10 years of ministry

Scott Breedlove, pastor of Landmark Church, and his wife, Lisa, moved to Jefferson City 10 years ago to plant the Pentecostal church, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary this weekend.
Scott Breedlove, pastor of Landmark Church, and his wife, Lisa, moved to Jefferson City 10 years ago to plant the Pentecostal church, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary this weekend.

For 10 years, the Landmark Church has been ministering to those not in church or those struggling with addiction.

This weekend, the congregation of about 100 is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Scott Breedlove and his wife, Lisa, planting the Pentecostal church here.

Breedlove, who already had planted a new church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was traveling south through the Capital City when he felt God say "start a church here," he said. The same experience had happened to draw him to the first church in Iowa.

"We don't know if we're (here) for life or if I'll be driving somewhere and God says, 'Plant a church here' again," Breedlove said. "Both times have been a step of faith."

Fewer people go to church than in the past, Breedlove said. He would like to see more church plants across America.

"The more churches you have with different styles, it gives people more options," he said. "I don't think we could ever have too many churches."

Landmark's goal is to reach those who aren't in church already, he said.

"We don't want to compete with anybody," Breedlove said.

The family relocated to Jefferson City, holding the first Bible study in a small apartment. Within six months, they and their 15 members moved into a church building on Miller Street.

Three years later, they outgrew their space with 45 members and bought their first building at 1015 Northeast Drive. In five years, the congregation and its ministries have again outgrown the space.

Among the church's future goals is moving into a larger facility, Breedlove said.

As they've had to do for other significant worship services, like Easter, the anniversary celebration will be at McClung Park from noon-2 p.m. Sunday, featuring the bluegrass sounds of David Davis and family.

Regular Sunday morning services at 10 a.m. will mark the anniversary with children's programs, a photo slide show and a message from Bishop Harold Long from Paris.

And today, a special service will be led by Pastor Tim Theissen from Hillsboro at 5 p.m.

Breedlove has been in recovery himself for 24 years. He is a Truman State University alumnus and holds a master's degree in addiction counseling.

His secular job is training substance abuse counselors through the Missouri Credentialing Board. And he's an adjunct at Columbia College.

Breedlove believes the spiritual component of addiction recovery is very important. So another goal is for the church to open a local, faith-based recovery house.

For now, the church hosts four classes on Sunday nights - addressing substance abuse, batterers intervention, parenting and anger management.

Many who attend these classes are mandated by a state agency, like Probation and Parole or Social Services.

A generation ago, substance abuse was a taboo topic in church circles, Lisa Breedlove noted. However, there has been a national shift, both faith-based and secular, toward understanding and promoting recovery, Breedlove said.

"People are more open about their recovery, too," he said. "It's such a widespread problem in our country."

Through the classes, they also have gained several members. However, that's only a by-product.

The classes are part of the church's larger goal to serve the community. In the future, they hope to partner with more local churches and organizations to meet other community needs.

"Our congregation loves people; they're supportive, open, friendly and don't judge," Lisa Breedlove said.

Their measure for missions has been: "If Landmark Church weren't here tomorrow, would the community miss us?"

Call 338-3976, email [email protected] or visit landmarkjeffcity.org for more information.