About Us
Sunday, 10:30am3838 W Floating Feather Rd, Eagle, ID
Voice: (208) 938-9280
Text: (208) 352-6002
Email: hello@ascendchurch.tv
Our Vision
Our Values
Our Beliefs
OUR Team
Our Story
OUR AFFILIATION
Our Mission & Vision
Helping People Experience Jesus in a Life-Changing Way
Ascend Church is a place where your family can get connected to people who will know your names, pray with you regularly, and support you through life’s challenges. Our passion is helping people experience Jesus in a life-changing way.
Why Ascend?
Ascend means to lift up, raise up, help up, or soar. The Bible is clear that God descended into the mess of humanity and He is lifting people up. We want to be a place where people at their lowest are lifted up to a higher dimension of living.
“Those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength;
they will ascend with wings like eagles;
they will run and not be weary;
they will walk and not faint.”
– Isaiah 40:31
Healing Community of Care
We are here for the brokenhearted, the lonely, the sick, the weary, for those who need forgiveness. Here, marriages are restored, relationships are mended, the sick are made well, and strength is renewed.
At Ascend Church, you will learn to walk in power to overcome the world, avoid sin, and live joyfully. Through relevant teaching, spirit-filled worship, real friendship, consistent prayer, and compassionate care you will find a community of faith that is growing in grace.
We are here to help people experience Jesus in a life-changing way.
There isn’t a better time than now to begin following Jesus! Contact us so we can help you on the journey.
Our Values
These values shape how we fulfill the vision of helping people experience Jesus in a life-changing way. Every ministry, every person, and every conversation is an opportunity to live by these values and build a healing community of care.
Lavish Hospitality
We go all out making people feel welcome and at home. You will be greeted with warm smiles, hugs, and handshakes. You will often be welcomed by warm meals, hot coffee, scrumptious desserts, and other items to make you feel at home.
Compassionate Care
Ascend Church is more than a building where meetings happen. We are a community who cares for each other and helps each other heal from past sins, heartaches, trauma, and regrets. We visit each other and care for each other beyond Sunday services.
Manifold Grace
The grace of God has many different facets that are applied in various ways to different people’s needs. The grace of God is big enough, deep enough, long enough, and high enough to help anyone overcome the weight of sin and be made whole in Jesus Christ.
The Bible & The Holy Spirit
The Bible and the Holy Spirit work together in equal cooperation to guide and direct our life as a church and our lives as individuals. We worship God in Spirit & in Truth. These two collide in everyday life when the Holy Spirit illuminates God’s Word to be applicable for our daily activities.
Follower First
Our goal as leaders and saints is to help people meet with God. We’ve learned that it’s difficult to take people to places you’ve never been. That’s why we are followers first. We follow Jesus, and as we do, other’s can experience Him too.
Sharing Meals
Throughout the Bible and our experience we have learned that community is shaped during meals or over coffee. That’s why you will often find a buffet table, shared lunch, or hot drink being served at our events and ministries.
Gifted Worship
Every believer is gifted by the Holy Spirit with supernatural gifts that build up the body of Christ. We worship God when we operate in those gifts. That’s why Ascend Church has made it a top priority to give everyone a place to serve as the Holy Spirit calls and empowers them.
Generous Living
God has not called us to serve ourselves. He has blessed us to be a blessing. That’s why you will find that generosity is flourishing at Ascend Church. Every year we give away nearly 20% of our total income. We are also generous with our facility, our time, and our energy with each other.
Cross-Generational Ministry
One of the prevailing qualities that makes Ascend Church unique is how we include youth and children across all our ministries. You will often find 11-17 year olds serving on the worship team, in the media booth, or helping park cars. We include elementary kids in worship on Sunday’s before dismissing them to class. Seniors and youth share in fellowship and discipleship making cross-generational living obvious even to first-time guests.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
– Luke 4:18-19 / Isaiah 61:1-2 (ESV)
What We Believe
The Bible
The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are the revelation of God to man, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct.
