We are Wheaton Bible Church (WBC). Our story is God's story. It begins with His call to a small group of people in 1929 and continues to be expressed through our ministries today.
We love God, and we love the church He has knit us together to be. Many of us have been here for a short time, some for generations. Yet, spiritually, we are all part of the same family.
Like all families, we've faced our share of struggles, but they have kept us on our knees and dependent on God. Now, as we recall the past, we are encouraged because He is faithful and has patiently brought us through each valley and rejoiced with us on many a mountaintop.
We hope you will be inspired by our story, the story of God at work in and through us. He has used a variety of men and women to shape us and a clear mission to direct us: love God, grow together and reach the world.
Please praise Him with us as you read!
In June of 1929 a group of 160 people signed a charter to form a new independent church called the Wheaton College Interdenominational Church. The church met on the campus of Wheaton College. This was just before the stock market crashed and at the front end of the Great Depression.
In 1934 we called our first pastor, Kenneth A. Amsler. Later we renamed the church "Wheaton Bible Church" because "(our)" faith and practice stand on the foundation of the Bible, which is the inspired, infallible, and inviolable Word of God." In 1935 and still during the Depression, we purchased property at the corner of Cross and Union Streets. Members sacrificially gave $30,000 toward the new building while not forgetting the missionary and current expense budgets. We dedicated our first building in March 1936. Very soon our Sunday school rooms overflowed. People often came forward after worship services to accept Christ.
In 1940 we called our second pastor, J. C. Macaulay. Four years later we started a Sunday school ministry that became Pleasant Hill Community Church. The Christian education ministry flourished and in 1947 a two-story education facility was added. In 1952 the church welcomed its third pastor, Rev. Malcolm Cronk. God used Dr. Cronk's love of the Bible to grow the congregation and start others. Members left to start Countryside Chapel in 1955, Evangel Baptist Church in 1958, and The Village Church of Carol Stream in 1960. By 1958 we had added a second morning service. We continued to purchase homes around the church and in 1960 we dedicated a new sanctuary building on the corner of Main and Franklin Streets in Wheaton.
Dr. Richard H. Seume became our fourth senior pastor late in 1967. An excellent Bible expositor, Dr. Seume served faithfully until a serious kidney ailment ended his ministry with us in late 1970. In 1971 the church called Rev. Christopher Lyons to serve as its fifth pastor. We soon added an 8:15 Sunday morning service and started our Vanguard Program for senior adults. In 1982 we completed a three-story Christian education building. Dr. Lyons left in 1986 and in 1987 Dr. David P. Krentel became our sixth pastor. While he was here we started a Hispanic Sunday school class that evolved into Iglesia del Pueblo. With the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, we also contributed significantly to the construction of a new building for a sister church in Deva Romania.
In 1994, we called Pastor Rob Bugh to become our seventh senior pastor. One of the first things Pastor Rob did was to clarify the church's mission, vision and values. Soon a contemporary service was added. By 1997 we were offering four worship services, including a Hispanic service. God used Pastor Rob's ministry to grow our church and His Kingdom. There was an increased emphasis on reaching the world for Christ. Our Hispanic ministry grew to a fully functional congregation of more than 400. The Children's Sunday School continued to break attendance records. Student Ministries packed out Main Street Chapel, and we had about 20 Adult Communities. After a thorough study of future ministry options, we took a visionary step of faith by voting to purchase 47 acres of land for future expansion. The purchase agreement was finalized in October 1999 and we launched our Share the Light Capital Campaign in 2000. We made the fourth of five payments in October 2003.
God has continued to use Pastor Rob to grow our church and Christ’s kingdom. In 2005, we launched Step Out • En Marcha, our capital campaign, to pay for our new campus at North Avenue and Morton Road. God moved our people to give more than $19 million in cash and commitments. We broke ground and began construction in 2006, but more than buildings were being built. God used this time to grow our ministries and our faith and to unify us as a church body. In 2007, we adopted a new mission statement: love God, grow together, and reach the world. It almost immediately provided our ministries clarity and focus. On July 20, 2008 we met for our first services in our new building.
Since the move, we've grown in numbers, but, more importantly, we have a greater focus on growing as disciples of Jesus Christ and helping others to do the same. Transformation has come as we've provided a variety of on ramps for connecting to the church including Begin, a four-week class that explains what we're all about, Alpha, a 10-week exploration of Christianity and Belong, an exploration of what it means to be a member. People have moved from these first steps to the "next steps" of joining Adult Classes on Sunday mornings, Community Groups, support groups, men's studies and women's studies.
Our Children's and Student Ministries clarified their partnership with parents by providing more support for the growth of children, teens and young adults. We are growing in our involvement and commitment to our neighbors through our annual day of community service, CareFest, Administer Justice, a free legal service; Puente del Pueblo, an outreach to the community in West Chicago; refugee resettlement assistance and many other paths that create relationships by which we may share the Gospel.
We continue to support about 100 missionaries in almost 50 countries. Our Heart for AIDS Initiative is making a difference in Kenya and our MOVE Initiative has sent its first team to serve immigrants in France.