A Different kind of model
Eddy Fredryk, pastor of Driftwood Church at the Beach in Jensen Beach, is not interested in growing his church.
Instead God has told him to concentrate on making disciples rather than making his membership numbers grow.
“God told me the church doesn’t have to be large, Fredryk said. “Building the church and making disciples are not really the same thing.”
It’s an unusual church model but Fredryk has an unusual ministry field. While there are some locals in the Treasure Coast area of the state, competitive and amateur surfers and a large number of snowbirds, people from up North who typically spend the winter months in Florida, also live there.
As a local himself, Fredryk has been dealing with what many deem the hassle of the snowbird population his entire life. When the snowbirds arrive, stores and restaurants are more crowded and the roads are more congested. He said when God called him to plant a church he thought he would be ministering to surfers.
Embracing the Snowbirds
“The last thing I would want to do is start a snowbird church,” he said.
Fredryk said many churches aren’t interested in reaching out to snowbirds because they’re not local year round, but he estimates that snowbirds make up 25 percent of his congregation. Another significant portion of his congregation is made up of people from out of state who own condominiums in Jensen Beach and visit up to ten times a year, while others may be there for a one-time visit.
But because Fredryk’s goal isn’t to build a church but to invest in people, the transient nature of his congregation doesn’t bother him.
“God told me to make disciples and to trust Him for however long I have them,” he said. “It’s about making disciples, even if they go to other churches.”
Staying Small
Fredryk said he’s been in the church-building business and while there is a sense of security in that, he is seeing more real life change and spiritual growth than he ever has in his ministry. Now the four-year-old congregation is looking to plant a church near Fort Pierce and supporting missions in ways they hadn’t been able to do before.
“He just keeps providing and taking care of us,” he said.
By Nicole Kalil, Florida Baptist Convention, February 2, 2018.