On March 25, 2007, 150 spiritually hungry people gathered at Wea Ridge Elementary School on the southside of Lafayette, Indiana. The months since have been filled with relocations, transformed lives, spiritual growth, and even a name change. Currently, nearly 100 people gather weekly at the Long Center to encounter God, learn from the Bible, and get inspired to put God first in their lives for another seven days.

Today, Lafayette Community Church is a vibrant fellowship meeting in people’s homes throughout the week and in The Long Center on Sunday mornings. Join us this week for your spiritual refueling.

who we are

We are a community committed to providing spiritual, practical, and emotional support to each other so that we can all identify and successfully take our next steps in life.

We want to do the same for you too.

See, that’s what JESUS said his family should be like, and we follow JESUS without shame.

We call ourselves Christians because we believe that JESUS is the model for life and we passionately point everyone we meet to the truth of JESUS. Specifically, we are profoundly impacted by a simple statement JESUS himself spoke:

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. — John 10:10

Part of JESUS’ mission was to give “full life” to his followers, and we believe we should be doing the same. That’s why, our mission statement is this:

We exist to simply help people find full life in Christ.

not alone

By ourselves, none of us is able to perfectly see who we are and where we need to grow. By ourselves, we simply don’t have a clear picture of what our next steps might be. By ourselves, we also have no lasting impact on other people.

You can’t do it alone either. you must already know this or you wouldn’t be reading a church website. You already realize that you need people to help you take your next steps and reach your next level in life. That’s why JESUS made his promise that you will never have to be alone.

Come and spend some time with us to see the incredible power of supportive, spiritual friendships.

pastor jeff

Hi, I’m Jeff Mikels. I’m the founder and Lead Pastor of Lafayette Community Church, but you don’t have to call me Pastor, Reverend, or anything fancy. Jeff will do just fine. I’m not stuck on traditionalistic ideas about church. I’m not interested in church politics and whatnot. I’m interested in you.

GOD has given me a passion to see people just like you find spiritual success. I’m not a magician, and I can’t conjure you a better life, but I know the one who created you and loves you more than anyone else ever could. I know JESUS wants to take you to new heights of life, love, and spiritual awareness.

I know that JESUS wants to infuse you with power unlike you have ever known, and I am undeniably sold out to seeing that come true in your life. If you are interested in taking your spiritual journey to the next level or even just seeing your everyday life get better, I will bend over backwards for you.

JESUS died for you. Giving you my time is the least that I can do. Call me whenever you need to talk 765-404-0807.

history

Lafayette Community Church is a story that is still being written, but it really began as a seed in the heart of Jeff way back in the summer of 1994 when his dad started a new church in Apple Valley, California.

Seeing those 40 hopeful people in his family’s living room made him think about the power of starting new churches.

fast forward about six years

During seminary days, Jeff had the opportunity to take a class in church planting and then to take on the role of worship leader in a newly forming church south of Denver, Colorado.

fast forward another six years

In January 2005, God made it pretty clear to Jeff and Jen that it was time for them to begin the adventure of church planting themselves. One year of preparation, prayer, fundraising, (and even some professional counseling!) later, and they moved to Lafayette.

After a year of investing in people, learning about the area, and meeting some amazing local leaders, Jeff, Jen, and a small band of committed people prepared to launch the church with public worship services.

phase one

In March of 2007, the church launched public worship gatherings at Wea Ridge Elementary School under the name of Southside Church.

The rest of that first year saw the church relocate to Tecumseh Jr. High for the summer, then to the Holiday Inn for the school year, and finally to the Long Center for the Performing Arts during the summer of 2008 with a plan to remain there for a while.

However, with the location of the church significantly far from the “southside” of Lafayette, it was time for the name to change.

So on August 31, 2008, “phase two” of the church was officially launched as the new name was announced. From then on, we have been known as Lafayette Community Church.

Much more has been written and is currently being written on this site, on Jeff’s Blog and in the hearts of the people who already call Lafayette Community Church their family.