Eastview Baptist Church in Huntingdon celebrates new sanctuary, church growth
HUNTINGDON — Twenty people and $1.67 in the bank. This is all Eastview Baptist in Huntingdon had 11 years ago when Hunter Jones became their full-time pastor.
“God has continued to bless and grow the church miraculously, faithfully, financially — in every way you can imagine,” said Jones.
From those humble beginnings, Eastview has grown to a 500-person congregation. Since 2014, they’ve remodeled the church completely, hired staff members, and last month celebrated a significant milestone: their first worship service in a new sanctuary that seats 600 people.
“When we got here 11 years ago, it was somewhat of a church plant, even though it had been here a relatively long time,” said Jones, who quit his job to pastor Eastview full-time. “But now we’re in real-time living in an answered prayer. The people of this church were discouraged at times. But now, we’re filled with a praise team, with 600 chairs, and so many children you can’t even count them running down the halls.”
Jones attributes their steady growth to a simple formula based in New Testament books, like I Timothy and II Timothy.
“Through the writings of Paul, God already gave the formula for how to grow a church,” explained Jones. “First and foremost, hold on to the gospel. Second, pray for people. Third, find some good men.”
The church had advantages despite its small size: they were debt-free and owned their property. But Jones admits his perspective on ministry has evolved over the years.
“I thought, rather naively, the best way to grow a church was just to get people in the building, and then you can ‘entertain’ them with songs and a message,” he said.
“But people are hungry to be taught well. A lot of us in the South have grown up on ‘spiritual fortune cookies,’ like today’s message is on kindness, tomorrow’s is on forgiveness.”
His approach shifted toward deeper spiritual nourishment and authentic relationships. “God’s taught me that the longevity of growth lies in teaching people the goodness of God. And people are searching for a genuine, authentic place.”
While compelling sermons might attract people initially, Jones emphasizes that true ministry happens in shared moments of everyday life.
“I always say discipleship is the laces that tie the shoe together,” he said. “Spending time with people outside of Sunday morning is essential.”
Looking back on Eastview’s transformation, Jones reflects, “We’ve stuck to the model the Bible calls us to: don’t get overwhelmed with all the bells and whistles. Preach Jesus, love people. And God’s just rewarded it.” B&R