Fellowship Community Church has become a steady presence across the Roanoke Valley, gathering under one name at two English-speaking campuses and two Spanish-language services, all built around a single purpose: following Jesus every day and sharing Him with everyone, everywhere. The Salem campus sits just off Interstate 81 near Hanging Rock Golf Course on Red Lane Extension, while the North campus is up the road on Alpine Road, close to the Hollins area north of Roanoke. From those two hubs the church runs Kids Life nurseries, student ministries, college and young adult groups, life groups in living rooms across the valley, a special needs ministry, a recovery program, a Stephen Ministry caregiving team, foster and adoption outreach, and a global missions network.
Two Campuses, One Vision
Fellowship Community Church keeps its vision simple. Their eyes are fixed on following Jesus and making His name great both in the Roanoke Valley and around the world, and everything the church teaches and does is shaped by the Bible rather than by any particular movement or model. That vision is lived out at two English-speaking campuses that meet every Sunday at 9:00 AM and 10:45 AM. The Salem campus, led by Lead Pastor Ken Nienke, meets at 1226 Red Lane Extension in Salem, and the North campus, led by Campus Pastor Matt Thieman, meets at 7640 Alpine Road in Roanoke.
For Spanish-speaking families, Fellowship Community Church Español holds a 10:30 AM service at the Salem campus and a 5:30 PM service at the North campus. Both Español services offer Kids Life and Student Life programming for children and teens. The Español ministry is led by FCC Español Pastor Julio Peredo.
What a Sunday Morning Looks Like
Each Sunday service at Fellowship is built around contemporary worship, prayer, and teaching designed to help people understand how God relates to everyday life. The music draws on modern worship songwriters in the vein of Hillsong, Bethel, and Passion, paired with rich lyrics and biblical roots. The weekend teaching is shaped to inspire rather than lecture, with each element - music, drama, media, and the message - woven together around a single passage of Scripture.
The dress code is casual. The church makes a point of saying so, knowing that many people stay away from church because they assume they need to dress a certain way. The focus is on a person's heart, not a person's wardrobe. Visitors can pick up a free coffee at the Café before the service, and parking lot greeters are the first friendly face many people notice on arrival. Weekly services are also available online, with livestreams on the church's online platform, YouTube, and Facebook.
Next Steps for Newcomers
For anyone wanting to learn more about the church, the Next Steps Class is the on-ramp. The class walks through what it means to be a Christ follower, the church's basic biblical beliefs, opportunities to get involved, and how to build community within the church. Next Steps meets on Sundays from 9:00 AM to 11:45 AM in Room 2101 at the Salem campus and Room 2102 at the North campus, with childcare and refreshments provided when registered in advance. From there, the same pathway guides newcomers through baptism, joining a Life Group, finding a place to serve, beginning to give, and ultimately pursuing church membership.
Kids Life: The Best Hour of Every Kid's Week
Fellowship Community Church describes Kids Life as "the best hour of every kid's week." The program runs at both services and is open to children from infants through 5th grade. Each age group experiences age-appropriate Bible lessons, praise and worship, grade-level groups, games, and activities, with the goal of helping children connect weekly with a caring leader and grow in the core truths of the Christian faith.
Safety is built into every layer of the program. All volunteers complete a thorough application process and background screenings, and a secure check-in system lets parents worship with the assurance that the team can reach them if needed. Children with allergies are protected by posted alerts in every room, and nut, tree nut, and gluten-free snack options are available on request. A separate Children's Baptism Class is offered for children ages 6 to 12 to help them understand what it means to follow Christ and what baptism and the Lord's Supper picture. The Salem Kids Life team is led by Director Lynn Wampler, while Kristen Enns leads Kids Life at the North campus. Lisa Willard serves as Childcare Coordinator, Shannon Bratton as Children's Ministry Administrative Assistant, and Rachel Guilliams as Early Childhood Coordinator at Salem.
