Our History

Spencer Christian was started by the Salt River Christian Men's Fellowship, who as a group saw the need for a Christian Church in the northwestern part of Spencer County. They purchased six acres of land on Highway 155 in Elk Creek and began the search for a minister.

Doug Martin was hired in May of 1997 as our Senior Minister. We met in homes on Wednesdays and some Sunday nights until September. On Sunday September 7, 1997 Spencer Christian held it's first service. That service was attended by over 300 people, with 30 accepting the invitation to become the first members of our church.

Since that time we had grown to over 100 members and started planning and raising funds for a building. On August 8, 2000 we broke ground on a 10,000 square foot facility that would take over a year to build. On December 9, 2001 we held our first service there with 180 in attendance.

In April 2002, Doug Martin resigned to start a ministry (KCPP, Kentucky Church Planting Partnership) in Eastern Kentucky that would begin new churches in the area. The elders started the search for a new minister and after a two month search recommended Brent Baker for the position. He accepted the position and started his ministry here on August 4, 2002.

Then, in December 2002, Spencer Christian Church began its search for a full time youth minister. A committee was formed, and they began reviewing candidates for the position. In January, the church contacted Ben Hedgspeth, who, after interviewing with the search team and elders, was placed before the congregation for a vote of approval. The church voted overwhelmingly to bring him on board, and he began working here in late March 2003.

In the summer of 2003 the Elders began praying about purchasing some land. After much prayer the Lord answered by providing 25 acres of land directly behind us for $6,000 an acre. We presented this to the congregation, and they voted at 97% to purchase the land. Then on September 7, 2003 we kicked off our Land Campaign "His Land, Our Faith" where we pledged $147,030. This was a three-year commitment. If you would like to see pictures of the land you can click on this link! In the fall of 2005, God provided Spencer Christian with a gift that not only paid for the Land, but it also retired all of the church's debt! God is SO good, isn't He?

In January of 2005, the members of Spencer Christian Church voted to step out once again. When the Leadership began looking at the possibility of purchasing the land, they had also explored the notion of expanding our building to include more education and storage space. After 2 years of prayer and looking at all the possibilities and details, Spencer Christian Church partnered with her sister church, Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY to make that dream a reality. The new building was completed in late 2006, and we are very excited about God's continued work with us at SCC!

During June of 2006, Brent Baker stepped down from the pulpit at Spencer Christian. During the search process for a new minister, several men came and filled the pulpit, including Ivan Spencer from KCPP. In August of 2006, Rick Starr moved into the area from Clearwater, FL to work with Team Expansion. After much time & prayer, the leadership decided to go in a new direction, and move toward the unconventional by recommending Rick to come on in a part time capacity as the Preaching/Teaching Minister while he still works with Team Expansion. He was approved by the congregation in February of 2007, and came officially on board. In the summer of 2007 Rick moved full time status as Senior Minister.

Spencer Christian Church continues to grow, and we would like to invite you to come be a part of what God is doing here!