Dayton area church receives national recognition

Dayton, OH -- Fairhaven Church in Centerville, Ohio has been named one of the Best Christian Workplaces in America, one of only 48 churches in the U.S. to earn the designation. The church was founded 52 years ago with twelve families holding service at a local YMCA. Today, the church has three campuses in Centerville, Springboro, and Clayton with approximately 7000 attendees, and a staff of 80 serving the entire Dayton, Ohio area. Dr. David Smith is the current pastor, only the third lead pastor in the church’s long-standing history.
“It is easy to think or say that a church is healthy,” says Smith, “but when you invite an outside group to come in and access and then tell you that you are in the top 50 healthiest churches in America…I feel humbled that I get to work with our staff and leaders who have made it so! We believe that team is everything and that the success of other staff members is our individual priority.”
Fairhaven has been twice listed as one of the Fastest Growing churches in the country by Outreach Magazine. Smith says he believes there are three qualities of his membership and staff that drive their continued growth.
“We maintain a strong and vibrant ministry for children and families,” says Smith. “We encourage our church body to be intentional about their friends, neighbors, co-workers and family. And we have a clear presence in the community to assist people and address social concerns.”

Smith (pictured left) and his wife are parents to a special needs child so the church has become a community-wide refuge for families with special needs kids, offering parents the opportunity to go to church together while their children are being cared for by dedicated church staff. In a recent $10 million expansion campaign, the church added a preschool/nursery building with a two-story play area for community use; a new chapel for weddings, funerals and other smaller events; as well as the launch of their Springboro campus, among other additions.
Over 25% of the church’s budget goes to missions, including a recent $500,000 donation to Bongolo Hospital in Gabon, Africa, which provides medical and spiritual care to thousands of people every year. The church has recently completed mission trips to Quito, Ecuador, Guatemala and China.
 Fairhaven is currently in the midst of a “100,000 hours of Serving” campaign with over 40,000 hours already logged by members and staff. Smith says the essence of the church is to inspire people to reach beyond themselves.

“Our church wants to go beyond our four walls,” says Smith. “This year, we have made a concerted effort to send our congregation out into our community. It’s only through our consistent actions, and concern for those around us that our friends and neighbors will truly see the demonstration of Christ’s love. The tens of thousands of hours we’ve spent demonstrating our concern for those around us is making an impact. We pray that we may continue to shine a light in our neighborhoods together."

For more information, visit www.fairhavenchurch.org.