-13
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  12 For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. ¹³ For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink into one Spirit.
  
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• A Holy Spirit empowers us to live for God (Galatians 5:25Galatians 5:25
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  25 If we live by the Spirit, let’s also walk by the Spirit.
  
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• Freedom comes from Jesus Christ (John 8:31-32John 8:31-32
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  31 Jesus therefore said to those Jews who had believed him, “If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples. ³² You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
  
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  5 ¹ Stand firm therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and don’t be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
  
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I’ll admit… there’s enough there to intrigue me and want to know more about Life Church. Do you realize that there’s not an Evangelical Covenant Church in Arkansas? Neither is there a Life Church here… yet.

On this day...

• Operation Christmas Child - Denver Trip - 2007