four mile run christian church | Celebration and background

Four Mile Run Christian Church, 701 N. Four Mile Run Road, Austintown, recently built an addition that includes a foyer, multipurpose room for worship and recreation, two classrooms and caf . A celebration of the new building will be Sunday and start with a worship service at 10:30 a.m., ribbon-cutting at 11:45 and entertainment, games, dunk tank and food from noon to 4 p.m.

The beginning: Four Mile Run Christian Church has served the community for 182 years. It was organized June 16, 1828. In 1830, a meeting was held and marked a turning point in Four Mile Run’s history. The church forefathers laid aside all creeds and accepted the motto, “No Creeds but Christ,” and claimed the Bible as the only authority. Church members decided to be “Christians only,” without a designated denomination. This insured independence and the local autonomy of the church.

Buildings: Under the preaching of Walter Scott, William Bentley and others, the church numbered 110. They first met in a school building, now the Youngstown Model Railroaders Association building. The first church building was erected in 1830. The second church building was erected in 1859 and remodeled in 1897, 1911 and 1948 and used until the church moved into its current building in 1969.

Governing body: The government of the church is essentially congregational. The church has a board made up of elected elders, who exercise jurisdiction over the spiritual matters of the church; deacons, who assist the elders; and a board of trustees, who exercise jurisdiction over the physical affairs of the church. The congregation votes on larger issues.

Ministers: The first minister, John Henry, was a gifted musician who could play nine instruments. He was known as “The Walking Bible” because of his familiarity with the Scriptures. When he died in 1844 at age 47, he was buried in the cemetery behind the first church. During its history, 35 ministers have served the church. The longest ministry was that of H.B. Imboden, lasting 24 years (1939-1963). Mike Smith became senior minister in January 2009 and began his ministry in November 2003 as an associate minister. His vision is to “Connect People to Christ, To Community, To Serving and To Others.” Bob Mack, who began his ministry in 1997 as the senior minister, recently began part time. Under his leadership, the church added nearly 250 new members. In October 2007, Chris Mowery became youth minister.

Support: The church supports missionaries at home and abroad. The church also helps financially support young people who attend Bible colleges for specialized training in Christian service.