Eagle Creek Community Church sits on Lafayette Road on the northwest side of Indianapolis, about a half mile north of 56th Street and visible from the interstate. The church is a non-denominational congregation in the Great Commission tradition, committed to contemporary worship, biblical teaching, and small-group community that extends well beyond Sunday mornings. At the heart of ECCC is a simple idea: imperfect people finding acceptance as they pursue a transforming relationship with Jesus together.
Sunday Mornings at 10:30
The Sunday gathering begins at 10:30 AM at 5943 Lafayette Road. The service is contemporary in style and built around a clear, Bible-centered message. Worship runs first, after which children ages three through junior high are dismissed to their own age-appropriate Sunday School classes. A nursery is available throughout the morning for children two and under. The dress code is "come as you are." Visitors are told that the church cares more about who they are than what they wear. For those who can't attend in person, the service is livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel, and a video message archive is available for catch-up viewing.
A West Side Church Since 1986
ECCC's roots go back to 1986, when Ray Harmon and a small team moved to Indianapolis to plant a new church on the city's west side. Before that, Ray had spent years in campus ministry, at IU Bloomington starting in 1981 and then at the University of Louisville from 1985, and the same pattern of starting new works followed him to Indianapolis. He worked in management for 25 years before being ordained as a pastor in January 2004. The congregation he and that founding team started has grown into the multi-staff, multi-ministry community that meets on Lafayette Road today. Ray's testimony of coming to faith as a college senior, after a friend on the football team he supervised shared the gospel with him, is one of the stories the church regularly shares with newcomers.
What ECCC Believes
The church's statement of faith is theologically conservative and evangelical in tone. The Bible, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is treated as the sole basis of belief, uniquely and verbally inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error in the original manuscripts. ECCC affirms one God eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaches that human beings are born with a corrupted nature because of Adam's fall, leaving them incapable of pleasing God on their own.
Salvation, in the church's teaching, comes by grace alone through faith in Christ alone. Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and voluntarily died as the substitute payment for human sin. He rose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, and now intercedes for His people at the right hand of the Father. He will return personally to judge the living and the dead.
The Holy Spirit indwells every believer from the moment of spiritual birth, sealing them until the day of redemption and empowering them to live a life pleasing to God. Those born again can have full assurance of eternal life, resting not on personal merit but on God's election, Christ's completed work, and the Spirit's presence within them. At physical death the believer enters immediately into conscious fellowship with the Lord and awaits the resurrection of the body to everlasting glory; the unbeliever enters conscious separation and awaits resurrection to judgment.
Two ordinances mark the church's life. Believers are baptized in water by immersion as a symbol of new birth, and the Lord's Supper is observed as a remembrance of Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection. Neither is believed to contribute merit toward eternal life. ECCC also holds a traditional view of marriage as the exclusive union of one man and one woman, and teaches that sexual intimacy is intended by God for the context of marriage alone.
Mission, Vision, and Core Values
The church's mission is to fulfill Christ's command in Matthew 28:19 and 20: to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them to obey everything He has commanded. The vision, drawn from Colossians 1:28, is to help people enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and become His devoted followers.
Six core values shape the congregation. The grace of God is the basis and power for salvation, personal life, ministry, and relationships. Commitment to God and His Word is expressed through prayer and the study, obedience, and teaching of Scripture. The church itself is God's vehicle for accomplishing the Great Commission, winning people to Christ, building believers up to maturity, raising up leaders, and preparing teams to plant new churches. Love and unity, marked by Christ-like, selfless love, loyalty, and unity among believers, are central. Raising godly families is a stated priority, with intentional help for members to build strong marriages and homes. And "every member a minister" reflects the conviction that all Christians are empowered by the Holy Spirit to serve, with the church seeking to equip each member to use their spiritual gifts.
Life Groups and Growth Groups
The church is intentional about life beyond Sunday. Life Groups are the main vehicle for that. These groups of 10 to 15 people meet in homes or in the church building at various times throughout the week, gathering around Bible study, topical study, shared meals, book discussions, service projects, and prayer. A young-adult community of working singles and couples meets each Sunday evening for prayer and discussion about living out faith in a secular world. A group of empty nesters gathers once a month on Sunday after church for a shared meal and conversation. Women's groups meet every other week around video series, fellowship, and prayer. Families with young kids meet every other week on Sunday in various homes for a meal, worship, prayer, and discussion.
Alongside the larger groups, ECCC runs Growth Groups: pairs or trios of believers who commit to meet regularly, read the Bible, pray together, and hold one another accountable. The model is intentionally simple: a few faithful relationships that push one another forward in Christ.
Children and Students
The Children's Ministry is designed to support parents in raising children who follow Christ. Sunday School classes for ages three through junior high meet during the Sunday service, with a nursery for the youngest children. Activities throughout the year are also designed to draw in community families alongside church families.
Students in junior high and senior high meet twice a month on Saturday evenings at the church building for a time of worship, Bible study, discussion, fellowship, and fun. On Sunday mornings, the teens are invited to participate in the main worship service with their parents. The goal of the youth ministry is to help students grow in love for the Lord, develop God-honoring relationships with parents and peers, serve in the church and community, and reach their peers at school, in sporting activities, in the neighborhood, and in extended family for Christ.
