How it all started...
Dove Creek Bible Church was originally founded in 1989 as the Evangelical Free Church of Bakersfield, and was formerly known as River Valley Bible Church until the move to the current facility in the Dove Creek Community near Allen and Rosedale.
From the beginning, Founding Pastor Jeff Harrington has been passionate about grace-based, verse by verse Bible teaching which has always resonated with many in the local community.
While many are to be thanked as having given so much to this body over the years, it has truly been God's story at work in the lives of those who have been a part. See below for the full story.
From the beginning, Founding Pastor Jeff Harrington has been passionate about grace-based, verse by verse Bible teaching which has always resonated with many in the local community.
While many are to be thanked as having given so much to this body over the years, it has truly been God's story at work in the lives of those who have been a part. See below for the full story.
God's provision in transition...
Dove Creek has been fortunate to see God's provision in continuing with the same message and focus, but into the next chapter with the movement to a new Lead Pastor in January 2024. We have seen God go before us as we step into a new moment while never forgetting who we are and where we have come from.
Where we are headed...
God's vision for the future is simple...make disciples, through teaching that all of life is all for Christ. The Gospel and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit will be the focus and the power behind our mission, as we join Christ in building His Kingdom, not our own.
Be a part of our story...
Join us every Sunday as we gather to worship together at 9:45 AM.
The Full Story of God's Faithfulness...
In 1986, Jeff Harrington began meeting with five other men weekly to explore the possibility of planting a verse-by-verse teaching church in Bakersfield. This was a two-year discipling process. During that time, they also met with Wally Norling, the Southwest District Superintendent of the EFCA, to discuss the possibility of the new church plant affiliating with the EFCA.
The EFCA had two previously unsuccessful attempts to plant an EFCA church in Bakersfield. The EFCA was hesitant to pour more money and resources into Bakersfield; nonetheless, they were interested in an affiliation as long as we required no financial assistance from the EFCA.
By the grace of God, the EFCA’s financial assistance was not necessary, so it was agreed that the church plant would be affiliated with the EFCA. In the latter part of 1988, this group of men began to look for possible places for the church plant to meet. In those days, church planting was a relatively new idea in Bakersfield. The thought of starting a church from scratch was unfamiliar to most people. Some school districts allowed churches to meet at their facilities but only in cafeterias. Other districts had a “monopoly clause” rental policy, meaning no one organization could use a school every week. The church being limited to the cafeteria was considered undesirable, so the search continued.
Other options like warehouses, banquet halls, and hotel conference rooms were explored. The city of Bakersfield would not approve churches to meet in warehouses unless certain conditions were met for parking and restrooms. Banquet halls were reluctant to guarantee you a spot every week, so hotel conference rooms became the best option. It was determined that three rooms would be needed: one for a nursery, one for a children’s program, and one for a sanctuary. This meant searching for hotels that had multiple conference rooms. A hotel was found that was willing to rent to the church weekly, but it was not in the most desirable part of the city. Nevertheless, they would let the church use three conference rooms for $700.00 -1200.00 monthly, depending upon the size of the conference rooms we used.
Jeff decided to contact the newest hotel in the city at that time (the Red Lion Inn, now the Doubletree) and get their price for three conference rooms for comparison's sake, as it was one of the nicer hotels in town. The Red Lion Inn catering manager informed Jeff that three conference rooms per week would cost $4800.00 per month.
However, the manager said he would see if he could lower the price since we were a church. He said he would call Jeff back in a day or two. When he called back, he said the Red Lion Inn would let the church use three weekly conference rooms for $400.00 monthly. This would save the church a lot of money over their time there.
On January 8, 1989, the Evangelical Free Church of Bakersfield began meeting at the Red Lion Inn. Jeff was still working full-time as a felony investigator for the Adult Division of the Kern County Probation Department and serving as the church’s lead pastor. The first service had 64 attendees.
The church moved around a bit, looking for a more permanent place. It moved from the Red Lion Inn to the Sheraton, the YWCA, and Laurelglen Elementary School until we finally found a commercial building for lease in 1993. The place seemed perfect for our needs. It was a 7,500-square-foot air-conditioned warehouse (which was difficult to find), and it had the number of restrooms and parking spaces required by the city.
The landlord agreed to lease to the church with the caveat that the church would have to make all the tenant improvements. As the Red Lion Inn had rented its conference rooms so cheaply, the church could afford to do the tenant improvements. Furthermore, it just so happened that attending the church at the time was one of the project managers for SA Anderson. His name was Rod Olsen. Rod said he would help the church with the tenant improvements, and the church could work under his contractor’s license. So, for several months, the church's men, women, and youth demolished and remodeled that commercial building under Rod’s supervision.
The church was due to start worship services at this facility on Office Park Drive in the fall of 1993. However, before our first official Sunday, the building's owner foreclosed on it, and the bank informed us that if the property were bought out of foreclosure, the new owner would not have to honor the leases of the present tenants.
Next, the church was informed by the man who wanted to buy the property out of foreclosure that he would not honor the lease, and in fact, he planned to evict the church as soon as he became the owner of the property. Not only that, he intended to demolish the part of the building the church occupied to increase parking for his other tenants.
