About Soul Harvest Church
- What We Are
- What We Are Not
- Distinctives of Soul Harvest Church
- A Place to Get Involved
- A Place to be Restored
- Our History
- Meet Pastor Matt and Andrea
Our Vision: New life to the sinner. New life to the saint. A Christian family church reaching the world
that cost the blood of Jesus.
We are committed to carrying out this vision with L.I.F.E.
Love
Integrity
Faith
Excellence
Soul Harvest has five main areas we focus on. . .
1. To train people in God’s Word. We believe that God is good, His Word is absolutely
true, and It works in YOUR LIFE!
We preach an uncompromised message from the Bible.
Most people in our congregation really like the fact that they learn so
much from the
Bible every Sunday, they can understand it, and that the teachings are relevant to their lives.
2. Family and marriage ministry. No matter what your family situation, we believe God can make it better. We believe
strongly in children’s and youth ministries and are adding more programs and activities on a regular basis. We have an
annual marriage seminar. We regularly teach God’s principles for a successful home life. We have had several families come to
church specifically for our ministry to the whole family.
3. Helping people with life. In God’s Word we find that He is a REAL God loving and helping REAL people with REAL
problems and REAL life. We teach God’s principles for success in finances, health, joy, peace, and holy living. We teach
how to overcome serious obstacles and circumstances. We believe that God still does miracles and we will pray and believe with
you if you need one.
4. Purpose. We believe that everyone has a purpose in life. We are committed to helping you find yours, train you in it, and give
you an opportunity to flourish.
5. Evangelism and world missions. We believe we are called to reach the world from our rural church. We are active supporters of missionaries and are seeking to take congregation members on a mission trip to Jamaica in 2010.
What We Are Not!
1. Holier Than Thou. At Soul Harvest, we treat everyone the same—with love. We have a very diverse congregation with people from all ages and all walks of life. Not perfect? That’s ok, neither are we.
2. Money Hungry. Many people stay away from church because they think that all churches “just want my money”. At Soul Harvest Church, we are committed to being very balanced in our approach to money. We will never use hype or emotionalism to take an offering. Most services we do not pass an offering plate, but rather allow members to give an offering at the door on their way home.
3. A Dress Parade. Our folks come to worship God and learn the Bible, not show off a $400 suit. Come however you want—some folks dress up, some wear jeans. It’s up to you.
4. Extremists. We take the Bible very seriously and we stand for what we believe in. However, we do not advocate or practice any act of violence in the name of religion. We do believe in doctors and medicine. We don’t handle snakes and drink kool-aid. We are everyday people serving Jesus Christ in a balanced way.
5. Compromisers. We will accommodate people’s different styles and personalities, but we will not compromise the Bible. We do not adhere to the new age philosophy that all gods lead to heaven. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, was born of a virgin, and rose from the dead on the third day. We believe that there is no other way to heaven other than accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.
Distinctives:
Jesus Sensitive: Today many churches call themselves "seeker sensitive." This term describes churches who believe that people will be scared off by the straight forward presentation of the truth of God's word. While we do believe that truth should be presented in love and compassion, we do not agree that the world needs a watered down presentation of the Gospel. Soul Harvest Church is a "Jesus sensitive" church. In other words, we seek to please Christ in all we do, and what pleases Jesus the most is when the church faithfully proclaims His word and lives in such a way as to honor God in all they do.
Spirit Filled: The Bible teaches us that God has sent His Spirit to endue us with power, spiritual gifts, and wisdom. We believe that the Holy Spirit is active today in the lives of believers and desires to work supernaturally to bring about gifting and the full potential of all those who are willing to submit to His leading. While we believe in all the gifts of the Holy Spirit we are careful to seek a balanced view that places an authentic experience with God above mere emotionalism.
Relationships: We believe in good music & preaching but we believe what makes a church the most effective witness for Christ is relationships. We regularly encourage fellowship amongst the folks of Soul Harvest Church. Through small groups and other impromptu gatherings people build friendships that help them to grow in Christ. We believe that God brings encouragement and strength to us through each other. Soul Harvest Church is a place where people can find more that other "church goers", they can find friends.
Every Christian is a minister: We believe that every member has a distinct purpose. Every member is a minister, just as important as any other member. God places people in particular churches because they have gifts that that church needs to be effective. At Soul Harvest Church we uphold the value of each individual believer. We seek to find out where God desires to use their gifts and do all we can to get them ready to fulfill that ministry.
Holiness: The Bible calls us to be a holy people. This doesn't refer to the way we dress or the length of our hair. It does apply to the condition of our heart. Holiness is a heart set aside to love God and to seek to obey Him in our lifestyle and personal choices. We are a people who seek to please God by the way we live and conduct ourselves in the world.
Fun: We are committed to having a good time. In our services we enjoy laughing and good natured fun. In the last few months the joy of the Lord is so evident as people are fellowship together. We don't believe Church should be a stuffy, always serious event. God has given us much to rejoice about.
Acceptance: Everyone is welcome at Soul Harvest Church. Life can sometimes be hard and unfair. The result is broken people. Some are broken by sin and poor life choices. Others are broken by abuse, divorce, or other painful events. What they all have in common is a need to be loved and accepted. While we always encourage people to repent of sin, we at the same time bind up the broken hearted, and do our best to teach them how to overcome and turn their lives around. We have many examples of once broken people that Jesus has forgiven and restored.
