History
South Madison County did not need another church. In 2003 there were plenty of churches in the Madison area, of all sizes and types, that were reaching thousands of people every Sunday. But when Philip Thurman and Greg Miller looked around the area they discovered there were thousands more who weren’t in those churches on Sundays. Unlike 1950, in 2003 the Madison area was becoming a region of unchurched (or rarely-churched) people.
Before we started LifeBridge we realized that what this area needed was not just another church, but a safe environment where unchurched people could come and hear that Jesus Christ cares about them, died for their sin, and makes it possible for them to experience REAL life, far beyond what they currently know or are experiencing.
We realized that this could only happen as we developed a church that was a friendly rather than hostile environment for people who were perhaps skeptical or suspicious of churches. We realized that such a church could only come about through the sacrifice of people who were involved—it required people to give up their comfort, plans, familiarity, time, money, abilities, and control to God, allowing Him to work through us to accomplish His primary purpose: connecting people to Himself and connecting them to other people who are in a growing relationship with Him.
So in September 2003 we started LifeBridge with 16 adults (and about 10 kids) who were willing to do something different--to create that "safe environment" where people could make these vital connections.
Things have changed in the Madison area in the last 7 years. There are many more people here than in 2003. And there are even more churches now. But what hasn’t changed is the fact that there are still thousands of people in this area who are disconnected from a church. And their numbers are growing. And even though our numbers at LifeBridge are growing, the original vision of LifeBridge--creating a church with unchurched people in mind--is needed now just as much as it was in 2003; perhaps more than ever before.