Who We Are

Local Church in Raleigh, NC

Our mission at Fellowship Raleigh Church is to transform religious and irreligious people through the Gospel into passionate disciples of Jesus. We are committed to verse-by-verse biblical teaching, Christ-exalting worship, authentic church community, and compassionate mission. Since our public launch in 2008, we’ve been dedicated to making passionate disciples of Jesus and sharing the love of God in downtown Raleigh. Come, meet our church family—we can’t wait to get to know you!

What We Believe

Christ-Centered & Biblically Based

At Fellowship Raleigh, our beliefs are rooted in the transforming power of the Gospel and the truth of the Bible. We are unified by our beliefs and everything we do is built upon and flows from the foundation of our beliefs.

Ten Doctrinal Points

We believe that the Bible, all 66 books, both Old and New Testament, is the complete, sufficient, and authoritative Word from God to man regarding all of life- especially knowledge of God and salvation for mankind. God wrote the Bible through the hands of men who were fully inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit.

The Bible is complete without error in the original manuscripts. Our responsibility and great privilege is to rightly interpret the message of the Bible and apply it to every facet of our lives.

2 Peter 1:20-21, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Hebrews 4:12, Psalm 1

We believe in the one true God, who is the creator of all things. God is one in essence, while eternally existing in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 28:19-20

God the Father
We believe that the first person of the Trinity, God the Father, orders and directs all things according to His own purpose, pleasure, and grace. He has decreed all things that come to pass for His own glory. He graciously involves Himself in the affairs of men, hears and answers prayer, and saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

Matthew 6:9, John 5:19-24, Ephesians 1:3-6

God the Son
Jesus Christ. We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God (fully God) and that He also, at a certain time, was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary as a Son of mankind (fully man). Jesus Christ is not just a really good man, nor is he half God and half man. Jesus Christ is one person with two natures: divine and human.

John 1:1-4,18, Matthew 1:18-25, Philippians 2:5-11

God the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a totally divine person whose primary ministry is to bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit applies the saving work of Jesus Christ to the lives of men and women. He convicts mankind of sin. He enables mankind to attain new life through Jesus Christ. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit indwells, comforts, guides, teaches and empowers Christians for Godly living and service.

John 16:8-15, Ephesians 1:13-14, Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 3:16, Titus 3:5

We believe God created every human being from conception with dignity in His own image, to enjoy a relationship with Him, and for the noble purpose of carrying out His will on earth, thus bringing glory to Him.

Tragically, the human race rebelled in the beginning and fell into sin by a voluntary act of disobedience to the will of God (original sin). All men and women are sinners not only by inheritance, but by their own choice, and therefore are justly under the wrath of a Holy God and Creator without defense or excuse.

Mankind is spiritually dead and subject to the certainty of both physical and spiritual death apart from Jesus Christ. Mankind is helpless and in absolute need of salvation. Perhaps many men and women are not “as sinful as they could be” but without exception, all men and women are “totally sinful” in that to some degree they are sinful in every thought, motive, and deed.

Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 2:7, Genesis 3:3-4, Romans 1:18-32, 5:1-2, Ephesians 2:1-3

We believe that “while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). According to the Scriptures the Lord Jesus Christ shed His blood and died on a cross for our sins as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice. He also rose from the dead, appeared to many, and ascended to the right hand of God the Father in heaven.

All who personally receive and embrace the person and work of Lord Jesus Christ by grace alone through faith alone are immediately given new life by and indwelt with the Holy Spirit. They are thereby the children of God forever and members of the one true Church, the body of Christ. This is the only way of salvation for mankind. This salvation increasingly evidences itself in Christ-like character and good works as the believer submits his life to the Word of God and the Holy Spirit (sanctification).

John 1:12, 3:16, 5:24, 14:6, Romans 5:8, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-9, Titus 3:4-7

The Gospel
The Gospel, meaning good news, is the message and/or announcement that full pardon for sin and new abundant life has been achieved by the saving work of Jesus Christ and is offered to all who turn to Jesus in faith.

