Mars Hill Church Bellevue was planted five years ago and has more than doubled in size within the past two years alone. On any given Sunday, Bellevue currently welcomes 3,000 people. Growth has been explosive and the vision of the role Bellevue plays in Mars Hill’s existence as one church in many locations is evolving.
As Mars Hill Church grows and expands, Bellevue is becoming more of a center for training and support for the 15 churches currently in existence as well as the churches yet to be planted. Picture a growing tree—fruitful limbs need a strong trunk. In the fruitful tree that is Mars Hill, we need a hefty trunk that can go the distance. That trunk is the Bellevue church, and it’s busting at the seams.
Growth is an evidence of God’s grace. He is actively working through Mars Hill, growing, expanding, and providing us with more opportunities to glorify Jesus and introduce more and more people to him.
With explosive growth comes a few complications. For instance, though the Bellevue church offers four services on Sundays, it sometimes has upwards of 1,200 people squeezing into a space that accommodates 950 for a single service.
The possibility of adding a service to accommodate the growth of the church has been working itself out since October of last year. But with four services spanning every Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., complete with childcare and training, Saturday has been attracting attention as the most effective time to add more services. Not only do Saturday services make sense in terms of scheduling, they allow a totally different demographic to attend. People who work on Sunday or have other commitments may find church attendance on Saturday more realistic and manageable.
After weighing the options, Mars Hill Bellevue has decided to add a Saturday service as the most effective way to serve the city and the church. To prepare for the official launch of a just such a service, Bellevue started a core group gathering. This core group consisted of 126 people last week.
This week, the Saturday service officially comes online in Bellevue. It will launch at 5 p.m. and childcare will be provided. The sermon will be delivered by video and will be on the delayed schedule. For more information, visit Mars Hill Bellevue online or drop in this weekend—the doors will be open on Saturday nights and Sundays from now on.
