On East Crystal Lake Avenue, just down the road from Hannah Beardsley Middle School and between Pingree Road and Main Street, the Evangelical Free Church of Crystal Lake has gathered for worship and ministry for decades. The congregation is affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America and traces its roots through several generations of local families; one elder, for example, has been a member for more than forty years, and another is part of the fourth generation of his family to be involved at the church.
What sets EFCCL apart is the deliberate simplicity of its vision, summarized in three words that appear throughout the church: Follow. Connect. Make. The church's mission statement captures the same idea in a single sentence: to transform people to impact their world through Christ. Everything from Sunday worship to children's Awana clubs, from small groups in homes around the city to short-term mission trips to Honduras, Hungary, and British Columbia, is built around that three-part rhythm of pursuing Christ, doing life together with other believers, and making disciples who make more disciples.
Sunday Worship: Two Identical Services
EFCCL holds two Sunday morning services, both held in the Worship Center at 9:00 am and 10:45 am. The two services are identical in content, so worshipers can pick the time that works best. Each service combines preaching and worship music in a style that draws from both contemporary songs and traditional hymns. The church's own weekly song list shows the blend in practice: a recent Sunday included "King of Kings" and "Christ Our Hope in Life and Death" alongside "Holy, Holy, Holy" and "Praise to the Lord the Almighty." A worship playlist is also available on Apple Music and Spotify for those who want to carry the music through the week.
Biblical preaching is central. The church describes itself as "committed to sharing the gospel" and notes that the pastors "dig into the text of the Bible to deliver strong, biblical preaching." Sermon series are based on books of the Bible, with current series moving through Numbers under the title Knowing God.
Communion is observed once a month during both services. The church teaches that the Lord's Supper is for those who have trusted in Jesus as Lord and Savior, are connected to a local church, and are walking in obedience through self-examination. Baptism by immersion is offered separately, with classes and a service held several times a year for those who wish to publicly profess their faith.
What the Church Believes
EFCCL holds the Statement of Faith of the Evangelical Free Church of America, which it has adopted as its own confession. In ten articles the church confesses belief in one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; in the Bible as the verbally inspired, trustworthy Word of God; in humanity's sin and alienation from God; in Jesus Christ as fully God and fully man, whose atoning death and bodily resurrection are the only ground for salvation; in the Holy Spirit's work of regeneration and sanctification; in the church as the community of believers, with baptism and the Lord's Supper as visible ordinances; in godly living shaped by grace; in the personal return of Christ; and in the bodily resurrection and final judgment of all people.
In addition to the EFCA articles, EFCCL has added four of its own distinctive convictions, touching on the reality and destiny of Satan, the meaning of believer's baptism by immersion, the observance of the Lord's Supper, and the definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
The church identifies with the EFCA's classic motto, often attributed to John Chrysostom: "In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, charity. In all things, Jesus Christ." EFCA distinctives include being a believers' church by conviction, an evangelical commitment to the inerrancy of Scripture, a humble orthodoxy that partners with other Christians of like faith, Christian freedom with responsibility, the unity of heart and mind, and a congregational form of government in which each local church retains autonomy while remaining interdependent with other EFCA congregations.
The Vision: Follow, Connect, Make
EFCCL's vision is to Follow Christ Passionately, Connect in Mutual Community, and Make Disciples Who Make Disciples. The three words trace a path of spiritual growth drawn from the New Testament.
Follow begins with surrender to Jesus as Savior and continues with obedience as Lord. Matthew 4:19 frames the call: "Come, follow me." Following Christ is not merely believing facts but adopting His agenda, as John 14:15 puts it: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."
Connect moves the believer out of isolation and into a local church. The pastoral staff argues that to claim to follow Jesus while refusing to belong to a body of believers is a contradiction. The primary pathway into that connection is a Community Group, a small gathering of believers who meet in homes throughout Crystal Lake and the surrounding area.
Make is the outward turn, where disciples share the gospel with their children, their neighbors, and the nations. The church teaches that making disciples is more than converting people; it involves mentoring and investing in others, teaching them to obey everything Christ commanded.
Children: From Birth Through Fifth Grade
Children's disciple-making is one of the most developed ministries at EFCCL. The staff describes a "whole church emphasis on making disciples" that extends even to the youngest attenders, with age-appropriate curriculum at every stage and a network of security and check-in procedures to keep kids safe.
