Why the
Borough of Mechanicsburg?
Growing Community
Gospel Presence
277K+
Population of Cumberland County
<13%
Identity as Evangelical Christian
The Borough of Mechanicsburg is at the heart of one of the largest growing counties in Pennsylvania. With the addition of multiple new housing developments, the borough’s growth is dramatically outpacing the growth rates of other surrounding towns and municipalities in the region.
Part of that growth includes a rising Muslim population. Rakwa, an Arab American news website, called Mechanicsburg the top town in the region for Muslim families to settle, calling it “a growing hub for Muslim families.”
Population of Cumberland
County
Identity as Evangelical Christian
While many vibrant churches exist outside the borough limits, within the downtown Borough of Mechanicsburg there is a significant need for more vibrant, gospel proclaiming, Christ exaulting, historically orthodox churches able to serve the its 10,000+ residents. While Christians living in the borough are willing to - and do - drive up to 30 minutes out of town to attend a church that matches their preference, non-Christians will not. And due to the borough’s higher poverty rate than neighboring townships, many residents who rely entirely on walkability and public transift simply can not. Liberti Church longs to fill this gap by planting a gospel-centered church right at the center of our region.
The downtown borough of Mechanicsburg has always been at the heart of the Cumberland Valley region. Mechanicsburg started as a settlement of Conestoga wagon mechanics. In those days, Mechanicsburg was the midpoint between two important cities: a day's journey from both Harrisburg and Carlisle. Today it remains in the heart of one of the fastest growing counties in the state of Pennsylvania.
Why Plant Churches?
Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Church planting is the primary means by which we fulfill the great commission. The local church is the context in which God’s people baptize and teach disciples of Jesus. Timothy Keller said “The vigorous, continual planting of new congregations is the single most crucial strategy for the growth of the body of Christ and the renewal of existing churches.” This is because studies show that the average new church brings 6 to 8 times more unchurch people than a most established congregation of the same size.