The Name that Found Its Church

by William Cowles

When Rev. Mark Foster and his wife, Chantelle, followed God’s call to plant a United Methodist Church in Edmond, OK, 14 years ago, it was a true act of faith – or, more accurately, faith in “Acts.”

All they had to start with was a vision based on their firm belief in the scripture that guided their personal ministries, Acts 2:42: “The believers studied what the Apostles taught. They shared life together. They broke bread and ate together. And they prayed.”  

Though the Fosters and their friends were seized by this vision for a new type of church community, they faced three strong start-up challenges:

1. Their first hurdle was that the land they acquired was really remote, on a vacant corner where some growth “might” happen, but hadn’t seen much progress yet.
2. Second, they chose a spot just two miles north of a highly successful and fast-growing church, lifechurch.tv (now the country’s second largest church for weekly worship attendance).
3. Finally, they had no name for their fledgling congregation. No local brand. No personal identity.

So, this small group of followers gathered and prayed about where God was leading them and eventually realized that their founding scripture said everything for them, and that’s when they became Acts2 United Methodist Church. 

They will be the first to admit that their name drew some skepticism. Some people were concerned that the name signaled a departure from their denominational doctrine. Some feared that the worship experiences were going to be wildly charismatic. But, they calmly stayed their course, taught the scripture, shared life, and ate and prayed together. And their faith, family, and vision grew.

Today, all four of Acts2 services are the same – they don’t try to be different things to different people. They stay their course. They use a contemporary praise band, and even the 80-year-olds in the congregation are on their feet singing with the Worship Leader’s guidance. They recite the Apostles’ Creed together. They say the Lord’s Prayer together. They read scripture out loud together. They pray for big things beyond themselves. They hear a strong message that incorporates both scriptural understanding and teaching on everyday issues. They offer an inclusive communion and explain it clearly and simply. They invite their guests to receive the service as a gift and to not put anything in the offering plate. And, they invite everyone to a community luncheon after the service.

From the first faithful handful, Acts2 now averages nearly 500 in worship each Sunday, plus another 100+ in a daughter church meeting in a neighborhood elementary school. Building expansion plans have been approved, because the neighborhood is growing up around them.

To me, Acts 2 UMC looked, sounded, and felt like what I would envision an Acts 2:42 community to be. The Spirit is alive in Edmond! Learn more about them at: www.acts2umc.org. 

Get more information about the characteristics of, and ways to search for, Acts II Communities on our Website through these links: Church Choices and Search Strategies.