Our Story

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 1952. 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 (BeFree). The church grew and expanded its footprint. In 1993, Chris Clinch became Senior Pastor.

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 in Alton and lead the multisite to plant two more churches, one in Dover (2009) and the other in Somersworth (2017). 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.

The BeFree Multisite: How it Works

“Multisite” can be a confusing word as many people use it differently. At BeFree, when we speak of the multisite, we mean that we are a network of four interdependent churches. Each church campus maintains local ownership but still maintains mutual accountability across the campuses. Here’s a clearer picture of what our interconnectedness looks like practically:

Our Multisite Vision

BeFree Community Church is a partnership of interdependent local churches dedicated to advance the Good News of Jesus Christ through a shared vision of making disciples, mentoring leaders, and developing new churches.

Our Multisite Values

Our vision is built upon key values which we all share:

Interdependence – Here are four ways we stay mutually accountable while preserving local ownership. 1) We share a common legal, financial, and governing structure which better allows us to accomplish our common purpose. 2) We share some of our resources, including a common missions budget and the resources to provide certain pastoral benefits. 3) Our pastors enjoy a relationship that fosters mutual devotion to Christ and a camaraderie in which we encourage, challenge, and support each other. 4) We partner in mentoring and training new leaders.

Residential - Each campus has its own flavor and its own unique way of carrying out their mission. Each campus intentionally lives and involves themselves in their local communities as the normal flow of life. Thus, each church contextualizes its ministry to its own location with its own local leadership, local preaching, and local ministries.

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

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.

Multisite Leadership

BeFree is a pastor-led, elder-governed, member-empowered church. Thus, leadership at BeFree is a relationship of mutual submission and respect. Members elect pastors and elders, and voluntarily follow their lead. This affirms the biblical principle that God raises up leaders to equip His Church for ministry.

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” – Ephesians 4:11–13

Multisite Support – The leaders of the multisite (pastors) meet regularly for prayer, support, and accountability. While this group certainly discusses leadership decisions at each other’s campuses, each campus makes the final call on all matters of local leadership and ministry.

Local Leaders - Each BeFree campus has its own pastor(s) and elder board that have been elected by the local congregation. Each campus also has its own Leadership Community, comprised of elders, home group leaders, and ministry team leaders who meet for mutual equipping and encouragement.

Every Member Ministry – We do not believe that the work of “ministry” is reserved only for those in leadership positions; rather, every Christ-follower who is seeking to obey the command to Love God, Love Others, and Make Disciples is responsible to share in the work of ministry. BeFree members are called and gifted by God, empowered by the Holy Spirit, trained and equipped by leaders, and unleashed to meet the needs of others inside and outside of the church in the name of Jesus Christ. Though a person must be a member to lead a ministry team, all are welcome to serve on ministry teams as determined by Pastors, Elders, and Team Leaders.