So, what exactly is Congregationalism?

Congregationalism originally came to the United States with the Pilgrims from England. Their interest in religious and personal freedom can be seen today in Fox River Congregational Church’s emphasis on Christ and the Bible’s teachings. At Fox River, we are an independent and self-governing church. From our founders, we inherited a wonderful spiritual heritage, one that is uniquely suited to our contemporary world.

Congregationalists possess the full liberty of conscience in interpreting the Gospel. As such, we are a diverse group of people united under Jesus Christ. We believe there is strength in diversity and unending opportunities to learn from each other and to grow in faith.

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About Pastor Lonnie

Rev. Dr. Lonnie A. Richardson, Founding Pastor

Pastor Lonnie had served rural, urban, and university congregations before accepting the call to be the founding pastor of Fox River Congregational Church in 2001. He has advanced degrees in Religion, Divinity as well as a Doctorate in Ministry. Lonnie and his wife Mercedes have three adult children and one grandchild.

In a feature article on Fox River Congregational Church, the religious news editor for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel referred to Dr. Richardson as “…a twentieth-century pioneer.”

Pastor Lonnie is committed to relevant ministry and leadership driven by the transformational possibilities of the Christian faith in people's lives. Lonnie’s passion is to help people connect with God and further realize their full potential as followers of Christ.

Our Mission and Covenant

Our Mission: The Mission of this Church is to fulfill Christ's Great Commandment[1] and Great Commission[2] in which we are called to:

Love God through worship and living according to His will

Love one another through serving people's physical, emotional and spiritual needs, in Christ's name, and

Make disciples of Christ through

Reaching out to all people by witnessing the good news of Christ so that they may accept Him as their Lord and Savior,

Teaching what Jesus taught so that we may grow toward living a Christ-like life,

Encouraging Christian fellowship so that joys may be celebrated, hurts may be healed and communion with God may be richer.

[1] Matthew 22:36-40

[2] Matthew 28:18-20

Our Covenant

As followers of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and our Lord and Savior, we covenant with God and one another to personally commit to creating an environment for richer communion with God and to: OWN the Mission of our Church LOVE God and love all people through worship, service and fellowship WITNESS the power of God's love to all people as revealed through Christ GROW in the knowledge and expression of our faith WALK in fellowship with one another in respect, understanding, forgiveness and love DEDICATE our time, talent, and treasure to the service of God ABIDE in the Congregational Way as understood and embraced by our fellowship.