This meant the church had wasted its entire savings on tenant improvements for a building destined to be demolished, and soon the church would be homeless again. In the meantime, the church began meeting there in September of 1993 while the property remained in limbo, waiting for a purchase agreement. The church had no idea to whom to pay its rent as the original landlord of the building no longer owned it, and the bank would not accept our rent payments for fear that accepting our rent payments after foreclosure might give us legal cause to insist our lease be honored after the new buyer took ownership. The church still sets aside its rent payment every month just in case, at some point, we were going to be required to pay someone to occupy the space.
In the providence of God, the man who wanted to buy the property and evict the church could not purchase the property. He tried for almost a year to work a deal but came up short. Then, Marvin Steinert, a local Christian businessman, decided to purchase the property. However, the church had already been in the building for approximately a year rent-free when he bought it. Marvin informed the church it did not owe him any back rent because he did not own the building then. Due to occupying the building for a year rent-free, the church recovered almost to the penny the money spent on tenant improvements.
The church began to explore the possibility of purchasing property to build a church facility. Around that time, a church member alerted the church of a five-acre property for sale on Allen Road. The church inquired about the property, but the owner wanted two million dollars for the five acres. The church could not afford that price, plus build a facility. We had to pass on the property. In 2006, we were informed the property owner was in financial trouble and willing to sell the property for less money. The church contacted the property owner again, who said he would sell the property to the church for $960,000.00.
Just before the church could close that deal…the property owner was foreclosed on, and the property was given to lien holders. The five-acre property was subdivided into a 2-acre parcel and a 3-acre parcel. Before the auction, the church discovered a cattle feed company held the lien to the 3-acre parcel. The church contacted that company and asked if they planned to utilize the property or if they planned to sell it. The cattle feed company said their main concern was paying their lien. The lien was $360,000.00. The church offered to pay the lien in cash and the cattle feed company deeded the property to the church in 2007.
When it bought the property in 2007, the church was very optimistic that it would commence building a church facility very soon. Then 2008 happened…the real estate bubble burst, and the economy took a nosedive. The church’s giving was essentially cut in half from 2007 to 2008, meaning the church no longer could qualify for a loan to build.
Between 2009 and 2016, the church had to develop the property in phases. In the first phase, the church paid a million dollars to grade the land and prepare it for construction. In the second phase, the church paid to construct the outer shell of the building along with the paving and landscaping. In the third phase, the church would finish out the interior. Phase I and Phase II cost the church three million dollars, which the church paid for in cash. The third phase was estimated to cost another 1.4 million dollars, and the church’s financial reserves were depleted.
In 2013, a church family agreed to loan the church 1.4 million dollars to complete the project. Afterward, we received a loan from Valley Republic Bank to repay the church family that had loaned us the money to complete the project.
The church held its first worship service in the new facility on November 13, 2016. The church's legal name has always remained “The Evangelical Free Church of Bakersfield,” but the church decided to do business as “Dove Creek Bible Church” as the church is located in the Dove Creek Estates location.
In 2023, Pastor Jeff notified the church that he planned to retire as Lead Pastor. A search Committee was formed, and a Church Consultant was hired. That search led to the recommendation to hire Josh Martin. On January 21, 2024, Josh Martin was voted in as the next Lead Pastor of Dove Creek Bible Church.
The EFCA had two previously unsuccessful attempts to plant an EFCA church in Bakersfield. The EFCA was hesitant to pour more money and resources into Bakersfield; nonetheless, they were interested in an affiliation as long as we required no financial assistance from the EFCA.
By the grace of God, the EFCA’s financial assistance was not necessary, so it was agreed that the church plant would be affiliated with the EFCA. In the latter part of 1988, this group of men began to look for possible places for the church plant to meet. In those days, church planting was a relatively new idea in Bakersfield. The thought of starting a church from scratch was unfamiliar to most people. Some school districts allowed churches to meet at their facilities but only in cafeterias. Other districts had a “monopoly clause” rental policy, meaning no one organization could use a school every week. The church being limited to the cafeteria was considered undesirable, so the search continued.
Other options like warehouses, banquet halls, and hotel conference rooms were explored. The city of Bakersfield would not approve churches to meet in warehouses unless certain conditions were met for parking and restrooms. Banquet halls were reluctant to guarantee you a spot every week, so hotel conference rooms became the best option. It was determined that three rooms would be needed: one for a nursery, one for a children’s program, and one for a sanctuary. This meant searching for hotels that had multiple conference rooms. A hotel was found that was willing to rent to the church weekly, but it was not in the most desirable part of the city. Nevertheless, they would let the church use three conference rooms for $700.00 -1200.00 monthly, depending upon the size of the conference rooms we used.
Jeff decided to contact the newest hotel in the city at that time (the Red Lion Inn, now the Doubletree) and get their price for three conference rooms for comparison's sake, as it was one of the nicer hotels in town. The Red Lion Inn catering manager informed Jeff that three conference rooms per week would cost $4800.00 per month.
However, the manager said he would see if he could lower the price since we were a church. He said he would call Jeff back in a day or two. When he called back, he said the Red Lion Inn would let the church use three weekly conference rooms for $400.00 monthly. This would save the church a lot of money over their time there.
On January 8, 1989, the Evangelical Free Church of Bakersfield began meeting at the Red Lion Inn. Jeff was still working full-time as a felony investigator for the Adult Division of the Kern County Probation Department and serving as the church’s lead pastor. The first service had 64 attendees.
The church moved around a bit, looking for a more permanent place. It moved from the Red Lion Inn to the Sheraton, the YWCA, and Laurelglen Elementary School until we finally found a commercial building for lease in 1993. The place seemed perfect for our needs. It was a 7,500-square-foot air-conditioned warehouse (which was difficult to find), and it had the number of restrooms and parking spaces required by the city.
The landlord agreed to lease to the church with the caveat that the church would have to make all the tenant improvements. As the Red Lion Inn had rented its conference rooms so cheaply, the church could afford to do the tenant improvements. Furthermore, it just so happened that attending the church at the time was one of the project managers for SA Anderson. His name was Rod Olsen. Rod said he would help the church with the tenant improvements, and the church could work under his contractor’s license. So, for several months, the church's men, women, and youth demolished and remodeled that commercial building under Rod’s supervision.
The church was due to start worship services at this facility on Office Park Drive in the fall of 1993. However, before our first official Sunday, the building's owner foreclosed on it, and the bank informed us that if the property were bought out of foreclosure, the new owner would not have to honor the leases of the present tenants.
Next, the church was informed by the man who wanted to buy the property out of foreclosure that he would not honor the lease, and in fact, he planned to evict the church as soon as he became the owner of the property. Not only that, he intended to demolish the part of the building the church occupied to increase parking for his other tenants.
This meant the church had wasted its entire savings on tenant improvements for a building destined to be demolished, and soon the church would be homeless again. In the meantime, the church began meeting there in September of 1993 while the property remained in limbo, waiting for a purchase agreement. The church had no idea to whom to pay its rent as the original landlord of the building no longer owned it, and the bank would not accept our rent payments for fear that accepting our rent payments after foreclosure might give us legal cause to insist our lease be honored after the new buyer took ownership. The church still sets aside its rent payment every month just in case, at some point, we were going to be required to pay someone to occupy the space.
In the providence of God, the man who wanted to buy the property and evict the church could not purchase the property. He tried for almost a year to work a deal but came up short. Then, Marvin Steinert, a local Christian businessman, decided to purchase the property. However, the church had already been in the building for approximately a year rent-free when he bought it. Marvin informed the church it did not owe him any back rent because he did not own the building then. Due to occupying the building for a year rent-free, the church recovered almost to the penny the money spent on tenant improvements.
The church began to explore the possibility of purchasing property to build a church facility. Around that time, a church member alerted the church of a five-acre property for sale on Allen Road. The church inquired about the property, but the owner wanted two million dollars for the five acres. The church could not afford that price, plus build a facility. We had to pass on the property. In 2006, we were informed the property owner was in financial trouble and willing to sell the property for less money. The church contacted the property owner again, who said he would sell the property to the church for $960,000.00.
Just before the church could close that deal…the property owner was foreclosed on, and the property was given to lien holders. The five-acre property was subdivided into a 2-acre parcel and a 3-acre parcel. Before the auction, the church discovered a cattle feed company held the lien to the 3-acre parcel. The church contacted that company and asked if they planned to utilize the property or if they planned to sell it. The cattle feed company said their main concern was paying their lien. The lien was $360,000.00. The church offered to pay the lien in cash and the cattle feed company deeded the property to the church in 2007.
When it bought the property in 2007, the church was very optimistic that it would commence building a church facility very soon. Then 2008 happened…the real estate bubble burst, and the economy took a nosedive. The church’s giving was essentially cut in half from 2007 to 2008, meaning the church no longer could qualify for a loan to build.
Between 2009 and 2016, the church had to develop the property in phases. In the first phase, the church paid a million dollars to grade the land and prepare it for construction. In the second phase, the church paid to construct the outer shell of the building along with the paving and landscaping. In the third phase, the church would finish out the interior. Phase I and Phase II cost the church three million dollars, which the church paid for in cash. The third phase was estimated to cost another 1.4 million dollars, and the church’s financial reserves were depleted.
In 2013, a church family agreed to loan the church 1.4 million dollars to complete the project. Afterward, we received a loan from Valley Republic Bank to repay the church family that had loaned us the money to complete the project.
The church held its first worship service in the new facility on November 13, 2016. The church's legal name has always remained “The Evangelical Free Church of Bakersfield,” but the church decided to do business as “Dove Creek Bible Church” as the church is located in the Dove Creek Estates location.
In 2023, Pastor Jeff notified the church that he planned to retire as Lead Pastor. A search Committee was formed, and a Church Consultant was hired. That search led to the recommendation to hire Josh Martin. On January 21, 2024, Josh Martin was voted in as the next Lead Pastor of Dove Creek Bible Church.