God
The one true God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent “I AM,” the Creator of heaven and earth and the Redeemer of mankind. He has further revealed Himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Jesus
Humanity
Humanity was created good and upright, in perfect relationship with God. However, each one has fallen from God into sin which results in both physical and spiritual death.
Humanity was created good and upright; for God said, “Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness.” However, man by voluntary transgression fell and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God.
The Salvation of Man
Man’s only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God.
Conditions to Salvation
Salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, being justified by grace through faith, man becomes an heir of God, according to the hope of eternal life.
The Evidence of Salvation
The inward evidence of salvation is the direct witness of the Spirit. The outward evidence to all men is a life of righteousness and true holiness.
Water Baptism & Communion
We believe in and practice two ordinances. We reject all others as nothing more than tradition.
Water Baptism
The ordinance of water baptism by immersion is commanded by the Scriptures. All who repent and believe on Christ as Saviour and Lord are to be baptized. Thus they declare to the world that they have died with Christ and that they also have been raised with Him to walk in newness of life.
CLICK HERE to learn more about water baptism at Ascend Church.
Holy Communion
The Lord’s Supper, consisting of the elements –bread and the fruit of the vine– is the symbol expressing our sharing the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:4), a memorial of his suffering and death (1 Corinthians 11:26), and a prophecy of His second coming (1 Corinthians 11:26), and is enjoined on all believers “till He come!”
Baptism in the Holy Spirit
We believe the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a Special Experience Following Salvation that empowers believers for witnessing and effective ministry, just as it did in New Testament times. All believers are entitled to and should expect and seek the promise of the Father, the baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian Church.
Speaking in Tongues
The baptism of believers in the Holy Spirit is witnessed by the initial physical sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives them utterance, as experienced on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) and referenced throughout Acts and the Epistles.
Christian Living
Sanctification is an act of separation from that which is evil, and of dedication unto God. Sanctification initially occurs at salvation and is not only a declaration that a believer is holy, but also a progressive lifelong process of separating from evil as believers continually draw closer to God and become more Christlike.
The Church
The Church has a Mission to seek and save all who are lost in sin. We believe ‘the Church’ is the Body of Christ and consists of the people who, throughout time, have accepted God’s offer of redemption (regardless of religious denomination) through the sacrificial death of His son Jesus Christ.
Ministry
A divinely called and scripturally ordained ministry has been provided by our Lord for the fourfold purpose of leading the Church to:
- Evangelize the world,
- Worship God,
- Build a body of saints being perfected in the image of His son, and
- Meet human need with ministries of love and compassion.
Healing
The Church has a Mission to seek and save all who are lost in sin. We believe ‘the Church’ is the Body of Christ and consists of the people who, throughout time, have accepted God’s offer of redemption (regardless of religious denomination) through the sacrificial death of His son Jesus Christ.
The Rapture of the Church
The Blessed Hope is when Jesus raptures His Church prior to His return to earth. At this moment, all believers who have died will rise from their graves and meet the Lord in the air, and Christians who are alive will be caught up with them, to be with the Lord forever.
The Millinnial Reign of Christ
The Millennial Reign of Christ is when Jesus returns with His saints at His second coming and begins His benevolent rule over Earth for 1,000 years. This millennial reign will bring national Israel’s salvation and establish universal peace on earth.
The Final Judgement
At the Final Judgement, those who have rejected Christ will be judged for their sin and consigned to eternal punishment in a lake of fire prepared for Satan and his demons.
Heaven
We look forward to the perfect New Heavens and a New Earth that Christ is preparing for all people, of all time, who have accepted Him. We will live and dwell with Him there forever following His millennial reign on Earth. ‘And so shall we forever be with the Lord!’
Beliefs on Calling, Culture, & Identity
Click here for a list of papers that express our opinion on matters of faith, calling, and culture. This includes papers on sexual identity, marriage, women in ministry, alcohol, gambling, divorce, church governance, abortion, suicide, and more.
Meet Our Team
Pastors, Staff, & Board of Deacons
We have a highly dedicated staff of pastors and support personnel who lead Ascend with compassion, care, and conviction. Please reach out to any of us so we can help you discover and deploy your gifts in Kingdom of God.
