Plum Creek Christian Church sits along Nagel Road in Butler, the small Pendleton County seat where the congregation has spent years building a reputation for ministry that stretches from a Saturday morning food pantry to church planting on the far side of the world. With two Sunday morning services, a packed calendar of small groups, an active children's and student ministry, and a mission footprint that reaches into Nepal, India, Guatemala, and a North African country members simply call "Liberty," Plum Creek has built its identity around one sentence: Leading People to a Life-Changing Relationship with Jesus Christ.
Sundays at Plum Creek
The church meets for in-person worship at 9:30 and 11 AM on Sunday mornings at the Nagel Road campus, which the congregation moved into in 2006. The 11 AM service also livestreams on Facebook and YouTube for those who can't attend in person. Each gathering runs about an hour and features worship with a full band, followed by preaching the congregation describes as relevant to everyday life.
One of the more distinctive practices is the weekly observance of the Lord's Supper. Individual prepackaged communion elements are handed out at the entrance to the Worship Center, so the whole congregation takes the bread and cup together at one moment. Adults and teens who have placed their faith in Christ are welcome to participate; visitors who would rather simply observe are never put on the spot. Plum Creek traces this practice to 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, where communion is set apart as a visible reminder of Christ's death on the cross for sin.
Dress runs the full spectrum, from T-shirts and jeans to more traditional clothes. The invitation is simple: come as you are.
A Bible-Backed Framework for Following Jesus
Plum Creek leaders have made a deliberate choice to keep things simple. Three Bible passages form the blueprint for everything the congregation does:
- Matthew 28:16-20. Plum Creek teaches that the church is on mission with Jesus, who came to seek and save the lost and then told his followers to "go make disciples, baptize, and teach." This is why the church puts so much weight on serving others.
- Luke 15. During weekend services, the focus is on lifting Jesus up. The church teaches that when Jesus is lifted up, he draws people to himself, and God's Spirit works through the gathering. Sunday mornings are designed so that both longtime followers and people still investigating Christianity can have a life-changing experience with God.
- Acts 2:42-47. Followers of Jesus are best made in the context of relationships. Plum Creek points to this passage as a snapshot of the early church devoted to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. This is why small groups carry so much weight. LifeGroups meet weekly, often in homes, to apply Scripture more deeply.
Putting God's Word into practice shows up in three spheres: serving other followers of Jesus (Kids Ministry, Guest Services), serving the local community (the Sharing Center, WISH), and serving the world through short-term mission trips.
Plum Creek Kids and the First Look Preschool
Plum Creek Kids is the children's ministry for infants through fifth grade. Every volunteer working with children is background-checked, and the ministry is committed to safe environments so parents can drop off with confidence.
The preschool environment, called First Look, is designed for babies six weeks old up through pre-kindergarteners (age five). It is built around three foundational truths the church wants every young child to take home:
- God made me.
- God loves me.
- Jesus wants to be my friend forever.
Babies are rocked, songs are sung, and crafts and hands-on learning activities fill out the morning. The content centers on teaching children that God is a loving Father and Creator.
On Sunday mornings, classes run during both services for toddlers through fifth grade. Online programs for preschool and elementary children are also available for families who worship from home.
Middle School and High School Students
The student ministry aims to create authentic environments where teens can connect their everyday lives to the bigger story of God. From loud music to high-energy games, everything is shaped around the same goal as the rest of the church: leading students to a life-changing relationship with Jesus.
Middle schoolers gather for Sunday School at 9:30 AM in Room 109 of the LifeCenter, studying God's Word together and applying it to daily life. High schoolers meet at 9:30 AM in Room 110 of the same building. Greeters at the door help newcomers find their way.
Youth Group runs on Sunday nights from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, September through early May, for both middle and high school students. The evening connects relevant Scripture to the everyday issues teens face and shows how a follower of Jesus responds. Students are encouraged to bring friends. Special events throughout the year get students away from routine and challenge them to grow in faith.
LifeGroups, Bible Study Electives, and GriefShare
Small groups are one of the main ways Plum Creek forms disciples. The church runs three kinds of groups:
- LifeGroups run from September through early May and meet at various times throughout the week, often in homes. Some existing groups are open to new members.
- Bible Study Electives meet for a set time frame or on an ongoing basis. Most meet on Sunday mornings at the church, working through a book of the Bible or focusing on a particular topic. No sign-up is needed; just show up.
- GriefShare Groups run for 13 weeks at the church building, designed for people who have lost a loved one.
The goal is for everyone at Plum Creek to be in a group, and for there to be a group for everyone.
Local Outreach: Sharing Center, WISH, and Disaster Response
Three long-running ministries make up the heart of Plum Creek's local service.
On the third Saturday morning of each month, the Sharing Center team provides groceries to neighbors at the LifeCenter. Nearly 100 families come each month to receive food and experience the love of Jesus through relationships with the Plum Creek team.
WISH partners with other area churches to serve international students at Northern Kentucky University. Many of these students are a world away from family. Volunteers help with simple things - giving rides, sharing meals, or simply building friendships that ease homesickness. It is one of the easiest ways for Plum Creek members to serve right in their own region without committing to a long-term assignment.
