The Birth of Village Church in Phenix City:
A Message From Pastor Jonathan Taylor | April 30, 2017
What an amazing journey it’s been for Christ Community Church’s Phenix City campus. Since 2014, when leadership at Christ Community Church in Columbus felt God’s calling to plant a church in Phenix City, we’ve grown from a satellite campus with simulcast messages into a thriving church with its own pastor, staff, and board. And we’re continuing to grow as we transition in 2017 from a small facility in a shopping center storefront to an established church building that we can call our own — debt free! During this season of transition, we’re also excited to announce a new name for our church body.
For two years and eight months, we’ve existed as a campus of Christ Community Church — sharing the same name and some of the same resources, which was an excellent model for the initial church plant in Phenix City. Now, though, it’s time for the next phase in our development as a church. In October 2016, the executive leadership at Christ Community Church in Columbus and in our region’s Free Methodist denomination asked us to think about relaunching our church under a new name. At the time, we had no clue what God was doing ahead of us. We began to pray. “God, what direction do you want for us?” While attending a Free Methodist conference in Florida, we began to talk about the importance of growing up in a community, raising a family and kids, and having others around you to lean on for support and encouragement. The person I was speaking with said, “It takes a village, doesn’t it?” And he paused. “Sounds like a church name.”
Over the next few hours and days, I wrestled with the idea. I tried to talk myself out of pursuing that name for our church body. The enemy knew we were on to something powerful, and he attempted to make me doubt myself. However, after a time of listening to God, praying, and sharing the idea with the church staff, God confirmed what he had placed in my thoughts. True community is a village consisting of people doing life together. A community reaching people where they are, reviving believers in their passion for God, and renewing a community to come together and serve God and each other with their whole hearts.
And that’s how the name Village Church was born.
We are excited to continue this journey in the new chapter that God has written for our church. We’re stepping out in faith, embracing our new name and our new location that God has gifted to us. We are so thankful for the love and support we’ve received from our Free Methodist denomination and also from our parent church, Christ Community Church in Columbus. We’ve been blessed to be able to see God clearly, and grow stronger in our community of believers, through this adventure.
We hope you plan to join us on June 18 for our first Sunday in the new location of Village Church at 1608 14th Court in Phenix City.