Faith Village Church of Christ gathers at 4100 McNiel Ave. in Wichita Falls, a church known for Bible-centered worship, ministries for children through seniors, and practical care for local families. Founded through the cooperative work of four congregations in 1954, Faith Village has grown from 71 members to more than 700 while maintaining a distinctive pattern of public Bible reading, congregational a cappella singing, prayer, preaching, and the Lord's Supper. Sunday Bible class begins at 9:00 a.m., followed by worship at 10:00 a.m. On Wednesday, a school-year meal begins at 5:30 p.m. and Bible classes for all ages begin at 6:30 p.m. Information for first-time visitors includes answers to common questions about attending.
Four Congregations Become Faith Village
The Faith Village family began in 1954 when four Wichita Falls congregations joined their efforts. The original membership was 71, and it reached 190 during the first year. By 1957, attendance had exceeded the capacity of the first auditorium, so two morning worship services were begun. A second auditorium was dedicated on January 10, 1960. Members contributed both countless hours of construction labor and the financial commitment that made the project possible.
Unity, love, and strong leadership characterized the continued growth. A third auditorium was dedicated on January 16, 1983, with seating for 2,000. Faith Village continues to grow numerically and spiritually while carrying out God's commission to make disciples. The church has a particular concern for reaching the lost and ministering to youth and college-age people. Young families plant roots there, older members are lifted up and venerated, and children are taught the word of God in a safe and fun environment.
Sunday at Nine and Ten: Reading, Singing, Prayer and Preaching
Sunday begins with Bible class at 9:00 a.m. and continues with the worship assembly at 10:00 a.m. The worship is simple and biblical, centering on acts that have continued in the church since the first century. Visitors can expect to participate rather than simply observe.
- Public reading from the Bible. The congregation reads the Bible aloud so everyone may be edified and encouraged by the word of God.
- Congregational a cappella singing. The human voice is the only instrument, and the whole congregation sings. Members do not need musical training, a polished voice, or the ability to read music to take part.
- Prayer through Jesus. The prayer offered to God includes praise, thanksgiving, confession, and requests.
- Preaching from God's word. Each week includes a Bible lesson intended to encourage, challenge, and deepen faith. During the invitation song at the end, responses can include requests for prayer, a public confession of loyalty to Christ, repentance, or a desire to be baptized.
- The Lord's Supper. The congregation remembers Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection on the first day of the week.
- Reflection and giving. There is time to consider God's blessings and an opportunity to give money. Guests are not expected to give, but they are welcome to participate.
Faith Village welcomes visitors and members alike. An interpreter for people who are deaf has served during services and songs for 20 years, adding interpretation to the congregation's worship practice.
Wednesday: A Meal at 5:30 and Classes at 6:30
Wednesday is set aside for a mid-week devotional and Bible study for the church and visitors. During the school year, a shared meal begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by Bible classes from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Classes are available for all ages and are intended both to study God's word and to encourage one another in the daily walk. Members can also arrange a personal study with one of the shepherds or ministers.
Bible, Grace and the Shape of Faith Village
The Bible stands at the center of Faith Village's teaching. Every book in the Christian Bible is described as inspired by the Holy Spirit, inerrant in its original language, and sufficient for understanding God and his will for humanity. The Bible is not to be bent to fit personal beliefs but studied diligently in its original context and meaning. Its principles transcend time and culture while offering an understandable message that can transform the world.
God the Father created the world and everything in it. He is described as slow to anger and abounding in grace and mercy, wanting all people to repent. His mercy is balanced by his justice, which he uses to draw people to him. Jesus Christ is both the Son of God and God. He humbled himself, became fully human, experienced human pain and weakness, lived without sin, died for humanity's sins, was buried, and rose on the third day. Faith Village identifies Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life and the source of salvation and spiritual transformation.
Grace is an unearned gift and the ground of salvation, offered regardless of the type or number of sins. It does not override human will. The church teaches that people are saved by grace rather than works, while God's grace calls people to repent, confess sins regularly, pursue righteousness, and live in the light rather than darkness. Faith does not demand sinless perfection. Faith Village understands the gospel as the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and teaches baptism by full immersion for accountable believers. It does not baptize infants and does not accept sprinkling or pouring. Physical immersion accompanies the spiritual experience of dying to sin and rising with Christ. Obedience is part of the response to grace, not a payment for salvation.
The Holy Spirit is involved in spiritual formation. He baptizes believers, lives within each baptized follower, offers comfort in distress, intercedes in inadequate prayers, convicts people concerning sin, and reminds them of coming judgment. Faith Village also teaches the Trinity, understanding that the word itself is not in the Bible but that its concept is evident throughout the biblical message. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are presented as equals who were all present at creation.
Faith Village does not present Church of Christ as a denomination. It uses the name descriptively for the church that belongs to Christ and places itself within the restoration spirit, seeking to restore the original first-century church. The Bible is the only guide, rather than human creeds or denominational division. The church teaches that God predestined the church and the gospel but does not irresistibly predestine individuals, who must choose to follow God's plan.
Other teachings include meeting on the first day of the week for worship and the Lord's Supper, using freewill offerings as the only call for financial support, and treating marriage as binding until death, with adultery the only exception named in scripture.
Children, Youth and the Whole Family
The Children's Ministry is designed to teach children about the Lord and his expectations while providing classes, training, development, and encouragement for a variety of needs. Its classes supplement the Bible study done at home. Each quarter, Faith Village seeks to offer varied subjects that increase Bible knowledge and promote individual spiritual growth, equipping children and families to share God's love and word with their neighbors, community, and world.
