Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When and how did Anthem Church get started?

Anthem Church began when a small group of families in Gainesville partnered with North Point Ministries to plant Anthem Community Church.

Q: How is Anthem connected with North Point?

Anthem partners with North Point Ministries through the Irresistible Church Network, which fuels the strategy and model of the church, while Anthem is exclusively led and funded locally as its own official nonprofit in Florida.

Q: Does Anthem Church have a formal membership process?

Details on Anthem's approach to membership and how to get fully engaged are covered on the FAQ page.

Thank you for your interest in Anthem Church!

We love questions about faith, life, the Bible, and questions about our church. We're a community of people who embrace hard questions and easy questions alike. Below are a few of the questions we get regularly.

Our story

When and how did Anthem Church get started?+

Anthem Church began when Chad Clemons and a group of people connected with North Point Community Church in Atlanta, GA to dream about creating a church that unchurched people loved to attend in Gainesville. For way too long churches have been known for what they're against, Anthem Church has always been a place known for what we're FOR.

In 2008, with the help of an amazing team of people in Gainesville and the support of North Point Community Church, Anthem Church launched. Through a series of "only God" events and circumstances, Anthem Church grew and in 2017 opened a new facility.

How is Anthem connected with North Point?+

North Point Community Church, led by Andy Stanley, founded a world-wide network of churches called the Irresistible Church Network. Anthem Church is a part of this network of churches, which means through this collection of like-minded churches, we share best practices and are strategically connected through common mission, vision and strategy.

Anthem Church also sometimes leans in with North Point Community Church via video to engage in a message delivered by Andy Stanley or other teaching Pastors at North Point. Leadership and finances are not shared but local and Anthem Church operates as its own official nonprofit in the state of Florida.

What are Anthem Church's mission and vision?+

Mission: To Inspire and Equip People to Follow Jesus.
Vision: To Be an Irresistible Church for Our Neighbors, the Next Generation, and the World.

You can find more about who we are on our About page.

See Our About Page

Does Anthem Church just play a video sermon instead of teaching live?+

No. While we occasionally partner with North Point Ministries and share a video message from one of their teaching pastors, the majority of our Sunday gatherings feature live teaching most often from our Lead Pastor, Jon Birkmire.

Each week, you can expect a 65-minute gathering with engaging live worship, local hosts, a helpful and relevant message, and great environments for kids and students. Most often our messages are taught by our Lead Pastor, Jon Birkmire, and everything is designed to help people connect with God and take their next step in following Jesus.

Leadership & finances

How is Anthem Church led and governed?+

The phrase we use to describe the function of government at Anthem Church is that we are guarded by the Board of Directors and guided by the staff. In more specific terms, Anthem is governed around three teams of people:

Board of Directors: provides the guardrails of the organization in regards to theology, mission, and vision.
Staff Executive Team: oversight of day-to-day operations of Anthem.
Stewardship Team: oversight of finances alongside an independent 3rd-party bookkeeper.

See Our Church Leadership

How does Anthem Church handle its finances?+

Anthem Church is 100% funded by local giving, no outside organization pays our bills. Every dollar given supports staff, ministry budgets, facilities, and outreach, and a budget is approved each year by both the Board of Directors and the Stewardship Team. Day-to-day bookkeeping is handled by an independent 3rd-party accounting firm to keep things transparent.

Getting connected

Does Anthem Church have a formal membership process?+

Here at Anthem, we want you to know that the moment you walk through the doors, you belong here and can consider this place your church home, no title needed. Since we don't have traditional membership, you won't be able to "join" the church as a "member" – but we hope you become fully engaged in the life of the church. You can engage with us through serving strategically, connecting in a group, inviting others, and giving systematically. Those who are fully engaged with us are considered our members.

How do I get fully engaged at Anthem Church?+

We want to be a church that people who don't normally like church love to attend. In order to be that kind of church, we need the help of those who share our passion for inspiring people to follow Jesus.

If you share that passion, or even if you simply love this place, you can fully engage in the life of the church by doing four things:

Connecting in a Group
Serving Strategically
Inviting Others
Giving Systematically

Didn't find your answer?

Some questions are best answered in person. Come join us this Sunday and see what Anthem Church is all about, no pressure, just an honest look at who we are. Or reach out, and a member of our team would love to connect with you.

Get in touch →