Overwhelmed by the amount of growth his congregation is experiencing, the Rev. Scott McKinney, pastor of the Evangelical Free Church, 280 S. 400 East, says he believes "the Lord has decided to do something here."
The Rev. McKinney preached his first sermon five years ago to a meager congregation of 25. Since that time there has been a steady increase in attendance at the church. On Easter Sunday in April, 425 attended services. Average church attendance is more than 300.Learning how not to have a "fortress mentality" has been a key goal for his congregation, the Rev. McKinney said.
"The great temptation is that we would be a `non-Mormon' church - known for what we are not," he said. "It is difficult to live with a minority mentality."
Of his congregation, the Rev. McKinney said, "In order to make any impact here we must understand the culture and balance between what we cannot be about - non-Mormon or anti-Mormon. We have got to be about Jesus Christ."
Right now the congregation is "about" being bigger.
"There have been 21 babies born in the past year, and more due," the Rev. McKinney said. "We did not really want to build, but we've gone to two services on Sunday and we're using Orem High School (across the street) for Sunday School classes."
Construction on the church's new 12,000-square-foot building - adjacent to the existing facility - began April 13. The structure, which is expected to be ready in October, will consist of a 6,000-square-foot multipurpose assembly room, with a full basement to be divided into classroom and storage space. An enclosed portico will join the two buildings.
The construction will be through the combined efforts of professional contractors and the labor of volunteers. The congregation is giving above the normal tithes, and the Rev. McKinney says, "It's kind of a faith walk. People are being built, the building is just the suit of clothes."
The first classroom addition in the summer of 1991 filled the needs of the church's growing youth population for only a few months. And the sanctuary was originally designed to accommodate only 140 people.
Although his congregation feels like a big family - they eat together every Wednesday evening before Bible study - the Rev. McKinney says the purpose of the church is the message and challenge to turn toward Christ.
The Evangelical Free Church has a conservative theology and maintains an international, national and local missionary program. There are more than 250,000 members, with concentrations in the upper Midwest and Southern California.
"This is not a church about easy between-ness and cheap grace. We want people to live their faith," the Rev. McKinney said. "The purpose of any preacher is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable."