LIFEPOINTE CHURCH | FORT COLLINS, CO

LifePointe Church is located in Fort Collins on the edge of the Rockies, in an area known as the “front range” of Colorado. We average between 200 and 300 in weekly attendance, and are located less than a mile from Colorado State University. Just over an hour from Rocky Mountain National Park, we are grateful to be a multi-generational church testifying to the gospel of Jesus Christ for over 140 years in in the heart of Fort Collins.

At LifePointe, we operate with a Plurality of Leadership. This means we do not have a traditional Lead Pastor or Senior Pastor; instead, we operate with a plurality of Elders responsible for leading the church. No single elder is elevated in authority as head over all the other elders or over the church; each elder has an equal vote and voice in decisions.  Some are lay elders, and some are staff elders.

The staff elders are known as the Pastoral Leadership Team and are appointed to lead in the areas they are gifted, being recognized as the “first among equals” in these specific areas. The typical responsibilities of a Lead or Senior Pastor are shared by the Pastoral Leadership Team as they serve together within their gifting. We have operated in this manner since 2016, formally adopting the model in 2017 after an extensive study by the elder board and a vote by the congregation. While we believe there is nothing wrong with a Lead Pastor model, we have found the Plurality model helpful to our particular church in bringing stability and unity around a shared vision that has been developed collaboratively, and does not rest with one particular person.

Our longing is to see all of our staff grow more and more dependent on Jesus as we serve in the areas of our gifting and calling. This longing drives a staff culture that is: collaborative, driven by our mission and vision, and focuses on a ministry of equipping that positions volunteer servants to do the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11-16). As we grow in dependence on Jesus, we believe that our staff team will grow in spiritual, emotional and relational health that reflects the heart and character of Christ (Galatians 5:16-26). What does successful ministry look like at LifePointe? Our MEASURES come from the ultimate aim of God’s work in us, that we – and those in the ministries we lead – would become more and more like Jesus (https://sharethelife.org/likejesus/).