The Open Door began with a simple dream: that a Sunday morning in church could be more than empty worship filled with pre-written prayers and sermons full of stories read from a page. We know that the God of the Bible who created all we see and know is still far more interesting than empty chatter in the pews. We believed that God’s Holy Spirit is alive and well and living and working in and among every believer who is open to Him. We understood that Jesus lived and died for and because of us. Finally, we knew that it was possible for a wide gathering of people to come together and truly love, appreciate and respect each other without the fear of gossip or judgment. Those simple ideas along with a belief in the ongoing teaching and study of God’s Word, simple and engaging worship and a firm belief in the power of prayer gave birth to The Open Door.
The doors first opened at The Open Door Christian Church on August 15, 2010. That may have been the first Sunday that we gathered to worship, but it certainly was not the beginning of what God had been doing to bring this church together. As people began to gather over the coming weeks and months, we soon realized that we were caught up in something wonderful and far greater than any one of us. It clearly became apparent that God had begun to lay the foundations for this church more than two decades ago. This church was not only the answer to a pastor’s prayers, but it was the answer to the prayers of many of God’s people who had been living in our area. The idea of a church like The Open Door was born 15 years ago when our lead pastor and teacher, Steve Bakke, was going to seminary but it wasn’t until Steve met and was challenged by a brave and faithful man of God named Harlow Johnson that the dream became powered by the Holy Spirit and took on life.
Today we are a vital and growing gathering of people who come together every Sunday morning to grow closer to Jesus, to grow in relationship with each other and to use all of the things available to us to bring the Good News of Jesus to the whole world!