Biblical Foundation: We uphold the Bible as our rule of faith. It is the foundation of all we do and believe. While we desire to always act in love and compassion we do believe that scriptures gives us clear teaching on some of the controversial moral issues of the day, such as: homosexuality, abortion, sex outside of marriage, and other issues that our world is grappling with. We take a loving, but strong stand on these issues.
Soul Harvest Church Is a Place to Get Involved!
Soul Harvest Church is committed to world-class ministry to our congregation, our community, and to the nations. We believe God has given every believer a unique set of gifts and a purpose for their life. Our goal is to help each person in our congregation discover their unique purpose and become properly equipped to fulfill their God-given destiny.
There are many opportunities to serve within Soul Harvest Church. However, we stress very highly that we want our members to serve cheerfully and not out of “religious obligation”. We have seen far too many of God’s people in our society get “burnt out” in the name of Christianity.
We also encourage our members to be involved in the community. They can be part of a sports program, help with a community project, volunteer at a nursing home, or even participate in a fundraiser for cancer research. Soul Harvest Church is committed to going beyond our four walls and taking the life and love of Jesus Christ to our community.
As our ministry continues to grow, we actively seek to utilize the gifts and strengths of our congregation members in a way that brings life and joy to everyone involved. We hope you can be a part of our team!
A Place to be Restored
One of the most popular stories of the Bible is Jesus feeding 5000 people with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread. When they were done eating they gathered the fragments and there were 12 baskets leftover! (Matthew 14:15-21)
At Soul Harvest Church we focus on the “fragments”. We see so many people who’s lives are “fragmented”. Sometimes because they are so busy. Sometimes because of past hurts, family situations, financial, or physical needs.
When Jesus brought the fragments together, there was more than enough, and there were even leftovers. One of the ministries of Soul Harvest Church is to take people who are fragmented and make them whole.
If you are carrying hurt or burden, we encourage you to come to receive restoration for your soul. Jesus said,
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn
from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden
is light.” (Mt. 11:28-30; NKJV)
We hope you can find a home and healing at Soul Harvest Church!
Soul Harvest Church History
Soul Harvest opened its doors on June 2, 2002 in a hotel conference room. Pastor Matt & Andrea started the church by faith with no financial support, building, or people to rely on. For the first two years the attendance was less than 5 people. Becoming very discouraged, Pastor Matt and Andrea were tempted to quit. In a last ditch effort they had an all-night prayer meeting in their home. Within a few minutes, they felt God speak these words to their heart:
“Now you have seen what you can do. Now you are going to see what I can do!”
The church began to turn around within a year. They were given a building in a remote setting surrounded by cornfields. People began to show up, although they had a hard time finding it! The attendance did not skyrocket by any means. The 3rd year of the church the average attendance was 8-12 people. The 4th year the church averaged 15-25 people.
The church began to add ministries by faith. . .First came children’s ministry. Then came a nursery and toddler ministry. The kids began to show up! The church hosted its first Fallfest in 2006 and almost 200 people showed up that night! As the church continued to grow, it added teen ministry, converted to a live praise & worship format, and now even utilizes ushers to help people find parking spaces and seats in the sanctuary!
Each year that has gone by the church has picked up momentum. Soul Harvest Church now has well over 100 active members and is continuing to seek new ways to reach our community with the love and life of Jesus Christ. Our goal is to continue to grow while still maintaining a family atmosphere--in which every person receives loving care from the leadership team, from other members, and from God each and every service.
Pastor Matt & Andrea Nichols have four major goals in life:
1. To passionately love Jesus 
2. Have a wonderful marriage
3. Raise their children to serve Jesus
4. To bring the life and love of Jesus to humanity.
They met in Columbus, Ohio while attending college. They became best friends and realized their destiny was to minister the Gospel together.
After college, they served in a large church in Warsaw, Indiana for 8 years as the Associate and Youth Pastors. They were involved in many mission trips to Jamaica, Mexico, and one trip to France.
After several years of ministry in Warsaw, Pastor Matt & Andrea felt the call of God to move to central Indiana to pioneer a church from scratch. They moved to the Indianapolis area to begin a work. Having no people, building, or financial support, they had to rely on faith in God! It took almost three years before the church had regular members to count on.
Soul Harvest Church began to develop about 15 miles west of Indianapolis in a rural setting. The church eventually acquired a building and now 7 years later the church has become a staple of west-central Indiana.
Pastor Matt and Andrea are committed to raising a world-class church in west-central Indiana. They enjoy helping their community through sports, projects, and overall involvement. They continue to take mission trips, speak at other churches in the region, and help people throughout the United States who are seeking wisdom and direction.
Fun Facts: Pastor Matt & Andrea
Married: 16 wonderful years & counting!
Children: Ages 11, 9, & 18 months
Hobbies: Boating, fishing, hiking
Favorite Movies:
All-Round: It’s A Wonderful Life
Man-Movie: Saving Private Ryan
Chic-Flic: Anne of Green Gables
Comedy: Rat Race
Favorite Vacation Spot: Gatlinburg, TN
Favorite Indiana Spot: Cataract Falls and Cataract Lake
Sports: Go Colts!
Food: Andrea loves spicy and salty, Pastor Matt likes sweets!
Height: Pastor Matt—6’7” Andrea—5’3”