Disaster response has been part of Plum Creek's DNA since the 1997 Falmouth flood, when the church served as the northern hub for resources flowing into Butler and Falmouth. Today, the church forms teams to help whenever disaster strikes the eastern United States.
Jared Perkins, one of the church's outreach coordinators, handles questions about each of these ministries and the short-term trips the church sends around the world.
Global Mission Partners and Short-Term Trips
Plum Creek extends the work of the Great Commission through a network of missionary partners and annual short-term trips. Current partners include:
- Disciple Makers, a church-planting organization focused on reaching least-reached people in the 10/40 Window through works in Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Korea, Kenya, Guatemala, and Honduras.
- A Bible translation effort serving the Crimean Tartar language for over twenty years.
- A church-planting network in La Romana that grew out of work Plum Creek helped start in 2008 and now includes many new church plants, schools, medical clinics, and a water filtration plant.
- A ministry training indigenous workers to plant churches throughout their country.
- A church-planting effort in "Liberty", a nickname for a Muslim-majority country in North Africa.
- A national missionary training college for a majority-Buddhist country.
- Tom and Sheila, former Plum Creek leaders who run the Puentes (Bridges) Training Center in Jalapa, Guatemala, training Latin American Christians for mission work in the 10/40 Window.
- Gerson and Iris, who work in Jalapa, Guatemala, establishing an indigenous church that is now sending missionaries from Guatemala back into the 10/40 Window.
Two short-term trips are open to the congregation each year:
- A Guatemala trip; David Schneller handles questions.
- A "Liberty" trip to North Africa; Jared Perkins handles questions.
Forward to Freedom: A Debt Reduction Campaign
A church-wide generosity campaign called Forward to Freedom aims to pay off the mortgage on the Nagel Road campus by Fall of 2028. When the leaders announced the campaign, the church carried a mortgage of just over $1.45 million at a 6.95% interest rate, with monthly payments of about $11,000. The goal is to retire the debt in four years rather than the twenty it would take at the regular pace, freeing up roughly $132,000 a year for ministry once the mortgage is gone.
The campaign surpassed its $1 million goal, with pledges reaching more than 145% of the target within a few months. Every dollar contributed to Forward to Freedom goes directly to principal reduction. Once the mortgage is paid off, 100% of what was going to interest and principal will be redirected to ministry.
Senior Minister Doug Hartley says the debt-free day will open the door to expanding kids' ministry (with hiring a Children's Minister identified as an urgent priority), adding staff, addressing facility needs as the building approaches twenty years old, and making a greater impact with local and global mission partners. The new Grant's Lick Elementary School, built next door on land Plum Creek sold to Campbell County Schools, will bring many new families past the campus. Plum Creek was recently recognized as Campbell County Schools' "Partner of the Year" for its long history of working alongside local schools.
Contributions to the campaign can be made online, by check, cash, stock, cryptocurrency, or bank transfer. A pledge can be fulfilled over the multi-year campaign to help the church plan and budget.
What Plum Creek Believes
The church holds to a clear statement of faith. The Bible is the inspired Word of God and the authority for life. Jesus is God's Son and the Savior of the world; forgiveness of sin and the gift of eternal life is found only in him. Each person has been created in the image of God, yet has fallen short of his standard because of sin. Salvation, the forgiveness of sins, is only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Those who accept Christ as Lord repent of their sin, confess their need for Christ, and are immersed in baptism. Communion is observed each week as a visual reminder of Christ's death on the cross. Christ will return one day to take his followers to heaven.
Ten values shape how the congregation lives out that confession: Worship, Bible, Prayer, Family, Community, Discipleship, Ministry, Outward Focus, Generosity, and Mission. The vision has three expressions:
- Next Steps. Guide everyone to identify and take their next step closer to Christ.
- Stronger Families. Build stronger families by centering homes on Christ, with a focus on marriages and the next generation.
- Transforming Communities. Build stronger communities by equipping each other to serve locally and globally with Christ-like compassion.
Getting Connected at Plum Creek
Visitors and members get plugged in several ways. Sunday morning newcomers can step into either service, pick up prepackaged communion, drop off kids in Plum Creek Kids or First Look, and find a student Sunday School class at 9:30 AM. Throughout the week, LifeGroups meet in homes across the region, and Bible study electives gather on Sunday mornings at the church. GriefShare offers a 13-week journey through loss. The Sharing Center welcomes volunteers on the third Saturday of each month, and additional service opportunities are described in short videos available at the church.
The Nagel Road campus sits in a quiet stretch of Pendleton County, surrounded by the open countryside that has shaped Plum Creek's commitment to its neighbors in Butler, Falmouth, and the wider region. With the Forward to Freedom campaign nearing its goal, a new elementary school rising next door, and mission partners waiting in Guatemala, North Africa, and beyond, Plum Creek Christian Church is leaning into the next phase of its mission, one "one" at a time, to lead more and more people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.