Articles for tag: Spotlight Church

SPOTLIGHT: Reclaim Christian Church, Ansonia, Conn.

By Chris Moon Reclaim Christian Church in Ansonia, Connecticut, is living up to its name. The church last fall moved into its new sanctuary space after doubling the size of its building. Since then, Reclaim has seen its average attendance grow by more than 25 percent—and that after the church had grown steadily for nearly a decade. It’s God’s reclamation project, which is just how lead pastor Breandan McTighe likes it. “Taking something that is old, which is who we were, and something that is beaten down and tattered and weathered and has the markings of past pains and hurts—and

August 22, 2019

Michael C. Mack

SPOTLIGHT: Hazelwood Christian Church, Pittsburgh, Pa.

By Michael C. Mack A 212 percent attendance growth rate over one year gets your attention. Hazelwood Christian Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, grew from 32 to 100 in 2018, and it turns out technology is a significant reason for that growth. Hazelwood’s building sits in an older, heavily Catholic neighborhood of urban Pittsburgh, an area that is on the rebound in business and population growth. Senior minister Ed Gratton came to the church in 2016 after they had gone through a split that dropped attendance to 15. “On a good Sunday we had 20,” said Gratton with a chuckle. But

August 22, 2019

SPOTLIGHT: Woodstock Christian Church, Woodstock, Ga.

By Justin Horey When Kirby Lloyd accepted the call to serve as senior minister at Woodstock (Georgia) Christian Church in 2017, he didn’t intend to make sweeping changes. In fact, Lloyd didn’t even displace the minister who preceded him. Instead, Lynn Eynon, who had served as Woodstock’s senior minister for more than three decades, remained on staff as the minister of pastoral care. Instead of launching a variety of new ministries upon arriving, Lloyd encouraged Woodstock Christian to do a better job of promoting what it was already doing. Like many smaller Southern churches, Woodstock offers a food pantry, a

August 22, 2019

SPOTLIGHT: Christ’s Church, Fort Wayne, Ind.

By Kelly Carr Christ’s Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is a congregation built on rebirth. “Our motto is, ‘It’s OK not to be OK,’” said Jason Kemerly, lead pastor. “Jesus comes to all who are broken and weary, and we’re all broken. But we tell people Jesus doesn’t want you to stay that way. He wants you to find healing and hope.” Every week, Kemerly and his ministry team challenge people to take the next step in their faith. For many, that next step is baptism. Christ’s Church has seen 40 to 45 baptisms per year during the last four

June 22, 2019

SPOTLIGHT: Jessamine Christian Church, Nicholasville, Kentucky

Baptism Is Only the Beginning By Kelly Carr Kentucky native Lee Faust stepped into a beautiful ministry this year. He heard that Jessamine Christian Church would need a new lead pastor when Wally Rendel retired, and when he visited JCC, he discovered a body of believers filled with history and maturity who wanted to reach out, disciple new believers, and draw people into deeper relationships. That lined up perfectly with Faust’s passions and experience. He started with the church in March. “My 2019 goal has been to learn the heart of the people and let all ages know I am

March 25, 2019

SPOTLIGHT: Manchester Christian Church, Manchester, New Hampshire

A Decentralized Approach to Church Growth By Steve Carr The church must look different tomorrow than it does today. This is the conviction of Bo Chancey, lead minister of Manchester Christian Church in New England. It is a fascinating observation, considering Manchester Christian, which now averages about 4,000 weekly, is already the largest Protestant church in New Hampshire, the second most dechurched region in America. Still, the churchâ™s strategy relies upon continual risk-taking and nontraditional approaches to growth. Change is an essential part of Manchester Christianâ™s DNA. âChurches always change, because the church is people, and people are constantly changing,â

March 25, 2019

SPOTLIGHT: Compass Christian Church, Chandler, Arizona

Elders, Staff, Discipleship Program, Prayer Culminate in Baptisms By Melissa Wuske Compass Christian Church âhas had a heart for evangelism since day one,â said senior pastor Brian Jobe. But in recent years, the churchâ™s growth has been astoundingâeven in an area crowded with megachurches and in the midst of a culture of church hopping. Jobe said the Greater Phoenix churchâ™s eldership has been crucial to âputting the church in a place to receive Godâ™s blessingâ during his three years thereâincluding a year overlapping with pastor Roger Storms, who had served the church for 29 years and helped instill âmission-mindedness, flexibility,

March 25, 2019

SPOTLIGHT: Greentree Christian Church, Rolla, Missouri

Intentional Continuity and Longevity Lead to Steady Growth By TR Robertson First Christian Church in Rolla, Missouri, was averaging about 200 when senior minister Tim Cook began his ministry there in 1982. Over the past 37 years, the congregation has moved, changed its name to Greentree Christian Church, and grown to around 2,500 members; GCC now averages about 1,200 to 1,300 on Sunday mornings. The site where the church met for more than 100 years had only 25 parking spaces. When the church reached the point of drawing around 500 in three services, they knew they needed to expand. The

March 25, 2019

SPOTLIGHT: Mission Church, Ventura, California

Wildfire Doesnâ™t Quash Churchâ™s Community Mission By Justin Horey The moment that defined 2018 for Mission Church actually took place at the end of 2017. On December 4 of that year, the Thomas Fire started burning in Santa Paula, California, just 20 miles from Ventura, where Mission Church has been located since its founding in 2011. The wildfire burned with unusual speed, and lead pastor Mike Hickerson remembers watching the flames approach as he stood on the roof of his home that evening. The fire reached Ventura overnight and began destroying structures in the city. By the time the fire

