Carmel church receiving national recognition

CARMEL, Ind (WISH) – A religious magazine says more people joined a Carmel-based congregation than nearly any other church in the country.

One reason is that it isn’t your typical church service. For 35 years, Northview Church in Carmel has provided people with a place to worship.

But things have definitely changed over the past decade.

“[In] 2005, we started seeing the growth really increase,” lead pastor Steve Poe said. “And then it’s just continued. It’s been amazing.”

Poe said the church started in a school gym, and now it squeezes thousands of people into its auditorium. “It’s very, very humbling to see that many people here,” Poe said.

The number of people filling these seats is not going unnoticed. Outreach Magazine, which analyzes churches across the country, recently named Northview the second fastest growing in the U.S. and 64th largest overall.

“We’re not doing it for the accolades,” Poe said. “We’re not doing it to be No. 1 in a magazine; we’re doing it because we care about people and love people.”

The numbers are aided with Northview expanding to Fishers, Westfield and the Lafayette area. In 2015, more than 1,700 people joined, including Jeffrey Mallaber.

“As soon as you pull into the parking lot you just feel like you’re a part of something,” Mallaber said.

Although more people continue to fill seats, members say don’t let the numbers scare you, because there’s something special happening.

“No matter how big it is, people tell us all the time, ‘I just feel like it’s my family. It just feels small,’” Poe said.

“Sometimes people can feel intimidated on a size of the church, and this one may be a large church, but in actuality it’s a wonderful family,” Mallaber said.

The growth isn’t about to end. Northview plans to add four new sites within the next two years.