Jim Powell Online

When I arrived at Richwoods Christian Church in the summer of 1997, it was a traditional church that had been struggling for several years. Never over 130 people, the average attendance had dipped to 65 on a Sunday morning, and there was a noticeable void of young faces. They realized that they were at a point where the church either needed to reinvent itself and grow, or it was a matter of time before they closed the doors and shut down. 

 When they hired me to be their pastor, I was very forthcoming with what I felt the church needed to do if they wanted to reach their redemptive potential. The leadership, and the church as a whole signed on and we begin the process of discovering what God’s long-term vision for our church might be.

In the first 6½ years we were able to see the congregation grow in attendance from 65 to 240. These years were challenging for a variety of reasons. It wasn’t just about programs and methodology, but it was changing the entire culture. Developing an environment where God’s redemptive work could occur on a larger scale than the church had ever seen before. 

 Yet, we pressed on and began to break through what is known as the 200-person barrier. Over the next 4 years we were able to grow to 450 people. And since the summer of 2008 we have grown into a multi-site, multi-venue church that is presently averaging close to 1000 people each weekend.