March 25, 2019

SPOTLIGHT: Real Life Church, Valencia, California

Multisite in a New Light By Justin Horey The multisite model has been gaining momentum for years among large churches and megachurches nationwide. But when Real Life Church in Valencia, California, embraced the multisite model of ministry, it did so differently than many other churches. Real Life launched two new campuses in 2018, both in nontraditional ways: one campus was created through a merger/acquisition, and one campus was designed to reach people online. For more than a decade, Real Life Church had a close relationship with Discovery Church in nearby Simi Valley, California. Both churches were planted by Shepherd of

March 25, 2019

SPOTLIGHT: Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky

Reaching Out to the Community and the World By Andy Rector In 2018, Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, experienced gains in many ways. âIt truly was a year of growth,â said Dave Stone, senior pastor. Growth occurred in evangelism: âThe majority of people who were baptized in 2018 were baptized by the person who led them to the Lord,â Stone said. Growth occurred with the facilities: Construction began on the Chapel in the Woods, only a quarter mile from the main campus. The chapel is designed for weddings, funerals, and worship. There also was numeric growth: âOur attendance grew more

May 12, 2018

SPOTLIGHT: Mosaic Christian Church, Elkridge, Maryland

“Spiritual maturity is baptizing a friend.” By Justin Horey Ask most any person at Mosaic Christian Church in Elkridge, Maryland, “What is the most important thing at Mosaic,” and there’s a good chance they will tell you, “It’s when we baptize someone.” MCC is just nine years old (the church will celebrate its 10th anniversary this fall). In that brief time, Mosaic has baptized more than 500 new believers. Church planter and lead pastor Carl Kuhl said the reason is simple: “At Mosaic, a ‘win’ is baptism.” For the past few years, Kuhl and his staff have set a

May 11, 2018

SPOTLIGHT: Northside Christian Church, New Albany, Indiana

Former senior pastor George Ross and his son, Nate Ross, switch roles. By Andy Rector In 1999, when George Ross arrived at Northside Christian Church in New Albany, Indiana, the congregation had been without a lead pastor for 14 months. During the interim, attendance had grown 12 percent. That fact impressed upon Ross that Northside was fertile soil. After spending more than a decade with the church, Ross was nearing retirement age, and he knew church leaders faced an important decision. What should Northside’s next step be? “Did Northside need something different from me?” Ross said. “I talked with

May 10, 2018

Tyler McKenzie

SPOTLIGHT: Northeast Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky

The church grew in 2017, despite being warned attendance possibly could drop 15 percent under a new pastor. By Andy Rector Tyler McKenzie says he was “raw” when he was hired as teaching pastor at Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2012. In April 2016, McKenzie became lead pastor. Former lead minister Bob Cherry, who helped start Northeast in 1977, saw something in McKenzie during the initial interview process. And Cherry doesn’t mince words about McKenzie’s subsequent promotion: “Tyler is the right guy” for the lead pastor role. A year before McKenzie joined the Northeast staff, Cherry began

May 6, 2018

SPOTLIGHT: Sunbury (Ohio) Christian Church

Church changes its DNA through service projects and grows, with room to expand. By Darrel Rowland Ten years ago, Sunbury Christian Church spent $500,000 to buy 11 acres at the edge of a village in central Ohio. The church knew its old facility less than two miles away was inadequate, despite renovations that added a gym and got rid of the 1960s-era green paisley carpet. Still, half-a-million dollars for a congregation of about 300 as the Great Recession struck? “We swallowed real hard,” remembers senior minister Mike Bratten. “The need outweighed the fear.” The parcel wasn’t just randomly selected.

May 5, 2018

SPOTLIGHT: Real Life Church, Sheridan, Wyoming

Three-year-old church in least populated state overcomes obstacles. By Kelly Carr After a decade as associate pastor with North Point Christian Church in Spearfish, South Dakota, Ryan Charest was inspired to become the lead planter at Real Life Church in Sheridan, Wyoming, the newest church plant of the Northern Plains Evangelistic Association (see “Planting Churches in ‘Flyover Country”). “I kept reading and researching . . . understanding what we did right and wrong and what we could do differently,” Charest said. “God worked in me to prepare me to have the desire to try and do it again.” Real

May 2, 2018

SPOTLIGHT: New City Church, Phoenix, Arizona

“Teaching the truth has helped us reach young people.” By Justin Horey Brian Kruckenberg, lead pastor of New City Church, compares Phoenix, Arizona, to a doughnut. Until five years ago, he says, the population was almost entirely concentrated in a circle of suburbs surrounding the region, with a “hole” in the center—the downtown area—where virtually no one lived. Now Arizona’s capital city is making up for lost time, building apartments and condominiums on formerly vacant lots and creating brand-new residential neighborhoods in the heart of the city. Kruckenberg said people are moving to downtown Phoenix because they want to

April 29, 2018

SPOTLIGHT: Christ’s Church of the Valley, Phoenix, Arizona

The consistency of challenging their congregation to be bold in furthering the kingdom over the years paid off throughout 2017. By Natalee Jones Change isn’t easy but it’s necessary for growth. That’s what Don Wilson kept in mind as he was deciding to retire as senior pastor of Christ’s Church of the Valley (CCV) in Phoenix, Arizona, a church he helped launch. Wilson and his wife were meeting with three other couples in the Wilsons’ living room just over 35 years ago when they felt God calling them to start a church in the Phoenix area. CCV’s first service

April 25, 2018