EFCCL Early Childhood serves children from birth through Pre-K during both Sunday services. Secure check-in begins at the Early Childhood front desk on the lower level, accessible through Door 13 on the north end of the building. The children's rooms are designed to reflect the truths of Scripture even in the books and toys provided.
Kids Worship is for K through 3rd graders at 9:00 am. Children begin with pre-service games, move into singing and prayer, participate in an offering, hear Bible teaching, and then break into grade-based small groups for hands-on application. The curriculum covers the entire Bible in a twelve-month cycle.
Popcorn 45 is the Sunday school class for 4th and 5th graders, named for the popcorn kernel that bursts inside out and never returns to its original shape. The class uses the Deeply Rooted Curriculum, which introduces students to a different name of God each quarter and focuses on practical theology, Bible navigation, and note-taking. The 4th and 5th graders also use the Deeply Rooted Scope and Sequence.
Awana is the church's mid-week disciple-making program for children, built around Scripture memory, relationship, and hands-on experience. The clubs meet at different times: Awana Cubbies (ages 3 to Pre-K) on Thursday mornings from 9:00 to 11:00 am, and Awana Sparks (K-2nd grade) and T&T (3rd-5th grade) on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Older students can continue with Awana Trek (middle school) and Awana Journey (high school), both meeting on Sunday afternoons at 4:00 pm.
Friday Night Kids is a free program that runs alongside Celebrate Recovery on select Friday evenings, giving parents a chance to step out for a few hours while their children play under the supervision of trusted leaders.
Child Dedication services are held several times a year during Sunday worship. Parents publicly dedicate their child to the Lord and commit themselves to raising that child according to biblical standards.
Students: NEXUS Student Ministries
NEXUS is the church's ministry to middle school and high school students, and it expresses the church's vision in a single equation: Jesus plus you plus me equals NEXUS. The ministry aims to help students dig their roots deep in Jesus and connect with one another through biblical teaching, disciple-making small groups, and outreach opportunities.
On Sunday mornings at 9:00 am, students gather for worship and a rotating menu of elective studies. After class, they are encouraged to join their families at the 10:45 am worship service. High school juniors and seniors are challenged to plug into an adult church ministry.
On Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:45 pm, students return for the NEXUS Youth Group. Doors open at 6:00 pm for hangout time, followed by a service of worship, teaching, and small group discussion. There is also a NEXUS worship team and a NEXUS tech team, both of which students are invited to join.
Two annual retreats are highlights of the year: a Back to School Retreat over Labor Day weekend and a Winter Retreat over President's Day weekend. Both are overnight gatherings designed for concentrated time with God and with one another.
Adults: Teaching, Fellowship, and Discipleship
EFCCL offers a rich array of adult discipleship opportunities throughout the week.
Adult Bible Fellowships (ABFs) meet on Sunday mornings and function like adult Sunday school classes, with a mix of Bible study, discussion, prayer, and fellowship. Current ABFs include the Meridians (multi-generational, Room 214 at 9:00 am), Three Strands (Room 213 at 9:00 am), Primetimers (for adults in the "primetime" of life, Room 212 at 10:30 am), and Women of Influence (Room 215 at 10:30 am).
Adult Electives are free, short-term courses offered several times a year, designed to help adults increase their Bible knowledge, apply biblical wisdom, and grow in discernment. Recent electives have covered subjects like the messianic prophecies of Isaiah and John Piper's God is the Gospel. Electives meet at 9:00 am on Sunday mornings and require no registration.
Mid-week Bible studies cover a wide range of topics and times. Tuesday afternoons feature a 22-week women's study of J.I. Packer's Knowing God in Room 215. Wednesday mornings offer a women's study of Forever Our God by Katie McCoy. Thursday mornings at 6:00 am include a men's study of Colossians in Room 213. Thursday evenings feature a bi-weekly women's study of the Psalms in a leader's home. Friday mornings include a co-ed Precepts study of Exodus, and Saturday mornings offer a men's study on theological foundations.
Community Groups are the church's small-group strategy for life-on-life discipleship. Groups of around fifteen people or fewer meet weekly in homes throughout Crystal Lake and the surrounding area for ninety minutes to two hours. Each group's discussion is built around questions drawn from the previous Sunday's sermon, so the small groups and the pulpit reinforce one another. Groups are mixed by age and life stage and partner with an EFCCL-supported missionary or Great Commission worker.