Brad & Lori Murphy
Our Pastors
Pastor Brad & Lori joined Ascend Church in January 2012. Previously they spent 10 years of full-time ministry in Washington State, but have come back to the Treasure Valley where Brad grew up. They have four daughters, one son-in-law, a grandpuppy, and one golden doodle.
Brad Murphy
Lead Pastor
Lori Murphy
Pastor, Worship Arts & More
Mikey Romero
Family Life Pastor
Tomo Lin
Asst Worship Pastor & Facilities Director
Melissa Hemphill
Member Care Director
Melissa Wong
Bookkeeper
Isaiah Wong
Family Life & Facilities Assitant
Talia Murphy
Ministry Assistant
Board of Deacons
Paul O'Brien
Board member
John First
Board member, treasurer
Kristine Dittman
Board member
Bhushan Taravade
Board member
Our Story
1995
Pastor Rusty Huwa, then from Buhl, Idaho was led to the small farming town of Eagle, Idaho to plant a church as part of the Assemblies of God Decade of Harvest. As Eagle Family Worship Center, our church began meeting in October at Eagle Hills Elementary School.
Our church family quickly began to grow as deep relationships flourished, a heart for missions developed, and a passion for helping people in the Treasure Valley characterized everything.
The presence of the Holy Spirit in our worship services and gatherings became a highlight for all who joined.
2000
The old Methodist building on N. Eagle Road became available and the congregation bought it as our first permanent building. The growth continued and we doubled the size of the building. However, the neighborhood couldn’t contain all the cars filling the downtown streets every Sunday and Wednesday.
During this time the congregation developed strategic discipleship ministries, compassionate outreaches, and generosity for evangelism locally and around the world. Investing in the next-generation became a focus across all our ministries.
2006
On Mother’s Day 2006, we had our first service in the newly built building at the corner of Park Lane and Floating Feather (current building). The church struggled in the years following because of the 2008 economic collapse that destroyed the housing market globally, but very specifically in west Eagle.
2010
After a pastoral transition and the fallout from the housing crash we became Eagle LifeChurch. We adopted this name to simplify our image in the community and to bolster our vision to be a life-changing place in our community.
2012
In January 2012, Pastor Brad Murphy came to lead the church out of decline and into a new season of health and growth. Building on the values of community, compassion, and cross-generational ministry we added women's, children, youth, men's, young adult's, and hospitality ministries.
2018
In 2018, Pastor Brad led the church to adopt a vision statement, “Helping People Experience Jesus in a Life-Changing Way.” This vision has become the compelling voice of the Holy Spirit to guide us into the future.
Through this vision we have become a healing community of care that restores broken and hurting families to health and hope. As we develop this vision, our heart is to equip empowered worshipers to serve the needs of hurting people through the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
TODAY
In 2024, the church members voted unanimously to adopt the name Ascend Church as a reflection of God's work lifting people up and setting them on a firm foundation of truth.
Today, Ascend Church is experiencing growth through new conversions, water baptisms, Holy Spirit baptisms, and generous Kingdom Builders locally and around the world.
FUTURE
As we look to the future, we have many plans to accomplish the vision of helping people experience Jesus in a life-changing way.
Some of our immediate goals are to begin a trauma and addiction recovery ministry called Reboot, build a discipleship and children's ministry wing, organize an overseas missions trip, double our Kingdom Builder's impact, plant Freedom Church in Meridian, and adpot or plant a second church in the next three years.
Our long term plans include developing a school (preschool, day school, ministry training school), fully developing our five-acre site for massive discipleship and recovery activities, creating a non-profit incubator for starting new Kingdom non-profits, planting/adopting churches (a healthy church in every middle school attendance zone), and give away $1 million in one year.
Come be part of the story God is writing through this local church with a global heart that's helping people experience Jesus in life-changing ways.
Our Affiliation
Ascend Church chooses to network with the Assemblies of God, and the Southern Idaho Ministry Network.
This affiliation is a unified effort in Southern Idaho to provide camps, conferences, training meetings, resources, and leadership for all of the Assembly of God churches and ministries.