Specific commitments include developing curriculum for each age according to spiritual, educational, and developmental levels; supporting teachers with resources, training, materials, and encouragement; promoting consistent attendance at Sunday morning and Wednesday evening studies; and encouraging Bible education beyond the classroom. Faith Village also supports Bible study at home and the development of study groups.
The Youth Ministry has a memorable mission: to INVEST in non-Christian students, FOSTER their relationships with other Christians, help them ASPIRE to a deeper faith, challenge them to TRANSFORM their ministry, and HONOR God. It uses social media to share activities, return times, baptisms, and announcements. The Children's Ministry and Youth Ministry are supported by dedicated ministers, while the Family Center provides space for gatherings that bring different generations together.
Tuesday Devotionals and Senior Fellowship
Men have several ways to serve at Faith Village. A regular Tuesday evening devotional takes place at 6:30 p.m. in the Family Center, and men also take part in serving the Lord's Supper and leading various ministries. Adult Bible Classes offer additional opportunities to study and serve together.
Senior adults take part in activities such as game days with the 39ers group and Fun and Smiles at Texoma Christian Care Center. These gatherings complement the church's broader emphasis on Scripture, fellowship, and opportunities for every age to contribute to the life of the congregation.
Sonshine House and the Care Portal
The Sonshine House provides clothing and food to people in need within Wichita Falls and surrounding areas. It is sponsored by Faith Village, Tenth & Broad, Edgemere, Welch Street, and other area churches of Christ. Volunteers from each congregation work together to distribute clothing and groceries every week. The ministry is located at 912 Broad Street in Wichita Falls and is open Tuesdays from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m. The Faith Village office connects people who want to volunteer with the Sonshine House coordinator.
The church's Caring Ministry also participates in the Care Portal with Texas Child Welfare Services. State agencies can enlist faith-based organizations to help meet needs required for children to remain in a home with their parents or other guardians. Those needs can include a bed, a crib or baby bed for an infant, or help paying an electric bill before service is disconnected. Faith Village volunteers are not state employees, but they work in partnership with the child welfare system to help families meet those needs.
When a request arrives, the local church contact receives a description of the need and makes the congregation aware. If the congregation can respond, the contact replies through the Care Portal, and the child welfare worker handling the case collaborates with the church to meet the family's needs. Families are also introduced to Faith Village and invited to attend services, with home Bible studies and correspondence courses offered as additional ways to engage. The Care Portal's guiding idea is simple: every church doing a little.
Missions That Begin Close to Home
Faith Village describes itself as a mission-minded congregation whose efforts begin in the community and extend around the world. Its mission support has included Argentina, Malaysia, Honduras, Miami, Ukraine, Belize, Ecuador, Haiti, South Sudan, Indonesia, and other places. The church also supports Home Mission, a program for smaller, struggling, or discouraged congregations. Help through Home Mission includes improving worship, teaching outreach, and strengthening church members.
Faith Village takes mission trips to Belize each year to support various works there. Locally, the church takes part in Be A Reader, the Cunningham Project, Sonshine House, Care Portal, and other programs designed to meet needs and share the gospel. A member of the evangelism team will meet with someone seeking to understand God and his will at a place and time of that person's choosing.
People can also study the Bible by mail. Faith Village offers lessons such as Starting Over, Foundations, and His Eternal Plan, with the Bible as the only guide and room for additional questions. The church also provides free copies of Muscle and a Shovel and I Died Last Night for people exploring questions about faith, life, death, and eternity.
Shepherds, Ministers and Local Autonomy
Each Church of Christ congregation is fully autonomous, self-supporting, self-propagating, and self-sustaining. In an organized congregation, a plurality of elders or presbyters serves as the governing body. They are selected by the local congregation according to qualifications found in Scripture. The elders are charged with the spiritual feeding and direction of the congregation. Members voluntarily submit to their authority, and the elders serve as shepherds and overseers under the headship of Christ. Deacons, teachers, and evangelists serve under the elders.
The ministry team
- Chris Swinford serves as preaching minister and evangelist. He has taught and preached full time for more than 30 years in churches of Christ, and his background includes mission work in Ukraine and evangelism training.
- Stephen Miller serves as Children and Family Minister. He and his wife have been active in children's and family ministry for 15 years, and he joined Faith Village's full-time ministry in 2018.
- Zachary Waugh serves as Youth Minister, giving the church's student ministry dedicated leadership.
Faith Village's leadership team includes elders Ken Keiser, Rock Marker, Scott Hollars, Robert Moore, Jeremy Prather, Lawrence Robinson, and Larry Scott. Ken Keiser has served as an elder since 2001. Robert Moore has taught adult Bible classes, Lawrence Robinson has taught sixth-grade, youth, and Ladies Bible classes and coaches the Leadership Training for Christ Bible Bowl, and Larry Scott oversees Monday Night for the Master and works with the church's mission efforts in Belize.
Listen, Study and Give
Worship services are available through the church's YouTube livestream. Video sermons and lessons, a podcast on Apple iTunes and Google Play, and a church app provide additional ways to hear messages and study biblical material. Faith Village also offers a Bible correspondence course, with online enrollment and mail-based study options. Lessons on the Gospel of John, First Corinthians, and Second Corinthians are among the biblical courses available.
Giving is available through secure online giving. The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to noon, with telephone and email access during those hours.
At its center, Faith Village Church of Christ remains a congregation built around Bible study, unaccompanied congregational song, prayer, preaching, the Lord's Supper, and service to people in need. The recurring rhythm is straightforward: Sunday Bible class at 9:00 a.m., Sunday worship at 10:00 a.m., and Wednesday Bible study at 6:30 p.m. Faith Village continues to gather at 4100 McNiel Ave. in Wichita Falls, carrying forward a church family that began with four congregations in 1954.