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LifePoint Church Campus in Lake Stevens/Marysville, Washington
Q+A with Lead Pastor Rusty Gerhart and Executive Pastor Doug Glein of LifePoint Church
Pastor Gerhart, since you arrived at LifePoint nine years ago, how have you seen God move amid challenges?
We started with 190 people. Finances were in decline. Attendance was in decline … and God has done some miraculous work. Two weekends ago, we had over 2,000 people here, and we are opening up another campus.
With so much growth, is LifePoint in a high-traffic area of Lake Stevens, Washington?
It’s really in the middle of nowhere. We have a goat farm behind us and a trailer park next to us. Literally, I don’t think anybody actually drives by here unless it’s on purpose.
Where does LifePoint focus its ministry efforts?
We really try to hone in on both discipling the saints but also going after the one. A lot of Luke 15 goes into this ministry … and God has shown faithful. There have been people who have been discipled to an extreme extent, and we’re proud of what God is doing in that.
Have financial sacrifices been necessary?
We have personally taken pay cuts. There were many times where we have said, ‘Don’t pay us this week.’ There were many times where we were operating in the red and had to sit there and just pray, ‘God, if you want this to continue, we need $20,000.’ Every time, He came through.
How did FM Financial help LifePoint during past financial difficulty?
There was a large debt of $3 million that needed to be paid off. Because of previous Pastor Eric Spangler’s work, God’s work, and FM Financial’s work, they were able to get all that paid off, sell a branch campus, and really set the church in a healthy place.
If LifePoint previously sold a second campus, why are you now opening a campus in Marysville, Washington?
We did a huge remodel in 2019– 2020, but we’re already bursting at the seams [in Lake Stevens]. We’re doing four services on Sunday mornings, which is hard. [The new (additional) Marysville location] is an existing church building, which helps us when it comes to permits and what the remodel process would cost. We already have about 120 or so families that live in the Marysville area.
What’s it been like to work with FM Financial Vice President Josh Adams and the Investment & Loan Fund to acquire and renovate the Marysville location?
Josh and FM Financial have been a tremendous help. God places people like Josh in our lives and creates a partnership for us so that we’re able to do what we do. Josh does what he does; we do what we do — all for the sake of the kingdom.