Atonement
“To remove sin/make clean.” The sacrificial system of Ancient Israel included atonements, which were offered to God by a High Priest in order to temporarily remove/clean the sins of Israel. This foreshadowed the real and final atonement made by Jesus Christ on the cross.

Justification
“To judicially declare as righteous.” On the basis of the work of Christ (credited to us) God judicially declares us legally justified, absolved from sin, and released from the penalty of sin (condemnation).

Reconciliation
“To restore a broken relationship.” As a result of the work of Jesus Christ, we are reconciled in our relationship with God from our state of separation and alienation.

Redemption
“To free on payment.” This is an ancient slave market term meaning to pay a certain price to redeem a slave from his/her owner. Similarly, in Christ we have been redeemed from the power and ownership of sin.

Sanctification
“To be made Holy/like Jesus Christ.” Sanctification is the process following justification where Christians are continuously conformed by the Holy Spirit to be more like Jesus Christ.

We believe that upon receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as savior, a person becomes part of His body, the Church, to which Jesus is the head. There is one true Church (universal and invisible Church) composed of all those throughout the world and over the course of time who have received the Lord Jesus Christ as savior.

The Bible commands Christians to consistently gather locally in order to devote themselves to fellowship, Bible study, observance of the sacraments (baptism and communion), worship, prayer, service to one another, development and use of talents and gifts, loving service and evangelism to the world.

Wherever Christians meet consistently in obedience to the above command, there is the local expression of the Church (the local church)- under the oversight of elders and other supportive leadership (deacons). Church members are to work together in love and unity, intent on the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ.

Matthew 16:18, 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, 2:42-46, Ephesians 4:12, 5:19-21, Hebrews 10:24-25

We believe the Bible teaches that for a local church to be healthy two leadership roles should be filled: Elder & Deacon.

Elders are to be exemplary Christian men, servant leaders, Biblically qualified, who give spiritual oversight to the local church in the areas of doctrine, direction, and discipline (1 Timothy 3:1-16, Titus 1:5-9).

Deacons are to be exemplary Christians (male or female) who lead by serving in various ways in the ministry of the local church (Acts 6:1-7, 1 Timothy 3:8-12).

We believe the Bible commands Christians to belong to a local church for fellowship, spiritual growth, protection, and accountability. We will unashamedly challenge Christians to become members of their local church because a commitment to local church membership is a commitment to belong.

The process of becoming a church member includes:
A) Credible Christian testimony.
B) Desire and intention to be baptized.
C) Affirmation of essential doctrines of the Christian faith.
D) Desire and intention to contribute to the life of the local church in a variety of ways and be held accountable.

Matthew 18:15-20, Hebrews 10:24-25, James 5:16

We believe that Baptism and Communion (The Lord’s Supper) are the two ordinances that are to be observed in and by the Local Church. These ordinances are important “means of grace” for Christians as they participate in the life of their church. These acts and symbols are a way to celebrate, testify to, and experience (ongoing) one’s salvation in Christ and the grace of God (Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 22:14-23, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34).

Baptism
Baptism is commanded in the New Testament and is a way for believers to publicly identify with Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. The normative and primary mode of baptism in the Bible is immersion in water.

Communion
We believe that communion is a commemoration by believers of Christ’s death and a reminder, through the bread and wine (or juice), of the Savior’s broken body and shed blood for the sins of His people.

We believe that the next great event in human history will be the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth. As Christians we long for His glorious return. Acknowledging that His return could be at any moment, we desire to be watchful and fully engaged in advancing His Kingdom.

Matthew 24:44, Titus 2:13, 1 Thessalonians 4:16

We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead at the return of Jesus Christ. True believers will rise to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in resurrection bodies (literal heaven). Unbelievers will rise to judgment and a sentence of eternal conscious torment (literal hell).

Matthew 25:34, 41, 46, John 17:3, 1 Corinthians 15, 2 Thessalonians 1:9, Jude 1:7, Revelation 20:10-15

A person wearing a striped shirt reads an open Bible close to the camera, with another person holding a Bible in the background.

Meet the Leadership

Matt Schoolfield, Pastor of Fellowship Raleigh Church.

