Mission Statement

We exist to glorify God:

1) by worshipping him in ways that effectively build up and produce an appreciation of God's grace and power in Jesus Christ. 

2) by encouraging an obedient walk in the Holy Spirit in an open community where the word of God is proclaimed, where families are brought together, where the unity of all Christians is demonstrated, and where members are equipped for joyous service. 

3) by serving the community and supporting mission and benevolent works around the world.

 

Leadership Team Guidelines

 

History Highlights

1885 Christian Church founded at Blaine Avenue

1920's Known as Blaine Avenue Church of Christ

1960's "Full-time" minister

1980 Move to Speedway

1994 Bought Community Center

1995 Small Group Ministry

1996 Unity Forum

1997 Conference on Christian Liberty

2000 Habitat Builds

2007 Spiritual Formation Conference

2009 After-school Program

2010 Revolution

2012 Alton Alternative

Relational Ministry
When Paul preached in the urban centers of the Greek world he presented Jesus as the bridge between many fractured cultures and the Judaism of his day. The church served to integrate many different peoples into one body. God, likewise, has positioned the Speedway church at a point of welcome at the confluence of numerous cultural streams.  Indianapolis, was the crossroads of America long before there was an Interstate Highway system.  It is where the cultural South meets the Midwest.  And increasingly it is where the Midwest meets multi-cultural populations from around the globe.   Originally formed by the intersection of efficient engineering and the daring, racing spirit, the Civil Town of Speedway is a rare mix of small-town, urban and high-tech culture.

Our ministry is more about relationships than programs, and ministry programming is about forging and deepening relationships. In the neighborhood surrounding the church building, our primary means of service has been through our involvement with the Speedway schools.   Some of our members serve as tutors.  The minister is president of the  parent-teacher organization for the local elementary school, and the Speedway congregation runs a supplemental art education program after school on Thursdays called Art Sparks Imagination.  In conjunction with these  efforts we have launched an informal evening service called Revolution so that our community involvement is always about building relationships, forging Christian community where we share Christ’s love.

Other members have their sights set on a community development project just east of Speedway which we call "The Alton Alternative." We expect that partnerships between our members, foster family agencies, and our friends at the Indiana Women’s Prison will all be instrumental in our rebuilding a local neighborhood a few houses at a time.   Our intent is not just to build and restore vacant housing.  Neither is it merely to create employment opportunities, but as always our focus is building spiritual community where all may come to know Christ. 

These collective efforts are sustained by worship and a supportive life together.  Many of us come from a tradition emphasizing the unity of all believers in Christ, and in this post-denominational culture we remain a unity-minded, informal tradition, emphasizing the faithful observance of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.  Without making first century forms into binding mandates for the twenty-first century, we still read scripture for an ongoing authoritative voice.    Sister churches tease us as “the eating church,” because we attempt to restore the agape love feast where we have fellowship meals together, pray for one another and support each other in small and confidential groups. 

Relational ministry witnesses to the truth that all peoples, all things, even heaven and earth are being drawn together under the one head that is Jesus Christ.   At the confluence of so many social forces we are learning not to be threatened by differences, for we know at the deepest level we have been graciously baptized into one body. Our calling is to bring racial and denominational barriers down, to bring down the wall between urban and suburban, deaf and hearing, blue and white coller, liberal and conservative, men and women.  In this reconciling ministry we anticipate the recreation of all things.  

Leadership Team
In keeping with our relational rather than programatic focus, we see church leadership as more of a matter of giftedness and function than institutional placeholding. The early churches had a variety of leadership structures. There were mentors in Thessolonica, prophets in Corinth, Teachers in Galatia, tribal elders in Philippi, and "leaders" in the Sermon to the Hebrews.  Our leadership team is made up of four members including the minister. This team has a growing spiritual life together and has accepted a leadership covenant with each other and the congregation. Dan Thomas, a retiree from Rolls Royce, oversees many of the daily ministry tasks. Aaron Lester is part owner in his own business, and along with ministering faithfully to the youth at Revolution, he keeps the church's books. Sean Griggs is a prominant lawyer in Indianapolis and is a former preacher's kid. Kent Ellett has a background in secondary education.

Minister
Kent Ellett (age 46) is now in his 20th year of ministry in Speedway. He is a graduate of Indiana University, South Houston Bible Institute, and Christian Theological Seminary. He and his wife Amy have three children. (ages 16, 12, and 6)

American Sign Language (ASL)
We serve the Indianapolis deaf community. Beth Lester is our on-staff deaf interpreter. She has a B.A. in ASL from Bethel College, Mishawaka, Indiana.

 

Values
While not unique to us, these values describe our aspirations.

Grace:
We believe as an expression of his unmerited favor God sent his son, Jesus, to die as a sin offering.  We believe he was raised triumphantly from the grave and is seated in the heavenly realms interceding for his followers. (Eph 2:1-6) We believe that through trust in Christ we know the assurance of restored relationship with God.  This salvation comes to us as a free gift of grace through faith--not the result of our own work. (Eph 2:8) Obedience is rather empowered by the Spirit, and central to our obedience to God is graciously accepting, loving and serving others upon this same undeserved basis.

 

 Open Community: The grace of Christ makes it possible for us to risk knowing others and risk being deeply known.  Since our worth as persons depends entirely upon the value God places on us rather than on how well we live or how others perceive us, this is a community where we are free to discuss convictions, confess sins, and openly share our dreams together so that we may be of deep support to one another seeing Christ formed in each person to the glory of God.

 

 Unity: Barriers between Christians are contrary to the will of God and harmful to the church's witness; thus, we are committed to building bridges in the Kingdom of God.  We seek to be an undenominational group of disciples who accept differing believers just as Christ accepted us to the glory of God.

 

Christ-Centered Authority:
The Bible's primary purpose is the bear witness to the saving work and person of Jesus Christ.  We find our common bond in a shared relationship with him rather than any particular understanding of theology or scripture.  While we are not the only ones belonging to Christ, we do seek to make manifest our allegiance to him by being more focused on him than any lesser object.

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