The Rock at IUPUI
In 2008, Pastor Ray Harmon and a small group of college students from ECCC planted The Rock, a campus ministry at IUPUI in downtown Indianapolis. The Rock is a contemporary community of college students and young adults who want to experience God rather than religion. The group meets every Thursday evening at the IUPUI Campus Center and also gathers in Life Groups off campus for worship, prayer, and fellowship, as well as in Growth Groups for accountability.
Alex Glennon serves as the director of The Rock, working alongside the pastors at Eagle Creek Community Church. The church employs Alex and helps him build a support team of partners who give financially to the ministry and to the Glennon family. A separate page at therockiupui.com provides more information about the campus ministry.
A Team of Pastors
ECCC is shepherded by a team of four pastors. Ray Harmon is the founding pastor and full-time staff leader. He came to faith in 1979 while in graduate school, moved to Indiana in 1981 to help establish a campus ministry at IU Bloomington, and then to Louisville for a similar work at the University of Louisville before arriving in Indianapolis in 1986 to help plant what would become Eagle Creek Community Church. He worked in management for 25 years before being ordained in January 2004, and is married to Kelly, with four daughters, four sons-in-law, and five grandchildren.
Dan Barnard leads worship at ECCC and became a full-time staff pastor in January 2024. He grew up in Texas, moved to the Chicago suburbs, then to West Lafayette to work with Grace Church at Purdue University, and finally to Indianapolis with his wife Jenn and their six children. He has led worship since he was thirteen, and his own testimony of finding a serious-minded church during a season of academic struggle shapes his heart for the lost and for right handling of the Word.
Bill Pfeifer joined the church in 1989 after serving in campus ministry in Michigan and Muncie, and was ordained in 1987. He works as an Engineering Manager for the Raymond Corporation in Lebanon, Indiana, and lives on the west side of Indianapolis with his wife Belinda and their four children.
Scott MacLean came to faith at 21 while working a summer job in the Colorado Rockies. A business marketing consultant for three decades, he was ordained in May 2012 and has served in worship, small-group leadership, and student ministry. He and his wife Tina have four grown children, all living in central Indiana.
Going Global from the West Side
ECCC's reach extends well beyond Indianapolis. The church supports a number of missionaries and partner ministries around the world, both financially and through short-term mission trips when possible.
In San José, Costa Rica, ECCC partners with Great Commission Church, where Pastor Carlos Gomez continues a work that includes a Children's Development Center and a campus ministry and outreach called the Hangout at the National University of Costa Rica. In Nicaragua, the church supports a sister congregation planted in 2006 near several universities in Tegucigalpa, where a malnutrition center feeds sixteen young children, a computer lab serves area students, and a full-time doctor runs a medical clinic alongside evangelism.
Stateside partners Mike and Rita Bergan coach a network of Great Commission churches in the Philippines while training disciples in the United States, helping the Philippine churches send their own missionaries to parts of Asia. Mike and Sue Keator launched RUN Global (Reach the Unreached NOW) in 2009 to mobilize the body of Christ toward finishing the Great Commission, catalyzing a church planting movement in India that has seen thousands come to faith. Daniel and Lori Goering, who helped initiate Great Commission's missionary efforts in Europe in 1990, work out of Berlin, planting German churches led by German nationals and coaching church planting across western Europe.
Feeding the Neighborhood
ECCC runs a community food pantry twice each month on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 PM, open to neighbors with a need and to volunteers who want to serve. The twice-monthly schedule is consistent throughout the year, second and fourth Wednesdays, and the pantry has become a steady rhythm of practical outreach from the Lafayette Road building.
A Starting Point for Exploring Faith
For visitors asking the bigger questions, ECCC walks through the gospel in plain terms: explaining who God is, why human beings are separated from Him, what Christ has done about it, and how a person can receive Him. The church invites readers to pray and place their trust in Jesus and offers a follow-up meeting or additional resources to help them take a first step. A separate Begin in Christ page at begininchrist.com provides further study.
ECCC also points visitors to a curated list of outside ministries: GotQuestions.org for doctrinal and spiritual questions, Blue Letter Bible for in-depth Scripture study, the Jesus Film for sharing the story of Christ across cultures, Tom the Preacher for campus evangelism resources, and Premeditated Parenting for parents raising children in a confusing culture. The list serves as a starting library for anyone who wants to read further on their own.
Giving and Staying Connected
Gifts to Eagle Creek Community Church can be made online through the church's Realm account, by texting ECCCGIVE to 73256, by cash or check during weekend services, or by mail to the church office at 5943 Lafayette Road, Indianapolis, IN 46254. Online giving supports the general fund and other designated funds, and gifts can be set up as one-time or recurring contributions by card or electronic transfer.
The church maintains an active online presence, with regularly updated messages on YouTube, a Facebook page, and an Instagram account where life at ECCC is shared week to week. Members can also log in to the church's online community through onrealm.org/eccc for member resources, building reservations, and church documents.
Eagle Creek Community Church invites anyone walking through the door, or tuning in online, to come as they are. The mission is to make devoted followers of Jesus Christ, and the door on Lafayette Road is open every Sunday at 10:30.