New churches sprouting in region

Published in The Post-Star (D1)
10/9/06

Dave Shacket isn't a farmer, but he believes he has something important to plant.

He and his wife, Penny, moved to Saratoga Springs last year to start a nondenominational church called Life Christian Center, an offshoot of Cornerstone Community Church in Albany.

The church is one of many nondenominational congregations that have sprouted in this region in recent years, following a national trend. Most tend to feature a casual atmosphere with modern music, often in warehouse-style buildings that favor function over aesthetics. The emphasis is
usually on practical preaching and Bible study, with little or no ritual.

Shacket, 34, was teaching music in the Schenectady school district when the idea of a career change took root six years ago.

"The very beginning of the process is that you feel like God wants you to lead your own church, and others in authority around you recognize it," he said. He joined Cornerstone's staff as an associate pastor, and soon began to sense it was time to start something new.

He believes he is called to Saratoga Springs, specifically, because this is where he and Penny feel they received the same message from God as they were out for a drive one day a few years ago.

"You're leaving home," was the thought that came to Dave's mind. He kept it to himself, so he was startled when Penny turned to him and said, "This is it, isn't it?"

He's never been to seminary, but said he doesn't think that's important.

"The way we see it, pastoring is a gift more than an education," he said. "And I've heard it said, if you can do anything else besides be a pastor -- do something else! You have to know that God is calling you."

That call is gender-exclusive, in his opinion.

"The position of a pastor, as we see it in the Bible, is for a man," he said, adding that women can "perform pastoral functions" like teaching children and other women.

But his conservative theological stance on female pastors is mixed with a liberal view of the church's role in society.

The name Life Christian Center comes from a verse in the book of John, he explained.

"It says Jesus came to give people more abundant life," he said. "So we're thinking, what can we bring to the community to help people live better lives?"

Establishing a new congregation of worshippers isn't easy, especially in a city that already has at least 20 existing congregations. Shackett began by looking at demographic studies and talking to local pastors to determine what types of churches already existed.

"I don't mean to imply that there aren't already good churches here," Shackett said. "But our vision is just different from theirs."

So different, in fact, that Life Christian Center inspired a new category in The Talking Phone Book's yellow pages.

It didn't fit in under "Churches -- Catholic," "Churches -- Methodist," or even "Churches -- Various Denominations, Non-Denominational."

Life Christian Center is the sole entry under "Churches -- Community."

Shackett wants to create a church that's an outreach, not an enclave.

"Most people's experiences with church are, at best, 'I got it, it's OK, but it has nothing to do with my life during the rest of the week,'" he said. "But if we're really talking about God, capital 'G,' then church should be fun, relevant and enjoyable -- and it should apply to your whole life, not just Sunday mornings."

While most pastors receive a salary drawn in part from members' contributions, the Shacketts have an independent income through Dave's Web site design business.

And while most churches are centered in a building, Life Christian Center rents space from the high school to hold Sunday morning services. Throughout the week, church members host classes and discussion groups that are open to anyone in the community. Video-based courses on topics like financial management, leadership development, and parenting are part of the mix, as well as more traditional Bible studies.

"Churches are generally looked at as 'We're us; you're you, join us if you want,' and I think that's incredibly ineffective and unbiblical," Shackett said. "A church is supposed to be a shining light in the community, with no expectation of return."

LOGGING ON: www.saratogachurch.com

History of churches in the region

The Baptists, Presbyterians, Episcopals, Methodists, Congregationalists and Catholics all established churches near the centers of Saratoga Springs and Glens Falls during the 19th century.

"As in everything else, the village has never been backward in the worship of God, and the village today can boast of nine churches supported by a large and prominent congregation," declared an article in the Dec. 25, 1889 issue of the Saratoga Union.

Newer denominations like the Assemblies of God, Christian Missionary Alliance and Pentecostals moved in during the next century, and there are now at least 75 churches and three synagogues in the region.

Many new, mostly nondenominational Christian congregations have formed in the last two decades. These include Saratoga Abundant Life, Saratoga Springs (1986); Church of the King , Queensbury (1995); Adirondack Christian Fellowship, Gansevoort (1999); New Horizon Church, Wilton (1999); New Life Fellowship, Wilton (2000); New Hope Community Church, Queensbury (2000); Northway Christian Fellowship, Malta (2002) and Clifton Park (2006); Fruitful Vine Christian Church, Fort Edward (2002); Life Christian Center, Saratoga Springs (2005).