Matt Schoolfield

Lead Pastor

Matt serves Fellowship Raleigh as Lead Pastor, providing visionary leadership and teaching the Bible. He and his wife, Kristin, live in Downtown Raleigh with their four daughters: Abigail, Claire, Anna, and Brooke.

Before moving to Raleigh, Matt and Kristin were in Chicago, where they met, married, and both completed seminary at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Matt, originally from Tallahassee, Florida, attended Florida State University. He also completed a one-year church planting residency with Fellowship Associates. Kristin, originally from Chicago, is a licensed counselor in North Carolina and enjoys being a wife, mom, neighbor, and working part-time.

Josh Sponring, Worship Ministries Pastor at Fellowship Raleigh Church.

Josh Sponring

Worship Ministries Pastor
Grace Derstine, Fellowship Kids Director at Fellowship Raleigh Church in Raleigh, NC.

Grace Derstine

Fellowship Kids Director
Andreas Köstenberger, Equipping Center Director & Theologian in Residence at Fellowship Raleigh Church.

Andreas Köstenberger

Equipping Center Director & Theologian in Residence
Eric Reynolds, Pastoral Intern at Fellowship Raleigh Church.

Eric Reynolds

Pastoral Intern
James Winstead, Worship & A/V Assistant at Fellowship Raleigh Church.

James Winstead

Worship & A/V Assistant
Kristin Schoolfield, First Impressions Director at Fellowship Raleigh Church.

Kristin Schoolfield

First Impressions Director
Corrina Hubbard, Local Outreach Director at Fellowship Raleigh Church.

Corrina Hubbard

Local Outreach Director
Christian Glenn, Assistant Fellowship Kids Director at Fellowship Raleigh Church.

Christian Glenn

Assistant Fellowship Kids Director
Kelly Jennings, Finance Director at Fellowship Raleigh Church.

Kelly Jennings

Finance Director

Meet The Elders

Jack Hindman, Elder at Fellowship Raleigh Church.

Jack Hindman

Lay Elder
Jon McCay, Elder at Fellowship Raleigh Church.

Jon McCay

Lay Elder
Matt Schoolfield, Lead Pastor and Elder at Fellowship Raleigh Church.

Matt Schoolfield

Elder

Our Church History

The dream of Fellowship Raleigh was born Summer 2005 while Pastor Matt was taking a church planting class at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago. From the beginning, the vision has been to plant a dynamic local church in the heart of a strategic city where there is both cultural diversity and a significant college and university presence. Like any living and breathing story, many things have changed along the way, but the important aspects of our vision and values have always remained the same. Our mission is to transform religious and irreligious people through the Gospel into passionate disciples of Jesus.

  • 2005 – The dream was born in a seminary church planting class

  • 2006 – 10-month Church Planting Leadership Residency Program at Fellowship Bible Church (Little Rock, AR)
  • 2007 – On the ground in Raleigh to begin recruiting a core group
  • 2008 – Public launch of worship services at Broughton High School
  • 2015 – After years in a converted dance studio we purchased our facility in East Downtown at 410 Lord Berkley
  • 2023 – 15 Year Anniversary as a church
Two men are engaged in conversation indoors at the Christian Church in Raleigh. One man is facing the camera, smiling, while the other has his back to the camera.

Our Affiliations

Fellowship Raleigh is a non-denominational, elder-led local church. We believe in the centrality of the Bible, the Gospel, and the local church in our approach to ministry. We maintain partnerships with many other churches and networks centered around care, common mission, and like-minded philosophy or ministry.

Fellowship Associates Network: Fellowship Associates was founded by Fellowship Bible Church of Little Rock as a community of like-minded churches. The network facilitates the idea of sharing, coaching, and accountability among its pastors. Many of the churches, including Fellowship Raleigh, were planted through FA’s Church Planting Residency Program. The network includes churches in other major cities such as: Portland, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham, Charlotte, Louisville, Memphis, Nashville, and Austin. For more info about FA, visit their website fellowshipassociates.org.

Co-Sending Church: Four Oaks Community Church (Harbor Network)

How to get connected?

Connect, belong, and serve with us. Come to our Fellowship Newcomers’ Reception to get to know our church family and learn about our core ministries and the next steps to get involved.