Precept Upon Precept studies are also available, including an in-depth workbook study of the book of Exodus.
Men, Women, and Seniors
The men's ministry, known as the Four Fires, envisions men transformed into disciples of Christ who love and serve Christ, their homes, the church, and the world. A series of "Fire Groups" walk men through thirteen-week discipleship tracks focused on one of the four fires at a time. Fire One focuses on a man's relationship with Christ; Fire Two on godly living at home; and others on church and world engagement. Men also gather for a monthly Saturday breakfast from 7:00 to 9:00 am in the Activity Center.
Women's ministry, led by the Director of Ministry to Women, offers a remarkable breadth of programs. Embrace is a bi-weekly gathering on Thursday mornings for moms with young children, ages 0-5. Muffins, Mugs & More brings women of all ages together for a relaxed Saturday morning of conversation and connection. A Women's Book Club meets monthly and discusses books like The Watchmaker's Daughter, the story of Corrie ten Boom. A Mentoring Ministry pairs older and younger women. Sewing Seeds meets monthly to sew dresses, tote bags, and blankets for children in poverty-stricken areas around the world. Common Threads is a fiber arts group (knitting, cross stitch, embroidery) that meets monthly. Hiker Chicks is a hiking fellowship that heads out once a month for a walk and a meal.
Senior adults (55 and older) gather for a luncheon on the fourth Thursday of every month in the Activity Center. Two ABFs are designed specifically for seniors: the Meridians (ages 50 and up) meets at 9:00 am and the Primetimers meets at 10:30 am.
Celebrate Recovery
On Friday nights at 7:00 pm in Room 214, EFCCL hosts Celebrate Recovery, a Christ-centered recovery program built on the Beatitudes of Jesus. The evening opens with large group worship and teaching at 7:00 pm, transitions to gender-specific open-share small groups at 8:00 pm, and concludes with the Crosstalk Café at 9:00 pm for fellowship. Step studies meet during the week as well: women's step studies on Mondays at 6:30 pm in the Library, and men's step studies on Saturdays at 9:00 am in Room 215. There is no cost to attend, and visitors are always welcome. Friday Night Kids is offered on select Friday evenings so that parents attending CR can drop off their children.
Missions: Local, National, and Global
Missions are woven into the life of the church. The annual Shine Your Light Missions Conference Weekend is a multi-day event that brings visiting missionaries to the church to share their work with the congregation. The conference includes dinners, breakfasts, interactive learning areas, and adjusted Sunday services so that the whole church family can participate.
EFCCL focuses its global outreach on three areas: Honduras (in partnership with El Ayudante), First Nations peoples in the United States and Canada, and Hungary. Short-term mission trips are sent regularly to each of these areas. Trips to Honduras have included VBS, construction of latrines and water filters, concrete floors, medical and dental clinics, and evangelism. Trips to Hungary include English Camp, a VBS-type experience that partners with local churches and schools. Trips to British Columbia include the Red Soul Rising Youth Camp for current juniors and seniors. The Global Outreach Advisory Team (G.O.A.T.) provides leadership and strategic direction for the church's missions efforts.
Locally, EFCCL supports a wide range of organizations in McHenry County and provides a Financial Assistance Program for residents of the county. The program helps with past-due mortgage and rent payments, utility bills, and car repairs through a structured application and care-team process. The church also operates a Benevolent Fund supported by a second offering taken on the Sundays when Communion is celebrated.
Prayer Life
The church describes itself as "committed to being a praying people." A Prayer Room is available during regular office hours for individuals or small groups, located next to the elevator. Weekly and monthly prayer teams receive the prayer list by email and commit to praying over requests. A Shepherd's Staff Prayer Time meets on Sunday mornings forty-five minutes before the first service to pray specifically for the Sunday ministries and staff, and a Service Intercession Time runs from 9:00 am to noon on Sundays to continue that ministry throughout the morning. Prayer requests can be submitted online.
Worship and the Arts
Worship at EFCCL is led by a team of vocalists and instrumentalists who rehearse on Sunday mornings before the first service. A Worship Choir also sings in Sunday services and welcomes anyone who would like to join, with no audition required. Choir rehearsals meet on Wednesday evenings from 6:45 to 8:30 pm during the fall, winter, and spring. Tech teams handle sound, lighting, video, cameras, and lyric projection for both Sunday services. The Worship Ministries staff provides on-the-job training for those interested in serving on a tech team.
