A Disciple-Making Church on North Standard Street
Fourth Memorial Church stands on the north side of Spokane, Washington, at 2000 North Standard Street. The congregation's mission is: "Make Disciples… Transformed by the Gospel… For the glory of God." That mission shapes everything the church does, from the way sermons are prepared to the way small groups meet in neighborhoods around the city.
Sunday worship begins at 9:00 AM. The service is also livestreamed on YouTube, and a sermon archive is available for anyone who wants to catch up or search past messages.
What They Believe
Fourth Memorial maintains a written Foundational Statement of Faith. The statement is organized around nine core commitments: the Bible as God's Word, the Trinity, humankind and the problem of sin, marriage and sexuality, Jesus Christ, salvation by grace through faith, the Holy Spirit, the return of Christ, and the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper.
The church holds to a high view of Scripture as "the supreme and final authority for Christian beliefs and living," inspired by God and "truth without any mixture of error." It affirms classical Trinitarian doctrine and teaches that salvation is a free gift received by faith, not earned by any human effort. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are observed as symbolic ordinances and are not considered means of salvation.
The statement of faith also addresses marriage and sexuality directly: marriage is defined as the union of one man and one woman, sexual intimacy is reserved for that covenant, and any attempt to alter one's gender is described as forbidden. The church further affirms the Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, the Nashville Statement, and the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy.
The Distinctives That Shape the Church
Beneath the doctrinal foundation, Fourth Memorial describes several distinctives that give the church its particular shape. It identifies as a Great Commission church that sees itself as a "disciple making agency." It calls itself "Doctrinally Orthodox" and "Generally Reformed," adhering to the five Solas of the Protestant Reformation: Sola Scriptura, Solus Christus, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, and Soli Deo Gloria.
Preaching at Fourth Memorial is expository. The church believes the main message of the biblical text must become the central message of the sermon, and that consecutive exposition (working through books of the Bible one passage at a time) most effectively feeds the congregation over time.
Ecclesiology is also distinctive. Fourth Memorial is elder-led, meaning a plurality of biblically qualified men serve as pastors and elders to govern the church under Christ's headship. Members affirm these leaders through a voting process. The church also affirms complementarity, the belief that men and women share equal dignity while being given differing and complementary roles in the home and the church.
Sunday Mornings: The Center of Worship
When the whole church gathers, the worship service is built around the Word of God. The church states: "We pray the Word of God, sing the Word of God, read the Word of God, preach the Word of God, and through the Sacraments we display the Word of God." Worship is described as a loving response to who God is and what He has done, and the goal of every element in the service is to "magnify Christ and edify the body."
Worship Director Thomas Brown leads the music ministry, and a Spotify playlist of the congregation's songs is available. The Lord's Supper is observed corporately as a symbolic reminder of Christ's provision for salvation, and baptism is practiced individually as a personal identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.
Children: Partnering with Parents
Children's ministry at Fourth Memorial is built around a partnership with parents, who the church sees as "the primary agents responsible for the privilege of discipling their children." The vision is to "evangelize and disciple children using God's Word to point them to the gospel in order that they might know and walk with Him."
The children's team is led by two directors. Emily Iverson oversees children from birth through kindergarten, and Hannah Klein oversees first through fifth grade. Activities include Sunday morning programming, Bible camp opportunities during the year, and special outreach events. Parents can reach the children's team at childrens@fourthmemorial.com.
Youth: A Community Centered on Jesus
The youth ministry gathers students in grades 6 through 12 around three commitments: Jesus, Jesus's Word, and Jesus-centered community. The goal is "to instill a faith that will last a lifetime through an emphasized focus on the truths of God's word."
Youth meet Wednesday nights from 6:00 to 8:00 PM and Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 10:15 AM (September through May), in the youth room in the east wing of the building (Room 2006). Each month the group holds at least one special event, which might be a game night, an outreach opportunity, a week-long camp, or an overnight experience.
