A Pulpit That Started as a Rock
Salem Bible Church sits on Salem Bible Church Road in Macungie, Pennsylvania, in the rolling Lehigh Valley. The congregation points to origins that go back more than 150 years, when a small group of believers followed a pastor named Croll across a road after the locks on his church building were changed against him. He delivered a message on salvation from a large rock, and the group then met in a local barn for four years. In 1873 they moved into their own chapel - a cornerstone on that original building can still be seen today - and called it Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church.
In the 1940s the church took the name Salem Bible Church and began to grow. By the 1970s it had outgrown the chapel, so the congregation built the larger building that stands on the same property today. Salem Christian School, a PreK through 12 program, was added in the late 1970s.
In an account of the church's history, Curt Brendlinger puts it this way: "Salem's origin is based more on the Rock that is Jesus Christ our Savior, than on the rock that became our first pulpit. Our roots are entwined in an E-van-gel-listic movement that brought confrontation and division to numerous churches during the period following the Civil War." The church has described itself as "a light on the mountain shining brightly to the community around it" for almost 150 years.
What Salem Bible Church Teaches
The church holds that the Old and New Testaments are the verbally inspired Word of God. Its teaching affirms the total depravity of humanity, the Trinity, the virgin birth and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, the shed blood of Christ as the only atonement for sin, justification by faith, and the eternal security of the believer. The church confesses the personality and ministry of the Holy Spirit, practices the two ordinances of baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper, and teaches the bodily resurrection of the saved to everlasting joy and of the unsaved to judgment and everlasting conscious punishment. Marriage, the confession adds, has one legitimate meaning: a covenantal union between one man and one woman. The statement closes by affirming that the Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that the church believes.
Sunday Mornings and Wednesday Nights
Sunday services are held at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Both services begin with a family worship time together, after which SBCKids children are dismissed to their own classrooms. Wednesday evenings start at 6:30, with SBCKids meeting during the school year and SBCYouth running from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Trained childcare workers and teachers serve in every age group on Sundays.
The church's stated mission is to offer hope found in Jesus Christ, to change lives through teaching God's Word, and to develop fully devoted followers of Christ by offering ministry opportunities to all ages.
SBCKids and SBCYouth
SBCKids meets on Sunday mornings during both the 8:30 and 10:30 services, with children dismissed to classrooms after the family worship portion of the service. The program also meets on Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. during the school year. Elisabeth Reese directs the SBCKids ministry.
SBCYouth meets Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. The youth calendar includes a Christmas party, fall event, winter retreat, summer retreat, service projects, and mission trips.
Life Groups, Men of Salem, and Woman to Woman
Life Groups are the local expression of Salem Bible Church, gathering in members' homes to provide a context for community and spiritual growth.
Men of Salem runs small men's groups during the spring and fall months, typically including a Bible study, discussion time, and prayer. The ministry also organizes men's breakfasts and service projects and hosts the No Regrets men's conference on the first Saturday of February each year.
Woman to Woman is a women's ministry that provides opportunities for women to grow spiritually and build authentic friendship with one another. The ministry describes itself as "a safe space for every woman to find encouragement and authentic friendship," with an emphasis on being with and being there for one another.
Salem Christian School
Salem Christian School is the largest ministry of Salem Bible Church. The school assists parents in developing a God-centered worldview in their children by providing a vibrant educational and spiritual environment where Godly character and unity in Christ can flourish. Students from preschool through twelfth grade study in a setting designed to enable them to serve God and impact the world through biblical thought and action. Logan Blyler serves as the head of Salem Christian School.
The Barber Truck
Since 2020, Salem Bible Church has been renovating a box truck into a mobile barber shop to serve the surrounding area. The mission is to spread Christ's love by giving free haircuts to people in need. The ministry holds periodic haircut fundraisers to cover fuel and maintenance costs and maintains an Amazon registry for supplies such as towels, fresh capes, combs, and disinfectants.
Pastors, Elders, and Deacons
George Hege and his wife Linda serve the church as Lead Pastor. Kevin Schultz and his wife Beth serve as Executive Pastor.
The church is governed by a council of nine elders: Andrew Wang, Kevin Rhodes, Doug Augustin, Tim Haas, Ben Reed, Joshua Markloff, Paul Kilbride, Glenn Harris, and Jay Delp. Ten deacons serve alongside them: Norm Reynolds, Ron Braeunig, Matt Slifer, Mark Marks, Steve Rogers, Travis Pondelek, Cory Black, Steve Pruitt, Nathan Lumsden, and Arlian Barnes.
Plan a Visit
Salem Bible Church is located at 8031 Salem Bible Church Road in Macungie, Pennsylvania. Sunday services are held at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m., and Wednesday evening programming begins at 6:30. The church can be reached by phone at (610) 966-5822 or by email at churchinfo@salem-bible.org. Online giving is available through the church's giving page.