Leadership: Pastors, Directors, and Elders
The pastoral team is led by Senior Pastor Jay Childs, who has served as EFCCL's senior pastor since October 2013. Pastor Jay previously pastored Evangelical Free churches in Balaton, Minnesota, and Midland, Michigan, and holds a B.A. from Cornerstone University and an M.Div. and D.Min. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is ordained in the EFCA.
Pastor Doug Friesen has served on the EFCCL staff since 1995 and oversees Worship, Technical, Connections, and Communications ministries. He holds degrees in church music, choral conducting, and piano pedagogy. Pastor Ron Kirkeeng has served with NEXUS Student Ministries since 1998, making him one of the longest-tenured youth pastors in the area. Pastor Gabe Moore oversees Discipleship and Care Ministries. Pastor Laine Keyes, who grew up at EFCCL and met his wife in the youth ministry there, joined the staff as Associate Youth Pastor.
Other ministry directors include Heather Soukup (Children's Disciple-making), Peggy Strasser (Ministry to Women), Melissa Hurless (Connections and Short-term Missions), Ryan Klos (Tech), and Kelly Demakis (Communications). Coordinators and specialized leaders include Kathy Barnes (Early Childhood), Venessa Morris (Student Ministries), Ben Ackert (Awana Coordinator), and Tony Demakis (Sparks Director).
An eight-member Elder Board, which includes the Senior Pastor, provides spiritual oversight for the church. The current elders are Jay Childs, Ben Ackert, Mark Gerhardt, Rob Page, Jake Seiler, Ralph Smith, Dan Wallace, and Kevin Wegrzyn. Several elders are lawyers, engineers, pilots, and other professionals who also serve in various ministries throughout the church. The governance of the church is vested in its members, with the elders representing the members as servants and visionaries.
Practicalities for First-Time Visitors
EFCCL offers a front-row guest parking spot near the front entrance, with signs clearly marked. For those who would rather not walk at all, free valet parking is available every Sunday morning under the Canopy Entrance. Accessible parking spaces are reserved near the same entrance, and the valet team will park in those spaces if requested.
The dress code is intentionally casual: jeans, shorts, and suits are all welcome. The church's posture is captured in the simple line, "We are casual in our clothes choices, but we are serious about Scripture."
Children are welcomed with secure check-in beginning at 8:45 am at the Early Childhood desk on the lower level, accessible through Door 13. Classes are available for birth through Pre-K during both services, and for K through 5th grade during the 9:00 am service. Registration is recommended. A security team is in place for children from birth through 5th grade.
The café offers free coffee, hot chocolate, and hot tea before each service. Café hours are 8:30 to 9:00 am and 10:15 to 10:45 am.
Services are livestreamed on YouTube for those who wish to attend online.
How to Get Connected
Several pathways exist for newcomers who want to move from attending to belonging. Pizza with the Pastors is a casual lunch held after the second service on selected Sundays, where newcomers can meet the pastoral staff and their wives. Bridge to Connect is a one-time experience designed for adults who want to learn more about the church's ministries and serving opportunities. Membership Class, taught by Pastor Jay and Becky Childs along with Pastor Gabe Moore, explores the meaning of church membership, the church's history and beliefs, and the Follow, Connect, Make vision. A Newcomers welcome experience is also available, and a free gift awaits at the Welcome Center in the lobby.
For those ready to serve, the church maintains a list of current volunteer openings across all ministries and welcomes anyone who wants to find a place to use their gifts.
Giving and Stewardship
EFCCL offers several ways to give: through the church app, online through the church's online account, by text message, by automatic bank withdrawal, by online bill payment through a personal bank, by recurring gift, or by mailing a check. Gifts can be designated to the General Fund, the Benevolent Fund, or the Memorial Fund. The church's fiscal year begins on July 1, and a financial summary is available.
A Church with a Clear Path Forward
The Evangelical Free Church of Crystal Lake is, at its heart, a teaching church. From the doctrinal precision of its Statement of Faith to the structured milestones of children's ministry, from the multi-layered adult Bible study offerings to the strategic focus of its three global mission fields, the congregation has built its life around helping people follow Christ, connect with one another, and make disciples. For those who live in or near Crystal Lake and are looking for a community of faith rooted in Scripture, eager to engage in mission, and serious about raising the next generation to know Jesus, EFCCL offers a clear pathway forward and a warm welcome.