Historic Baptist Church Merges with Multi-Site Church

WHEATON, IL -- Effective Sunday, September 9, 2018, Highpoint Church--with locations in Naperville, North Aurora and Bolingbrook--will relaunch First Baptist Wheaton as its fourth location. This change comes on the heels of the retirement of Senior Pastor Mike Rowe, who provided 16 years of leadership at First Baptist Wheaton.

On May 14, 2018, First Baptist Wheaton voted to become part of 18-year-old, non-denominational Highpoint Church. Better together, these congregations are uniting to advance their shared mission of spreading the gospel of Jesus. Jim Whitmer, a lifelong member of First Baptist Wheaton, comments, “I knew if I were ever to see a drastic change in the impact that First Baptist Wheaton is having on the people of this community, it would be by merging with Highpoint Church.”

Continuing its multi-site model for ministry, Highpoint Church is now expanding to four locations in suburban Chicago. Ron Zappia, senior pastor of Highpoint Church, shares, “It's not necessarily about people taking a step toward us at our original location in Naperville. It's about us taking a step toward people in their community--where they live, work and worship. This is why we believe in the multi-site model. We want to meet people where they are and help them believe in, belong to and become like Jesus. That's why we exist."

Highpoint Teaching Pastor Dr. Ed Stetzer, who also serves as executive director of the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism at Wheaton College and executive editor of the Christian leadership magazine Facts & Trends, lends his expertise on the topic of multi-site churches: "[This] is the new normal for healthy, outreach-oriented churches. We desire to show and share the love of Jesus at all of our locations, and that's certainly true of the Wheaton location as well.”

For those living in Wheaton and surrounding communities, the new Wheaton campus will provide a newly remodeled auditorium that can accommodate concerts and events, the Toddlers Campus pre-school, offering quality educational programming for children ages 2-½ to 6 years old, and a strong partnership with local organizations focused on caring for refugees in DuPage County.

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With central offices at 1805 High Point Drive, Naperville, IL, Highpoint Church is led by Senior Pastor Ron Zappia and exists to help people believe in, belong to and become like Jesus. As of Sunday, September 9, 2018, Highpoint Church will have four locations in Naperville, North Aurora, Bolingbrook and Wheaton. For service times and more information, visit http://www.highpoint.church. Live online streaming is also available.