Who we are

A Brief History of Ballymena Elim Church

The Elim Pentecostal Church in Ballymena began in February 1916 when Pastor George Jeffreys and the Elim Evangelistic Band were invited to conduct an evangelistic mission in the old YMCA Building in Wellington Street. Following this, and a significant number of conversions, a series of meetings were held in the Town Hall. Shortly after this a building was bought in Castle Street to house the newly formed Elim congregation.

Robert Mercer was the first pastor in Ballymena Elim from 1919 – 1925. 29 people have held this position, including the current Senior Pastor, Pip Kerr. The congregation continued to grow and eventually a new church building was required. The old building on Castle Street was demolished to make way for a new church; this was completed in 1975. The church building was significantly extended in 1997 with the addition of new halls and due to further growth a gallery was added in 2009.

Ballymena Elim has always had an incredible heart for the gospel message to be preached and lived. It has also been a blessing to see a large number of members go on to serve God in pastoral and mission work throughout its history. What a blessing it is, that after over 100 years, the Lord is still using this family and community-minded fellowship to make a Kingdom impact for His glory.

Leadership team

Senior Pastor  

Pastor Pip Kerr  

Associate Pastor  

Pastor Rhonda Adams  

Elder  

Shaw Beggs  

Elder  

Stephen Millar  

Our vision

Connect

We want to help people connect with God and with what’s happening in our community – this includes online spaces, media and the programmes we run. But the most important part is the people here. Our goal is to be a church family that helps others find faith in everyday life.

Build

We want to help people grow, learn, and develop a real, practical faith. Through teaching and encouragement, we hope everyone here becomes more grounded, confident and ready to use their gifts. We also want to build a strong sense of community through events, shared moments and genuine care for each other.

Send

Jesus says ‘Go into all the world…’ We want everyone who comes through our doors to leave with hope and purpose. Our aim is to equip people to make a positive impact wherever they go – this includes our town, our workplaces and wider communities across the island and beyond.

What we believe

Elim’s Foundational Truths explain our theology and are a statement of faith – they are powerful, non-negotiable and guide all we say and do. These twelve truths are explained below.

The Bible
We believe the Bible, as originally given, to be without error, the fully inspired and infallible Word of God and the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
We believe that the Godhead exists co-equally and co-eternally in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – and that these three are one God, sovereign in creation, providence and redemption.
We believe in the true and proper deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His real and complete humanity, in His sinless life, in His authoritative teaching, in His substitutionary and atoning sacrifice through His blood shed, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, in His heavenly intercession and His second advent to receive His Church.
We believe in the deity of the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son and the necessity of His work in conviction of sin, repentance, regeneration and sanctification, and that the believer is also promised an enduement of power as the gift of Christ through the baptism in the Holy Spirit with signs following. Through this enduement, the believer is empowered for fuller participation in the ministry of the Church, its worship, evangelism and service.
We believe in the inherent dignity and value of every person, as created in God’s image and likeness, male and female, to be in fellowship with God and serve God’s purposes in creation. Yet on account of the universal sinfulness of all people due to the Fall, humanity is subject to God’s righteous wrath and condemnation.
We believe in the necessity for salvation of repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by which the sinner is pardoned and accepted as righteous in God’s sight. This justification is imputed by the grace of God because of the atoning work of Christ, is received by faith alone and is evidenced by the Fruit of the Spirit and a holy life.
We believe in the spiritual unity and the priesthood of all believers in Christ and that these comprise the universal Church, the Body of Christ.
We believe in the ministries that Christ has set in His Church, namely, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers and in the present operation of the manifold Gifts of the Holy Spirit according to the New Testament.
We believe in the baptism of believers by immersion in water in obedience to the command of Christ and in the commemoration of Christ’s death by the observance of the Lord’s Supper until His return.
We believe that the Gospel embraces the needs of the whole man and that the Church is therefore commissioned to preach the Gospel to the world and to fulfil a ministry of healing and deliverance to the spiritual and physical needs of mankind.
We believe in the personal, physical and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to reign in power and glory.
We believe in the resurrection of the dead and in the final judgement of the world, the eternal conscious bliss of the righteous and the eternal conscious punishment of the wicked.