In its heyday, the Trinity Evangelical Church was home to more than 400 members, and its Sunday services had to be staffed by parking attendants to conduct the traffic. But in recent years attendance has waned to 72 members, and the church can no longer afford to support its property and employ a pastor.
Trinity’s time has come to an end, but the church hopes to have a spiritual successor in Next Level Church, one of the fastest growing churches in the nation that will open its 10th location at the Trinity location at the end of the month.
“It’s sad to see something you’ve been so intimately involved with come to a close, but at the same time, I’m excited about Next Level,” said Bill Burt of Jaffrey, who has been a member of Trinity Evangelical since its founding as an offshoot of the Methodist church in 1981, when services were held in the Lucy Hurlin Theatre at ConVal. “I feel the timing is right for us to end as an organization and give what we have for assets to an organization that can fill that need.”
Next Level, which has its home base in Somersworth, , has similar ideals as Trinity Evangelical, and the church will convey its assets, including church building and land and remaining funds to Next Level as Trinity officially closes on Feb. 1.
Next Level’s model has a settled pastor at each of its locations, but the sermons are led by the church’s founder Pastor Josh Gagnon, and his sermons are broadcast at each of the church’s locations, said Trinity Evangelical Elder David Nelson of Dublin. In fact, many of Next Level’s worship facilities are actually movie theaters. The main benefit of this system is that the settled pastor of the church can then focus their efforts on community outreach and caring for the congregation.
“The amount of time they would spend on their sermon, they have that time free to focus like crazy on engaging the community,” said Nelson. “It seems like the labor is going in the right spot.”
This system is one of the things that makes Burt so optimistic about Next Level moving into the space, he said.
“With this model, there’s an opportunity for ministry in each of the locations that you wouldn’t have if each church had a pastor that had to do everything,” said Burt.
According to Next Level’s website, Peterborough’s settled pastor will be Daniel King.
Ann Webb of Peterborough, another member who has been with the church since its founding, reflected back on the church that has been so much a part of the fabric of her life and that of her family – recalling when the church was built and officially opened on Mother’s Day in 1984, and how her son was the first to be married in the new building that October. How the church’s first pastor was ministering when her husband and all three of her children accepted Christ, and how her home was – and sometimes still is – used as a meeting place for prayer by church members.
“We’ve been through thick and thin, as the saying goes,” said Webb.
“My wife Carla and I, who have been through this journey together, have been richly blessed throughout out lives by our association with Trinity Church,” said Burt. “It’s my whole life.”
Next Level Church will hold services at their new location starting Feb. 5. According to Nelson, the church will continue regular services while completing renovations to the church with the church becoming fully operational by Easter.
Trinity will have a final service on Jan. 29. On Feb. 1, the property and assets of Trinity Evangelical will be passed on to Next Level Church.
For more information on Next Level Church, visit their website nlc.tv or contact Pastor Daniel King at daniel.king@nlc.tv or 988-3502.