Student Life: Grades 6 Through 12
Fellowship's Student Life ministry creates a fun and safe environment for middle and high school students through large group gatherings, supportive small groups, and special events. At the North campus, students meet for IMPACT on Sunday mornings at 9:00 and 10:45 AM in the Student Life Room, and for EPIC on Sunday evenings from 6:00 to 8:00 PM for grades 6 through 12. At the Salem campus, Morning Worship meets at 9:00 and 10:45 AM in The Refuge (the back building) and EPIC runs Sunday evenings from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Student Home Groups add midweek community, with separate groups for middle and high school boys and for middle and high school girls meeting in homes around the valley. The Salem student ministry is led by Student Pastor Josh Horne, and the North campus student ministry by Student Director Jared Martin. The student ministry also produces a weekly email and text update for parents who want to stay in the loop.
College and Young Adults
College and Young Adult Ministry at Fellowship is a life group based ministry led by Andrew McPheron. Its mission is to connect young adults to the person of Jesus Christ and to His mission on earth, combining large group gatherings with weekly small group meetings. The vision is for this generation to know God, grow in God, go in God, and invite others to do the same.
Life Groups: Belong, Believe, Become
Life Groups are at the heart of how Fellowship Community Church does community. The church defines them as life-changing communities where people can belong, believe, and become. Groups meet in homes, online, and on-site across the valley and are organized around a sermon-based discussion guide so that the Sunday message continues to be lived out during the week. Leaders are supported with regular training through Equip, the church's leader development track.
Unlimited: Special Needs Ministry
Unlimited is Fellowship Community Church's special needs ministry, designed so that every person can participate fully in the life of the church. The Unlimited team, led by Director Patrice Smelser and Assisted Director Ty Horton, walks alongside families affected by disability and helps create space for their children and adults to worship, learn, and belong. The ministry raises funds and awareness through events like a fall golf tournament and an online auction.
Generations: A Senior Adults Community
Generations is the church's senior adult ministry. The group gathers for fellowship throughout the year, with regular events like football tailgates, themed lunches, and outings across the Roanoke Valley. Generations also partners with community organizations such as the Rescue Mission, giving older adults meaningful ways to serve beyond the church.
Stephen Ministry: One-to-One Care in Hard Seasons
Stephen Ministry at Fellowship Community Church provides confidential, one-to-one Christian care to people going through a difficult time. Lay congregation members are trained through twenty class sessions to walk alongside people experiencing grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, hospitalization, military deployment, or a host of other life struggles. The motto of the ministry is "Christ Caring for People Through People," rooted in Galatians 6:2. The team complements the care offered by pastors and serves both church members and people in the wider community.
Celebrate Recovery: Thursday Nights at the North Campus
Celebrate Recovery meets every Thursday evening from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the North campus on Alpine Road. The program is a Bible-based, Christ-centered recovery ministry for anyone struggling with hurts, hang-ups, and habits including addiction, compulsive behaviors, grief, anxiety, depression, and codependency. Each evening runs in three parts: a large group meeting with worship, teaching on the recovery principles, and a testimony; gender-specific open share groups; and the Cross Talk Café, a time to build accountability over coffee and snacks. Childcare for children from birth through age 12 is available during the large group and open share times, and a Newcomers 101 session explains the program for first-time guests.
Missions: From the Neighborhood to the Nations
Fellowship Community Church takes seriously the call to carry the name of Jesus to neighborhoods, to the Roanoke Valley, and to the world. The Missions and Evangelism team, led by Pastor Robbie Willard, organizes opportunities to serve locally with schools and organizations across the valley, nationally in places like West Virginia, Pittsburgh, and Raleigh, and internationally in Ireland, Asia, Africa, and several other countries. The church's vision for its mission footprint is threefold: loving literal neighbors, being "FOR the Roanoke Valley" through supporting local schools and meeting community needs, and partnering with effective organizations to take the gospel around the world. Mission applications, project leader applications, strategic partnership forms, financial policies, and academic scholarship applications are all available for those who want to step into short-term or long-term service.
