JESUS IS OUR MESSAGE

PEOPLE ARE OUR HEART

GENEROSITY IS OUR PRIVILEGE

EXCELLENCE IS OUR SPIRIT

SERVANT LEADERSHIP IS OUR IDENTITY

HONOR IS OUR CALLING

PASSION IS OUR PURSUIT

JESUS IS OUR MESSAGE PEOPLE ARE OUR HEART GENEROSITY IS OUR PRIVILEGE EXCELLENCE IS OUR SPIRIT SERVANT LEADERSHIP IS OUR IDENTITY HONOR IS OUR CALLING PASSION IS OUR PURSUIT

here at encounter

The Church is God’s plan A, there is no Plan B.  Our goal is to Live, Love, and Look like Jesus. Encounter church is a diverse gathering of individuals from different backgrounds joined together by their love of God and love of people.  In fact, those are the two pillars we have founded our church on Encounter God; Encounter people.  

From the moment you drive into our parking area and walk into our lobby, you’ll be greeted with love, acceptance, and friendly faces.  From the first word spoken in our worship experience, you’ll see our love of Jesus runs deep, and we aren’t afraid to show our devotion and adoration to Him.  

We believe…

You can belong before you believe. What we mean by that is we have no expectations when we meet guests at our church. You can enter in just the way you are. We believe that the power of God will meet you where you are, and when you encounter Him, your life will be forever changed. We believe in honor: honoring Jesus by honoring the people around us. We believe that, as Jesus followers, we are always usable, and we make ourselves available to the Kingdom in whatever way we are needed... and EVERYONE is needed and necessary to establish His Kingdom here on earth. We believe in generosity in everything we do, and we give faithfully of our time, talent, and treasure. We believe in reaching everyone with the love of Jesus and the truth of the Gospel. And finally, we believe in being filled with the Spirit and always yielding to the Lord’s leading and will.

Lead pastors

CRAIG & ANDREA RICE

Pastors, Craig and Andrea moved to the Coeur d’Alene area from Idaho Falls. With a pull on their hearts to reach Rathdrum, they started Encounter Church to create a place for everyone to belong, even before they believe.

executive pastors

Pastors, Jesse and Janelle make an amazing team full of life and love. Moving to North Idaho from Walla Walla WA, they teamed up with Craig and Andrea to launch the powerhouse that is ENCOUNTER CHURCH.

JESSE & JANELLE LAWFORD

ENCOUNTER LEADERS

  • MEGAN HEXUM

    OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

  • BREVEN & LONDON BAZZAR

    NEXTGEN PASTORS

  • MARK HEXUM

    SECURITY DIRECTOR

  • Christa Snodgrass

    COFFEE BAR LEADER

  • Alvine Snodgrass

    FIRST IMPRESSIONS LEADER

  • MARY COLLINS

    WORSHIP TEAM LEADER