building more than sand castles

a florida church helps birth a church in a coastal community

By Joe Westbury

It's not every day that a vacation drive along the beach results in a new church. And it's not every day that
a recent seminary grad with no interest in church planting is called to pastor that new work.

But that's exactly how God intervened in the lives of pastors Dannie Williams and Billy Wight to birth
Palm Coast Community Church in Florida's fast-growing Flagler County.

"My wife and I took a vacation at Crescent Beach from Palatka, Florida, where I was serving at Peniel Baptist Church," Dannie relates. "We were driving along the coast and noticed that for 17 miles there was one long stretch of road with thousands of people but not a single Baptist church. I said I thought that was a sin, and that's what started us thinking about how we could help bring a church to the area."

Dannie met with the deacons at Peniel Church to share his idea. When the deacons shared reservations, Dannie told them "this is not about what we can afford but about what God can supply."

That night a unanimous vote sealed the church's commitment to the vision.

About 700 miles away in Memphis, Tennessee, Billy Wight was waiting on God to show him an avenue of service. He had never given church planting more than a fleeting thought.

When John Shepherd, a friend from seminary, told him about a phone call he'd received from Dannie Williams seeking help with the start, Billy decided to place a courtesy call to explore Dannie's vision. That's when things began to happen.
They learned that every church in the area had geared itself to reach the explosive growth of the retirement community. But not a single church had been launched for the younger generation who moved to be near their parents and join the job market.

The three men compared notes and decided to form a partnership. Dannie's established church, Peniel, would help launch the new church to be co-pastored by Billy and John.

 "We wanted to do everything we could to make sure the church plant was a success," says Dannie. "That would mean some major sacrifices in time, talent and money, but we believed that when God initiates, He provides.

"God had been so good to us and has blessed us in so many ways. I knew we had people in our church who had missions on their heart-what they needed was an avenue through which they could express that calling."

The Palm Coast area was ready for a new church. In 1980 it had only 10,913 residents but was growing at an explosive rate. In 1995 when the team arrived it had nearly quadrupled to 38,000.

The first thing they did was pray, asking God for guidance. Next they visited nontraditional churches to see how others were reaching the unchurched. They also began to formulate their core values. Then they built a core group of a dozen who responded to newspaper ads asking for volunteers to help launch a new church.

"As we developed relationships in the community, we encountered people who were what we called 'dechurched'-those not attending anywhere or with little church background," says Billy. "As we began to share our faith a light began to go on and they said, 'Wow, God really loves me and proved it by sending Jesus to change my life.'

 "I never realized how valuable a sponsoring church would be. Peniel Church sent folks to our exploratory meetings so we'd have a small crowd. They sent others every Sunday to the elementary school to help us set up and break down. They provided us with a sound technician to run the equipment and helped staff our childcare and teach Sunday school lessons."

The church planting team was constantly supported by the partnering church through a variety of preliminary events. More than financial support, they provided an emotional and spiritual safety net that cemented the relationship from the foundation.

"We'd learned that if you have around 200 early in your launch, you'll most likely level out at 100 and then increase your base from that group," Billy explains.

"One of the most scared times in my life was the morning of the launch service. We'd done our homework, bathed all of our efforts in prayer with our partners from Peniel Church, but when it came right down to it we didn't know what to expect."
That first morning the launch team met in a small classroom for prayer. They made a commitment to God that they would do whatever it took to reach the community.

"When we got up and walked out, there were 205 people ready to worship," recalls Billy. "It was one of the most rewarding experiences in my life."

Billy stresses the importance of Peniel Church's partnership. "Remember, there were only 12 core members to minister to 100 people every week. It was impossible. But Peniel Church poured themselves into us and just didn't stop giving. Within a year we were averaging 200 in attendance; now we run more than 700 and have two worship services. We outgrew the elementary school and moved into a middle school before we built our first sanctuary."

After 10 years the congregation moved into its own building in June 2005 where it continues to grow. It baptized 60 through the first 11 months of that year.

"The coolest thing about the birth and growth of Palm Coast Community Church is to see how God gives a vision and then fills that vision," says Billy. "The vision He gave us-to work with young families-He has filled in miraculous ways.

"Now, on Saturday evenings we have a major outreach to more than 100 middle school students. Of the 715 parents and children who regularly attend on Sunday morning, 215 are in the fifth grade or below. Forty-five percent of our attendees are 18 years or younger."

Today the church is just 10 years old but is third among Florida Baptist churches in the number of baptisms for this past year and is second in the amount of general offerings given. Members gave nearly $1 million through tithes and offerings in 2005. And the Palm Coast area has grown again, nearly doubling to 65,000 residents. In April 2005 the U.S. Census Bureau rated Flagler County as the nation's fastest growing county.

"This didn't start with me," Billy stresses. "It started with a church in Palatka, 45 miles away, that had a selfless vision for reaching people in a community where they would never receive any direct benefit. They didn't do it to increase their church membership but to get more believers into the kingdom."

"There were hundreds of people in church last Sunday because they were faithful to that vision. They didn't have the funds, but they had a God who did."

Dannie Williams, in his soft-spoken manner, underscores that belief.

"After their first year Billy brought 50 of his members to our church in Palatka for a worship service, and about 20 gave their testimonies. It was one of the most awesome experiences in our church life. After we saw the impact of our faithfulness to God's vision, our offerings began to grow. We went from giving $3,000 to missions to $150,000 in one year. That growth came as we watched God perform His work of redeeming people through church planting.

But Dannie doesn't stop there.

"The outcome of our partnership has been so wonderful. When we started out our mindset was 'I'm not really sure we can do this.' Then we came to a place where we said to ourselves, 'We can't afford not to do it.'"