On Sunday, April 19, we made an exciting announcement to our church family that starting June 14, 2026, IBC will transition from holding 2 services every Sunday morning to 3 services. I’m thankful to have received much positive feedback regarding this strategic decision that was unanimously approved by our elders and deacons. One of our elders made the insightful comment: “This is not a doctrinal change or a constitutional change, but it is an operational change that affects everyone at IBC to one degree or another”. Because this will affect everyone in one way or another, I believe it’s wise that we remain joyfully united in our vision for why we will be adding a third service.
THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE
Attendance Numbers: Praise the Lord for persistent growth at IBC for the last several years:
In 2022, we averaged 676
In 2023, we averaged 767
In 2024, we averaged 839
In 2025, we averaged 924
On March 29 we had 955 people in attendance. On April 12 we had 961 in attendance.
What a blessing that we can worship God in a full church, not an empty church! Who would have thought over 50 years ago that there would be a church on Rt 9, between Martinsburg and Hedgesville, that was consistently averaging nearly 1,000 people in attendance every Sunday. And not a single person at IBC deserves any credit for this growth. All glory goes to God. Every good gift comes from God, and every person at IBC is a gift from God.
Capacity Numbers: Even more significant than our attendance numbers are our capacity percentages. Our first service is consistently well over 80% capacity, and our second service is consistently about 70% capacity. You may have heard about the 80% rule. That means that a church (or any venue for that matter) is considered at max capacity once you reach 80%. At 80%, you start getting overcrowded and it’s very difficult for visitors to find seats—especially when the 20% of seats that are available are scattered around the room. It can often be difficult for a visiting family to find 3, 4, or 5 seats that are all together (and that are also not awkwardly situated in the very front row!).
First-Time Visitor Numbers: In 2025, we had at least 750 first-time visitors! I don’t suspect that number will decrease anytime soon.
Berkeley County Numbers: Berkeley County is the fastest growing county in West Virginia. About 3,500 people are moving here every year. Did you know that a new neighborhood is going in just across the street from IBC property in the near future? Lord willing, directly across from what will be our new entrance, there will be a development of 400 homes. Suppose 2 to 3 people will live in each home—that’s 800-1,200 people, right across the street from IBC.
The numbers don’t lie. And we know in God’s sovereignty He is bringing people to this area for a reason.
OUR VISION FOR 3 SERVICES
In an article entitled 3 Services: Why or Why Not?, the author said the following:
“Churches don’t stop growing once there is a lack of seating. Churches stop growing because of the ‘perception’ of a lack of seating. When a church reaches the point where one service is consistently 80%+ full (which IBC’s first service is) and the other is consistently 60%+ full (which IBC’s second service is), adding a third service is necessary to continue growing.”
“A third service doesn’t magically cause growth. But it does facilitate growth. A third service is but one tool in the arsenal of a healthy church’s strategy to fulfill the Great Commission.”
And that’s our heart here at IBC. The more seats that we make available for visitors, the more opportunities there are for people to come and hear the Gospel, to be discipled, and for the Great Commission to be fulfilled.
We should never desire to grow if the purpose is to simply brag about our attendance. If that’s our desire, may God decrease our attendance to humble us. The world’s standard of a successful church is buildings, bodies, and budgets. I’d much rather grow spiritually than grow numerically. We don’t need to be a bigger church to be a healthy church.
Nonetheless, we also believe that while numbers are not everything, attendance numbers represent people. At IBC we are convinced that we have the ability and opportunity to expand to a third service without compromising our spiritual growth. Adding a third service is a way we can steward our responsibility to effectively shepherd the people God is bringing to IBC. Every empty seat is an opportunity for someone new to hear the Gospel and spiritually grow by God’s grace for God’s glory.
OUR MISSION TO ACCOMPLISH OUR VISION
Our mission describes the strategic steps we are going to take to accomplish our vision. I invite you all to join us in this mission:
As mentioned previously, we will transition to 3 services on June 14, 2026.
There are many reasons for that start date. Some of them include:
Many people start looking for a church during the early summer.
At IBC we do not have Sunday evening services during the summer, so that will allow our staff and volunteers to adjust to the workload of 3 services before a busier ministry schedule in the fall.
Starting June 14, here will be the new service times and locations:
8:00 AM – Sanctuary
9:15 AM – Outreach Center
11:00 AM – Outreach Center
We were thankful we could do a “trial run” of these three service times and locations on Easter Sunday which went very well. These times protect anyone from needing to get here too early or stay too late, while also providing a 30-minute buffer time in-between our two Outreach Center services. This buffer time allows people to exit and enter the Outreach Center without a bottleneck being created in our hallways.
SOME QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
When will childcare be provided? Childcare will be provided during 9:15 and 11:00, but not 8:00. Did you know that IBC Kids has over 200 volunteers right now? It takes that many to accommodate the ministries we already have. Bless their hearts! Between all the childcare ministries we already provide on Sunday AM, Sunday PM, Wednesday PM, and occasionally other nights of the week for special events, having childcare at 8 AM is not doable at this point.
When will Impact meet? Impact will gather at 9:15.
When will ABE’s meet? 9:15 AND 11:00. We are inviting all of you that normally attend the 7:50 ABE to come upstairs and worship with us at 8 AM.
When will the 11 AM service end? The 11 AM service will end at 12:15 PM. We’ve been accustomed to finishing our final service by Noon, so please know I am not preaching 15 minutes overtime! I know your stomachs start growling by Noon. Eat some almonds or granola bars to tide you over to 12:15 PM if you need to!
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Pray: Pray we will continue to be a church that grows numerically as God wills, but most of all grows spiritually as a church that exalts God and makes disciples.
Keep inviting: More space means more opportunities to invite your neighbors, co-workers, and friends, trusting God to work in their hearts.
Worship, Serve, Grow: We realize not everyone can do this due to family schedules, but if you are able, pray about how you could:
Worship in one service.
Serve in a ministry area during one service.
Grow deeper in God’s Word and relationships by committing to an ABE.
And let’s never forget why we are here. We exist to exalt God by making Christ-like disciples who love God, God’s Word, God’s people, and God’s world!