About Us

What We Believe.

At the First Christian Church of Allendale, Everyone’s Welcome, because Nobody’s Perfect, but we really believe that with Jesus, Anything’s Possible!

Purpose of the church.

The purpose of the church is to help people find and follow Jesus.

The purpose of the church is to bring glory and honor to God through personal and corporate worship (Psalm 148). To bring glory and honor to God by our lifestyle (a living sacrifice – Romans 12:1-2). It is our goal that every aspect of our church exalt the name of Jesus Christ. We were created to worship Christ.

We proclaim Jesus Christ for the purpose of making disciples of those who do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior (Luke 19:10; Matt 28:19-20). We were created to evangelize the lost for Christ; we are his ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:17-20).

The Scriptures.

We believe the entire Bible (the combined 66 books of the Old and New Testaments) to be God’s inerrant and infallible revelation to man.

We believe all Scripture to be inspired by God and, therefore, final authority in all areas of faith and practice. We understand inspiration to be God’s superintendence of the human authors so that, using their own individual personalities, they composed and recorded without error in the words of the original manuscripts God’s revelation to man (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3,21; Revelation 22:18-19).

The Godhead.

We believe God is the creator and sustainer of all things. God, by the Word of His power, instantaneously created the heavens and the earth without pre-existent material (Genesis 1; Exodus 20:11; Psalm 90:2).

We believe the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, the second person in the Godhead, is co-eternal in being with the Father and the Holy Spirit from eternity past (John 1:1, 14, 17:5; Hebrews 13:8).

We believe the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead, is identical in substance or essence, co-equal in power and glory, and has the same attributes and perfection as God the Father and God the Son (Matthew 28;19; John 15:26, 16:13-14; Acts 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 2:11; 2 Corinthians 13:14).

Lead Pastor

Bobby Smith serves as the lead pastor at the First Christian Church of Allendale, where he and his wife, Melissa, passionately dedicate their lives to serving the Lord. Their commitment extends beyond church activities, as they actively engage in community outreach through initiatives like The Lunch Wagon—a summer lunch program for school-aged children—and The Shalom House, which provides a welcoming environment for foster families and emergency placements.

Married since 2005, Bobby and Melissa have been involved in ministry since 2002, when they embarked on international missions shortly after graduating from high school. They relocated to Illinois in 2009 and made Allendale their home in 2014. In 2018, Bobby assumed the role of Lead Pastor at the First Christian Church of Allendale. Together, they have five children, one of whom was lovingly adopted through foster care.