Agape Christian Fellowship was chartered in the state of Vermont in 1973, under the able direction of Pastor Howard Powell. Largely because of his strong leadership, the fellowship soon emerged as one of the leading full gospel churches in southern Vermont. Pastor Powell instilled in the people of Agape his own love and reverence for the Word of God as the source of all truth and the foundation fo
r life. That love for the Word of God remains a hallmark of the church to this day. The emphasis on strong Biblical teaching and preaching, coupled with the commitment to a dynamic worship life remain as fundamental cornerstones of the church’s ministry. Agape Christian Fellowship
Rev. Michael Gantt served several years under Pastor Powell as an associate pastor and was powerfully influenced by Pastor’s life and ministry. Pastor Gantt assumed the role of Senior Pastor in 1988, and remains in that position today. He is now in his 30th year of ministry at the church. The church is governed by a body of elders who serve alongside the pastoral staff in directing the church vision and spiritually guarding the flock God has entrusted to them. The Elders are assisted by a number of Deacons, who carefully see to the day-to-day spiritual and material needs of the body. Being a non-denominational community based church, we have folk who have joined us from nearly every kind of church background one could imagine. Many of our body came from no church background at all, but off the streets–being delivered from alcohol, drugs, and from life on the street. We also have a strong international contingent in the congregation as we continue to build strong relationships with students from all over the world who come to Brattleboro to study. It is not unusual to find worshippers from any one of several African countries, Japan, Korea, South America, and many others. Our international students bring such joy and diversity to our church life, and we treasure them deeply. We are an evangelical, Bible based church - We believe the Bible to be inspired of God and completely trustworthy for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. The guiding principles of the ministry are based upon the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. The Great Commandment calls us to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength; and to love our neighbors as ourselves. The Great Commission commands us to “go into all the world and disciple the nations.”
We have a strong roots in the pentecostal message - We believe that the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the church in the Book of Acts, and continues to be poured out upon the church today. It is to us, to our children, and to those that are ‘afar off’ (the generations to come). It is the Holy Spirit who anoints the church with the power of God and enables the church to fulfill its mission wherever it is found. We also have deep roots in the charismatic movement: We believe that the Holy Spirit not only empowers, but gives specific ministries to individuals to enable them to supernaturally minister to the Body of Christ, building itself up in a most holy faith, and to reach out to a hurting world to minister to the lost, the sick, the possessed and the oppressed. We believe that the Holy Spirit is the “Gift” sent to us by the Father and the Son and that He manifests Himself in various people in various ways to fulfill all the needs of the church. While we believe that the various manifestations of the Holy Spirit are operational today and though we insist upon appropriate Biblical order in the ministry, worship, and daily life, we desire and encourage men and women to seek to determine and then function in their own unique spiritual gifting. We are a worshipping church - In our worship times we seek to provide a dynamic worship experience which is focused upon Jesus, the object of our worship and devotion – and not ourselves. We are not so concerned about what WE get out of worship, but are deeply concerned about what HE gets from our worship. While respecting the worship of those around us, our people are encouraged to sing, clap, shout, dance, kneel, prostrate, lift our hands, jump for joy, or stand in reverent awe; as long as we are not calling attention to ourselves, but lavishing extravagant worship upon the Lord Jesus. We are a missionary church - God has called us to move out from a strong local ministry in Brattleboro to win, equip, and send committed followers of Jesus Christ who will be able to share His Gospel from Brattleboro to the ends of the earth. We are committed to the ministry of worldwide evangelization and are actively and strategically engaged in doing our part for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
