Emmanuel Church has been named the fourth fastest-growing church in the United States by Outreach Magazine in its annual Outreach 100. The 2020 ranking reflects participating churches’ annual attendance averages for February and March (excluding Easter weekend), comparing the numbers with the previous year. Emmanuel’s average weekend attendance grew 26 percent from 2019 to 2020, reaching 5,723 people across its online campus and four physical campuses in Johnson and southside Marion county.
Founded in 1977 with 17 attendees, Emmanuel Church attributes its growth to the “relentless pursuit” of its mission: to see people come to Christ and grow in Christ. Tackling real-world topics each week like anxiety, relationships and depression through practical and relevant teaching, Emmanuel seeks to make church comfortable and welcome for nonchurchgoers.
“Our philosophy is that we’re going to exist for people who don’t yet come here – people in the community who are far from God,” said Lead Pastor Danny Anderson. “We say we are on a ‘relentless pursuit’ for those in our lives who are far from God. And our church is carrying that mission out each week as they invite their friends, family, co-workers and neighbors.”
As a multi-site church – one church with multiple locations – Emmanuel offers live worship and video-streaming of Pastor Danny’s weekly talks to both its physical campuses in Greenwood, Franklin, Garfield Park and southside Indy (Banta) along with anyone anywhere around the world via the church’s website and social media pages.
“It’s Good working through our people who made this possible,” shared Anderson. “Each of these numbers represents a unique person who had the opportunity to hear a life-changing message of hope.”
About Emmanuel Church:
Emmanuel Church is a non-denominational, multi-site church – one church in multiple locations – offering live or video-streaming services at four physical locations on the south side of Indy: Greenwood (opened in 1977), Banta Road (2013), Franklin (2015) and Garfield Park (2019), along with its Online Campus (established 2017). Averaging more than 5,700 weekend attendees at five campuses, Emmanuel attributes its growth to relevant and authentic teaching and a relentless pursuit of those who are far from God. Danny Anderson has served Emmanuel Church as Lead Pastor since 2006. The church partners with many local organizations that help meet the Indianapolis community’s practical and spiritual needs, including the Shepherd Community Center. Each year, Emmanuel sends teams to Nicaragua, Colombia, Haiti and Rwanda, helping with needed projects and sharing Christ’s love. For more information, visit eclife.org.