Empty Chair: Foster Care, Adoption, and Global Orphan Care
The Empty Chair Ministry commissions people in the church to actively love and disciple orphaned and vulnerable children and families through foster care, adoption, and acts of service. The name comes from the empty chair at a kitchen table, the space prepared in advance for a child God may bring. The ministry meets practical and spiritual needs through a Christ-centered community, prevention-focused support, resources, and opportunities for connection. Internationally, Empty Chair partners with Hilos Guatemala, a ministry directed by missionary Jensen Blevins that empowers and cares for single and widowed women in Guatemala through Christ-centered discipleship, trauma-informed care, and embroidery trade-skills training, working to keep families together and prevent children from entering the orphan care system. Once a year, the ministry hosts the Together Conference, a one-day gathering for adoptive, foster, and kinship parents with keynote speakers and practical encouragement.
CarePortal: Meeting Real Needs in the Valley
CarePortal connects the church family to the needs of vulnerable families and children in the Roanoke Valley. Respected organizations like Roanoke DSS and the Rescue Mission post concrete needs through the platform, and FCC responders step in to shop for, deliver, and follow up on those needs, helping keep families together, preventing children from going into foster care, and supporting kids already in the system. The church also offers camp scholarships through Care Eagle and Fuge for children in FCC families who foster or adopt.
Faith@Home: The Family Table
Faith@Home is an initiative rooted in the belief that each family is responsible for establishing a foundation of faith at home. The team creates family-friendly resources - including a Family Devotional, themed evening plans, and conversation prompts for preschoolers through 12th graders - that help parents share their faith with their kids at the table, in the car, and before bed. A Faith@Home Worship Experience video is offered for families and people of all ages who want to worship together at home.
What Fellowship Community Church Believes
Fellowship Community Church holds to a classic evangelical statement of faith. God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe, eternally existing in three co-equal persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lived a sinless life, offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for sin by dying on a cross, rose again on the third day, ascended to Heaven, and will return to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and Son, lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation, gives each believer a spiritual gift, and empowers daily Christian living. The Bible is God's Word, written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit, and is the supreme source of truth for Christian belief and living. People are made in the spiritual image of God but are marred by an attitude of disobedience called sin, which separates them from God. Salvation is God's free gift, received by trusting in Jesus Christ, and eternal life begins the moment a person receives Christ by faith. The true believer is eternally secure in that salvation, kept by the grace and power of God. People were created to exist forever, either eternally separated from God in Hell or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation in Heaven. The church has also published an Elders' Statement on Marriage, Family, and Sexuality and a Statement on the Sanctity of Life, both of which can be read online.
Getting Connected and Giving
Visitors can connect through the Next Steps Class, by joining a Life Group, by serving on one of the more than 400 volunteer roles that keep Sunday mornings running, or by joining a ministry. Online and text giving are both available, and giving is framed as an act of worship, an opportunity to give thanks, to trust God, and to invest in life change. The church also has a Kroger Community Rewards program and an AmazonSmile account so that regular shopping can support FCC Missions. The Jesus Every Day podcast offers daily encouragement in following Jesus, with reading plans for the Old Testament, New Testament, whole Bible, and 31- and 40-day tracks.
Lead Pastor Ken Nienke and the Pastoral Team
Ken Nienke serves as Lead Pastor and Salem Campus Pastor, having led the church through its 25th anniversary year. Matt Thieman is the North Campus Pastor, Julio Peredo is the FCC Español Pastor, Ethan Callison is the Discipleship Pastor, Josh Horne is the Salem Student Pastor, Travis Bowman is the Worship Pastor, Robbie Willard is the Missions and Evangelism Pastor, and Andrew McPheron is the Life Groups and College Ministry Pastor. The Worship Arts team includes Worship Leader John Obenshain, Communication Director Jill Dixon, Technical Director Robert Grimm, and Social Media Manager and Content Creator Brittany Green. The Unlimited ministry is led by Patrice Smelser and Ty Horton, and the staff is rounded out by Executive Director Angie Lynch, Office Manager Trish Cymbal, Finance Assistant Christine Alexander, and the facilities, administrative, and guest services teams that keep both campuses welcoming every week of the year.