Youth Director Noah Weaver, a North Spokane native and graduate of Great Northern University, leads the ministry. He can be reached at nweaver@fourthmemorial.com.
Adults in Discipleship
Adult ministry at Fourth Memorial is built around small-group Bible study. On Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 10:00 AM (September through May, with summers off), adults gather in discipleship groups spread throughout the building. The groups are often arranged by neighborhood or by topic of Scripture and are led by elders and other qualified teachers. They are meant to "supplement the preaching of the word in Sunday services and allow for authentic relationships to take place through communal study and discussion."
Women's ministry includes weekly midweek Bible studies led by Melissa Iverson, Director of Church Ministries, along with the Titus 2D Ministry, in which older women mentor younger women. Gail Eacker and Alene Walker lead that effort.
Men's ministry takes the form of small "huddles" that meet during the week, plus a monthly men's breakfast on the third Saturday of each month with a time of teaching from God's Word. Pastor of Discipleship Jay Turner oversees men's ministry and can be reached at jturner@fourthmemorial.com.
Young Adults (ages 18 to 29) meet Wednesdays at 5:30 PM for food, fellowship, and discussion. Several young adults coordinators help lead this ministry: Madelyn Carlson, Cody Smith, MiKayla Turner, Sydney Turner, and Lauren and Caleb Knopp.
Seniors are served through Young at Heart, a monthly fellowship that meets on the first Thursday of each month from August through June to share a meal and enjoy time together. Paul and Gail Eacker coordinate this group.
Leadership: Pastors, Elders, and Coordinators
Fourth Memorial functions under an elder-led polity. Members vote to affirm biblically qualified men as elders and deacons, while godly men and women serve as staff and ministry coordinators.
The pastoral staff includes Senior Pastor Scott Liddell, Pastor of Discipleship Jay Turner, Director of Church Ministries Melissa Iverson, Youth Director Noah Weaver, Worship Director Thomas Brown, and the two Children's Directors, Emily Iverson (Birth-K) and Hannah Klein (1st-5th). Pastor Liddell grew up in the Pacific Northwest, was discipled through a college ministry, joined Fourth Memorial in 2013, and holds a master's degree in biblical studies from Western Seminary.
The current board of elders includes Brett Bishop, Rob Faucette, Ryan Kretz, Kamesh Sankaran, Sushil Shenoy, Pat Stahl, Matthew Altmeyer, and Scott Liddell.
A wide network of ministry coordinators carries much of the day-to-day work of the church. Dan and Ellen Briggs lead the Coffee Ministry; Ken Kerr directs First Impressions; Becky Uhden oversees prayer ministry; Ver and Alene Walker run the Welcome Center; Gene Tasche manages facilities.
A Legacy of Church Planting and Education
Fourth Memorial has long invested in the broader Inland Northwest. The congregation has helped plant at least three churches over the years: Valley Fourth Memorial, started on September 24, 1972; Northview Bible Church, established on Spokane's north side on April 27, 1976; and Lampstand Gospel Church, begun on May 26, 2024.
The church has also housed a succession of biblical higher education institutions on its campus, including Inland Empire School of the Bible (1972-1988), Spokane Bible College (1989-1993), Moody Northwest (1993-2006), Moody Bible Institute-Spokane (2006-2018), and currently Great Northern University (2018-present). Several of the church's ministry staff are graduates or current students of Great Northern University, which shares the church's campus.
Visiting Fourth Memorial
Anyone interested in visiting is warmly invited. The church gathers at 2000 North Standard Street, Spokane, WA 99207, with Sunday worship beginning at 9:00 AM. The office is open Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The phone number is (509) 487-2786 and the office email is office@fourthmemorial.com.
On Sunday mornings, visitors can stop by the Welcome Center in the foyer just inside the main doors for information about the church. Giving can be made through Church Center, or by check or cash placed in the boxes at the exits of the worship center on Sunday mornings. Those unable to attend in person can join the livestream on YouTube, and a sermon archive is available.