The History of LEFC

During the summer of 1978 an idea evolved in the conversations and minds of several Lancaster Bible College professors. An Evangelical Free Church had been started in Hershey eight years prior.  Was it time to begin a similar endeavor in the Lancaster area?

After almost a year of weekly prayer, a small Steering Committee was selected in April of 1979. Organization of the new church quickly began under the direction and leadership of these men. A letter of intent was sent to the Evangelical Free Church of America’s Eastern District on May 28, 1979. Soon thereafter, contact was made with both the Evangelical Free Church of Hershey and Frazer Evangelical Free Church (in Elverson).  Through their guidance and suggestions, a small group of families, comprising twenty-four individuals, were on their way to forming their very own congregation within the Evangelical Free Church of America. The Steering Committee selected the name of Lancaster Evangelical Free Church on September 6, 1979. The new congregation filed for a Pennsylvania Corporate License the following month.

A few meetings were held in a rented room at the former Host Town Inn on Keller Avenue in Lancaster. But the group quickly outgrew the room and rented Neffsville Fire Hall, where Sunday morning worship services began on the first Sunday of January in 1980, the official start date of Lancaster Evangelical Free Church.

Two of the charter members, Dan Elliott, a recent graduate of the Conservative Baptist Theological Seminary in Denver, Colorado, and his wife, Kerry, had started attending services in the latter part of 1979. In December of that year Dan joined the Steering Committee. Because of his theological education and his ability to play the guitar and sing, he quickly rose to a place of prominence. By the end of the year, he was asked to lead services on a part-time basis. In the beginning of 1980 Dan agreed to become the Interim Pastor at LEFC and later became LEFC's first pastor.

In August of 1980, discussions again started regarding the need for a larger meeting place. The Fire Hall was only available to the church on Wednesday evenings and Sundays. As the church continued to grow, programs started expanding, storage was limited, and there were no nursery facilities at the Fire Hall. By November, the congregation decided to move their place of worship to the I. Walton Bobst Recreation Center, on Spruce Street, in Lititz. The first service held at the Lititz Recreation Center took place on February 8, 1981.

LEFC saw big changes in 1985. Pastor Dan Elliott felt moved to relocate to Denver, Colorado, and he announced his resignation in April. At the same time, a real estate opportunity developed in Lititz. The Rome Mill Restaurant had gone bankrupt and was slated for public auction. The property failed to receive any higher bid than the opening $75,000, so the Mill was not sold. However, through private discussions with the bank, an agreement was reached ($120,000) and LEFC obtained its first property on August 8, 1985. The first service in The Mill was held on August 25, 1985.

As 1985 progressed, the elders selected Doug Winne to take on the main preaching responsibilities. At the congregational meeting in November, Doug was presented to the congregation as the pastoral candidate. After a 30-9 vote, Doug was extended the call to pastor LEFC. For a second time, pastoral leadership was required and the candidate came from within the fold. Doug’s installation as pastor took place at The Mill on January 26, 1986.

The next number of years were characterized by double-digit annual growth, the hiring of various staff, and going from one service to two services to three services in the Mill. To accommodate all the growth, space was used in the brown modular, a mobile trailer, the upstairs and downstairs of the log building next to the Mill, and some space in a nearby congregant's home.

With all the added growth, several options for expansion and building were explored. In 1988, seven acres of land were purchased from Phares Weaver, located across Rothsville Road, to the southeast. Plans changed when it became apparent that the property was too small to accommodate the church’s rapid growth. Ultimately, that plot of land was designated for a missionary house and Witness Park, a cemetery for those with a Christian witness.

The church didn’t have the funds to construct a building large enough to meet their needs. After much prayer and fasting, Doug approached LEFC’s neighbor, Wayne Seigrist, and eventually negotiated a purchase of ten acres of land across the street from the Mill that was approved by the congregation in May, 1994. The new building was completed in stages. As the first half was completed, shuttle buses were purchased to transport people from site to site to utilize all available space. As funds became available, the second half was completed. A used modular office building was purchased and erected on the west side of the church. The dedication service for the new church was held on Sunday, July 9, 1995. By this time the average attendance on Sunday morning services had reached 650.

The need for more space quickly became evident and suggestions were considered for short-term solutions while plans for phase two began. Groundbreaking for an expansion of the building was held on September 14, 1998. By then average attendance figures had climbed to 1,150 at two services each Sunday. The new millennium brought the celebration of LEFC’s second decade of ministry, including a 20th anniversary celebration in 2000. During this year, the congregation reached its highest average attendance of 1,400 on Sunday mornings.

Around the time of the 20th anniversary a decline in attendance and membership began due to a variety of issues. This decline continued for three to four years as the church eventually settled back to a level of about 1,100. During this same period the church staff went through an extensive turnover before settling into the current team.

Four churches have begun from LEFC:

• Trinity Evangelical Free Church in Willow Street
• Keystone Evangelical Free Church in Paradise
• Seed of Abraham Fellowship, a messianic congregation in Lititz
• Lancaster City Evangelical Free Church, which has since closed.

Many people have come to faith in Christ, grown in the Lord Jesus, and literally hundreds have been baptized in the traditional Lititz Run "Baptistery."