God has allowed BeFree Community Church to make an exciting turn into the 21st century. We get to represent Jesus Christ and live out His core teachings to love God, love others, and live on mission for him together in New Hampshire. We are praying God will continue to lead us in new directions for His purposes and glory.

Barrington (1952)

After a number of men and women came to faith at a Billy Graham Crusade, several families decided to start the Barrington Community Church. In 1954, a hurricane toppled trees all over the area, which provided a free supply of wood for the construction of a building. This group soon affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) and became the Barrington Evangelical Free Church. The church grew and expanded its footprint. In 1993, Chris Clinch became Senior Pastor.

Alton (2006)

In 2002, God directed us to an opportunity in the crossroads community of Alton, NH, strategically located as the gateway to the Lakes Region, only 30 miles from the state capitol, and with 30,000 people living within a 20-mile radius. Sam Huggard and a handful of key families put down roots, a core group was established in 2005, and public worship gatherings began in 2006. Over the years, God has blessed BeFree Alton as a growing witness for Christ there. In 2016, Sam transitioned to become the District Superintendent of EFCA churches for New England. In July of 2017, Ben Ruhl was called to become BeFree Alton Lead Pastor.

Dover (2009)

In 2005, God directed us to an opportunity in Dover, NH, a thriving city of 30,000 people with a median age of 35, located within a population area of 250,000, and in close proximity to the University of New Hampshire. Former Lead Pastor Jamie Hemphill, a former Dover resident, moved back into the neighborhood in 2006, and over the course of four years, a core team of Christ followers with a heart for Dover established a new church there meeting in home groups. Weekly worship gatherings began in September 2009, and God has blessed BeFree Dover to reflect its community with many singles and families getting connected there to grow in loving God, loving others, and living on mission for Christ. In October of 2022, Sam Huggard, the current District Superintendent of EFCA churches for New England, was called to become BeFree Dover’s Lead Pastor.

Somersworth (2017)

In 2015, God provided an opportunity in the community of Somersworth. This energetic, hard-working community nestled along the border of Maine is the "smallest" city in New Hampshire. Lead Pastor Tim Monahan is a Somersworth native and moved back into the community in 2015 with his wife and two children. Over the course of two years, they were mentored by the Alton and Barrington campuses as they established home groups with a Jesus way of life for their community in Somersworth. Starting in September 2017, they began weekly worship gatherings.

As a family of church communities we hold these values in common:

Interdependence

We seek to experience the church unity and diversity spoken of in the New Testament in which local ownership did not exclude mutual accountability.

We practice living in the tension of one church, many locations by sharing resources to accomplish our common purpose while enjoying relationships that foster mutual devotion to Christ and one another among our leaders.

Residential

When Jesus was sent to this world, he ministered to people by living among them.

He sends us to do the same, so we intentionally live and involve ourselves in the local communities that we serve as the normal flow of life.

Because of this value, our churches contextualize their methods for ministry depending on the people they serve.

Gathered & Scattered

This is the rhythm of our churches. In each BeFree community, we gather on Sundays to worship God together, to celebrate all that he's done and is doing, to be equipped for growth in Christ through biblical teaching, and to provide a forum in which the surprising grace of the gospel is publicly made known. We call these Worship Gatherings.

We scatter during the rest of the week as those who have been sent on mission into our various areas of influence (homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, community organizations, kids' teams and clubs, etc.).

But this “sent” way of life also involves scattering with one another into Home Groups, Small Groups, or Community Groups where we can help one another apply the gospel to our particular life situations, and love and care for one another in practical ways.

Mentored

Jesus was a model of obedience to God in relating with others. He called people into a mentored way of life.

A core value at BeFree is the development of every member toward their potential, and the development of servant leaders toward their ministry potential.

We further practice this mentored way of life in training new pastors to establish new churches.

BeFree is part of the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) which is an association of autonomous churches united around these theological convictions:

God

We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.

The Bible

We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally-inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.

The Human Condition

We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled, and renewed.

Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus—Israel's promised Messiah—was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.

The Work of Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only grounds for salvation.

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips, and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.

The Church

We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God's grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.

Christian Living

We believe that God's justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor, and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.

Christ's Return

We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service, and energetic mission.

Response & Eternal Destiny

We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace.