LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) — To encourage social-distancing many churches have transitioned to live-streaming Sunday service. Innovation Church in Lafayette is taking it a step further, the lead pastor has created a drive-in Church service.

"We knew that things are going on in the world and the world seems crazy and it's gripped with fear right now and so why not do something different? Why not do something innovative? I mean, that's who we are," said Lead Pastor, Billy Holden.

Innovation Church has a mission of ministering to people from all walks of life. As current times call for social distancing, Pastor Billy and his wife Mandy Holden are adjusting.

"I was just asking God like how can we be innovative at this moment? Do we do what everybody else is doing and live-stream and then the idea popped into my head and it was just like, we can still gather, we can still be a hundred percent safe but we can still gather together as the church," said Billy.

The drive-in church is allowing people to practice the CDC's recommended self-distancing while still providing a sense of community.
The congregation connects through a specific radio channel.

"We could still gather together and be the church," said Billy. "We're not gathering together at church, here at innovation our building is just called Innovation because we understand that the people are the church."

With the idea of people being the church, Pastor Billy believes that is what will carry hope to others during these uncertain times.

"What is God's business? To love those that are in need of love, to reach out to those that are gripped by fear, those that need peace and we can be a part of that," said Billy.

Pastor Mandy hopes the church's way of being creative inspires other people to find creative ways to serve others while keeping safe-distance.

"You can still get out there and you can still help people through all the craziness that's going on right now and so yeah we may be doing this drive-in stuff right here but we also want people to go out into their community and serve others and love others," said Mandy.

Innovation Church also slive-streams its Sunday services but Pastor Billy said they will be hosting a drive-in Sunday service until the CDC recommendation's change. Next Sunday the church will be out in the community serving through various activities, church leaders will be actively posting those events on Facebook.