As the country and world attempt to cope with distressing events — from the economy and unemployment to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico — Pastor Terry Roberts is a strong reminder of the unstoppable power of faith.

He and the flourishing congregations he has built continue to find new ways to spread hope and optimism at home and around the globe.

Roberts is celebrating his 25th anniversary this year as pastor of Faith Christian Family Church. He started the church in the winter of 1985 in what was then an Assembly of God Church on Veterans Memorial Parkway between Warrenton and Wright City. He later expanded his ministry to include a Wentzville congregation which holds services in the auditorium of Holt High School. 

As Roberts says, “It has been quite a ride,” as he and his wife Becky and a staff that has grown to 10 have built some of the area’s largest congregations and established missions all over the world. 

Over time, the Robertses — who have two children — have established a church business model that others near and far are paying close attention to as churches everywhere struggle to find the right message to appeal to people in an increasingly complex environment. 

It helps that Roberts — who is senior pastor at the two-campus church — has degrees in theology and business, which many would argue is a necessary combination in a market-driven culture. 

Roberts grew up in Wright City and studied at Rhema Bible College in Tulsa, Okla., before getting a degree in business at Fontbonne University as well as a master’s degree in theology. He got his first taste of international service when he went abroad to study and work in Scotland.

Driving by the 12-acre Warrenton campus, it’s difficult to picture the facilities and resources inside the 40,000 square-foot structure, which has been expanded twice during Roberts’ 25 years there. In addition to the core sanctuary which seats 600, the facility includes a full coffee bar called “Holy Grounds,” a nursery, a camouflaged-themed youth area called “Battle Zone,” and other spaces that appeal to today’s entertainment-oriented generation.

Successful Worship Model for the Times

Roberts — known for his dynamic preaching and leadership style, sense of humor and outgoing personality — attributes the church’s success to a mix of factors he and his staff have been tweaking over the years.

“One reason why people come here is that our messages are very practical and relate to people’s lives,” Roberts says. “We address how Christianity relates to everyday living, including relationships, marriage, parenting, finances, work life and growing up.”

Roberts believes the state of the world today leaves many people hungry for clear direction on how to live their lives in a way that aligns with the teachings of Jesus and the Christian church. 

“Today’s world is very secularized, which leaves a deep void in people’s lives,” Roberts says, noting that Faith Christian Family Church is anything but “fundamentalist,” which in his thinking is more about “what you aren’t supposed to do.”

“We say, ‘Here’s what Jesus said . . . here’s the standard’ and then let people adapt their lives according to these basic teachings and principles,” he said. “If you constantly say, ‘Don’t this or don’t that,’ you never change people’s lives and turn them off to the critical messages. The solution comes from the Gospel, and then the problem starts to take care of itself.”

Another key to the successful model that Roberts and his staff have built is the church’s small-group system to continue fellowship and learning outside of the traditional brick-and-mortar weekend church program. Roberts himself belongs to the church’s small motorcycle group (he rides a Harley that was a gift from his congregations), one of many support, study and fellowship groups to enable people to connect with each other on a small and more intimate scale.

Roberts says the “family” in Faith Christian Family Church refers to the fullness of the church’s appeal to all stages and seasons of life, from babies to young singles and grandparents. 

“We’re totally balanced, from babies to 80s,” he explains. 

Reaching People ‘Where They Live’

Roberts’ practical approach extends to a welcoming of all types of worship attire, from jeans and shorts to T-shirts and other casual wear. 

“One fellow told me that he would have started coming to church a long time ago if he’d known he didn’t have to dress up,” says Roberts. “He said he didn’t have dress-up clothes. We want to reach people where they live, and don’t want something as simple as what type of clothing you have to be a barrier to coming to church.” 

Roberts likes to say that “Whatever people are wearing in the mall or in real life is our dress code.” It’s all part of the pastor’s intent on staying flexible with the times.

“Some will say, ‘What about wearing your best for God?’ But that’s tradition, and we need to recognize that cultures change and to consider this if we want to be relevant and get people out,” Roberts says. “The message never changes, but the culture constantly changes. We never want to compromise the message, but if you don’t adjust to the culture, you become a dinosaur.”

Roberts and his staff have cultivated a thriving youth program. A Wednesday evening youth worship typically draws from 100 to 150 middle and high school kids, he says, and the church’s “burger bashes” draw more than 300 kids. A bus ministry program reaches out to people in the communities to ask parents if their kids would like to come to church and then, with permission, picks them up for church and takes them back home after services. Many of the kids participating in the youth programs have never had a church experience before coming to Faith Christian Family Church, says Roberts.

 “When I first came here, we set a goal of 300 people at a time when the population was only 3,200,” said Roberts. “I had a secret goal then of reaching 1,000,” he laughs. 

The church eventually reached that “secret” goal over time. 

Big Church in Small Place

Faith Family Christian Church is part of the Significant Church Network, which describes itself as a family of churches working to make a real impact in their communities. 

“It’s big churches in little places,” says Roberts, who is speaking at two of the national network’s major conferences this year on the topic of church growth.

Roberts and his staff know a lot about growth. The church now has three weekend services in the area. In Warrenton, the church holds two weekend worship services, one on Saturday evenings at 6:30 p.m. to give people weekend flexibility and Sunday service at 10:30 a.m. Roberts holds an earlier Sunday service at 9 a.m. in Wentzville at the Holt High School auditorium, which accommodates the congregation’s growing seating and parking needs. Youth and small group services are held midweek at both locations. 

Based on the numbers of members relative to surrounding population, Faith Christian Family Church ranks in the top 2 percent of big churches in small places in the country, according to Roberts. 

“We’ve done a lot of things right, and a lot of things wrong, but over time, we’re figuring it out,” says the pastor reflecting on the church’s model. “It’s a matter of adjusting and fine-tuning as we go.”

Roberts says he is keenly aware that there are other churches serving Warren and St. Charles counties, and does not want to compete with them. 

“We just want to focus on getting the message of Jesus to as many people as possible; that’s our driving force,” he says. 

That focus extends to missions work throughout the world. Tacked on bulletin boards around the facility are letters and newsletters about the churches’ outreach to people and communities in poor and developing countries. Through two of its members, Jerry and Sonja Dickherber, organizers of Celebrate Jesus of Haiti Inc., Faith Christian Family is helping with relief efforts in Haiti after the earthquake as part of its ongoing commitment to the people of the country. Other mission programs are under way elsewhere in the world.

Roberts says he and his team have plans to continue growing and expanding in the area and perhaps overseas in the years ahead. As Roberts summarizes the church’s mission, “We’re about helping people ‘Grow up in Christ, grow together in relationships, and grow out through evangelism.’ ”