Helping Every Life Find Victory in Jesus
Victory Baptist Church sits on South Washington Street in the Fairview Park neighborhood of Clinton, Indiana, where it has gathered worshipers since the early 1990s. The church's stated purpose is simple and warm: "Helping EVERY Life Find Victory in Jesus!" A second motto captures the rhythm of life there - "Knowing God | Growing in Him | Showing His Freedom to Others." Victory describes itself as a group of imperfect people striving to be more like Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit, and it welcomes first-time guests alongside those looking for a new church home.
Sunday Mornings and a Livestream Option
On Sundays the building comes alive with Sunday School and Bible study from 9:15 to 10:15 AM, followed by Morning Worship at 10:30 AM. The Sunday School hour offers a smaller-group setting for studying Scripture together, with classes for different ages, while the worship gathering brings the full church into the sanctuary for the week. Services are livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel at 10:30 AM, with recordings available afterward. Sermon clips and other media are also shared on the church's Facebook page, and the weekly bulletin is posted online so members and visitors can follow along at home or in the pews.
A separate Thursday evening program, Celebrate Recovery, runs from 6:30 to 8:30 PM each week. Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-centered recovery program that helps people work through hurts, habits and hang-ups, and it is open to anyone in the community. The church also runs a Vacation Bible School each summer, with registration available online.
A Church Born in a Prayer Meeting
Victory's story began in 1990, when church planter Albert Fields hosted a prayer meeting in his home. The first public gatherings were held in the fellowship room of the Fairview Park Fire House, and as the group grew it moved to a storefront on 9th Street under the name Clinton Baptist Chapel. The next step was the upper floor of the old Public Service Indiana warehouse on Water Street - a place longtime members still call "The Upper Room," recalling the freight elevator that carried worshipers up to the sanctuary and the broken leg one early attender earned on the way.
In 1992 the church was incorporated as Victory Baptist Church with about 35 members, the brainstorm of Donn Broeker, pastor of Sugar Creek Baptist Church in West Terre Haute, Indiana. That same year, five acres were purchased at the present address on South Washington Street, and volunteers from across the country built the first building in 1994. A second sanctuary and additional Sunday School rooms were added in 1999 to keep up with growth. The church marked its tenth anniversary on March 14, 2004, gathering old friends and old memories alongside a fresh commitment to make new ones.
Pastor Larry Snyder was called to serve in October 2000 and shepherded the church for more than two decades before retiring on December 31, 2021. After a pastoral search, Mike Bennett was called as Lead Pastor on October 8, 2023. A native of Fairview Park, Pastor Mike returned to the community where he grew up with a burden for reaching people in the Wabash Valley. He also serves as a chaplain with Hospice Wabash Valley, and he has a passion for preaching the Bible and leading others into a deeper relationship with Jesus.
What Victory Believes
Victory's doctrinal statement covers eight core teachings. The church affirms one God who exists eternally in three co-equal persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and confesses that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who lived a sinless life, died on the cross as the sacrifice for sin, rose again, ascended to heaven and will return as King of Kings. The Holy Spirit is present in the world to draw people to Christ, lives in every believer from the moment of salvation, gives each Christian a spiritual gift and guides daily life.
The Bible is described as God's Word, written by human authors under the Spirit's guidance and "the truth without any mixture of error." Human beings, made in God's image, are marred by an attitude of disobedience called sin, which separates people from God. Salvation is a free gift received by faith in Jesus Christ, not earned by self-improvement or good works. Because God's grace holds the believer, eternal security rests on God's power rather than human effort. The church also teaches that people are created to exist forever, either eternally with God in heaven or eternally separated from God in hell.
Missions Near and Far
Victory takes seriously the Great Commission and supports mission work at four levels. On the international front, the church participates in the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for international missions and the Global Hunger Relief initiative. For North America, it supports the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. The State Missions Offering backs work closer to home, and the church also supports Highland Lakes Baptist Camp, a retreat and conference center in Indiana. Members can make designated offerings to a specific missionary cause by contacting the church office.
Locally, the church runs Vacation Bible School each summer, hosts Celebrate Recovery on Thursday evenings, and maintains a prayer ministry. Visitors and members can submit prayer requests online, and the full church calendar is also kept up to date so that anyone in the area can see what is coming up.
The Team and How to Connect
Lead Pastor Mike Bennett is joined in ministry by his wife Abby, and they have four children and a yellow lab. Mari-Faith Storz serves as church secretary, preparing the weekly bulletin, maintaining the prayer list, updating the church calendar and keeping the congregation organized from week to week. She also fields questions about upcoming events and the various ministries at Victory. The office at 133 S. Washington Street is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM and is closed on Fridays. The phone number is 765-832-1973, and general email goes to victorybaptistchurchcl@juno.com. Online giving is available through the church's giving page.