This is part of a series of interviews with pastors of churches whose attendance has grown 20% or more in 5 years. We hope this series will be a resource of ideas to help increase worship attendance at your church.

A Place Dominated By Love
Mount Pleasant United Methodist is located in the Piedmont of North Carolina in the town of Mount Pleasant about 30 miles North of Charlotte.

This is a phenomenal congregation blessed by God. I am reminded of the words spoken by Mary, “my soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior..”(Luke 1:46). I rejoice at the hand of God upon us.

As I reflect concerning the vitality of these people, it is a gift from the Holy Spirit. These people want to grow and are unafraid to make the necessary changes to see it happen. Mount Pleasant had a long range planning team that saw the need to enlarge the present facilities. There was not adequate office, Sunday school, worship, or fellowship space. It was simply out of room. Therefore, the congregation embarked on a 3.1 million building project in a time many businesses and ministries have scaled back.

The growth of this congregation has certainly been a blessing from God, but God has used these people of faith. This new building is being built for those “not here yet”!

Outreach is at the heart of this church.  The pastor actively encourages inviting non churched friends and relatives. One small group responded to the Holy Spirit creating a ministry called “faith fields” to reach out to ball teams on the weekends who cannot attend worship. Mini-worship times are held to reach these young families.

Activities are planned to reach others. Advertisement is purchased in the local paper, through the mail and by using colorful banners but most of all by word of mouth. A church must get their story out, if the community is to notice them. Yearly, Easter services are planned at a neighborhood school to reach out to the unchurched. An “Eggstrvaganza” is a highlight for children. Music concerts are held in the park. AA and Al-Anon make their home here. Scouting for all ages is open to the community. Even scrap booking is an opportunity. Exercise classes are held for our senior citizens.

The youth teen center, “Lighthouse” has been in ministry for over twelve years and is a continuous source of growth. This ministry is open to all youth of the community and provides a safe place for them to gather and hang out.

Worship is at the center of who we are as the people of God. With three distinct worship styles each Sunday, 8:30 am, 10 am, and 11:15 am, persons are given a choice of opportunities. Very often a person comes to one service and discovers another one that they make their home. Choices make a difference while the Gospel in the services is unchanging. A truly contemporary celebration was added in 2006 with a live band and praise team at 10 am. This has been a huge plus and is led by volunteers as is much of this church’s ministry. Several other groups make up the total music department and are incorporated in the various services. It is not uncommon for members from one service to provide music in another. Even the youth have drama and worship teams. We do not wait for special youth Sundays, we provide a place for our youth on a regular basis. Better yet, we do not make them a place, they already have a place!

Another important shift for Mount Pleasant has been the children’s ministry. Kidz4Christ was started in 2008. While children have always been important at Mount Pleasant we saw we needed to be more responsive in our own time. Children’s church is now known as Celebration Station and Sonshine Kidz. These are continuous ministries meeting from 8;30 until 12:15 to meet the needs of all our children. Sunday School now falls under this umbrella to give continuity to the program.

From dedicated staff that passionately serve and are committed to raising up volunteers to an emphasis on prayer, these many components have been blessed by God. Lay leaders with openness to be vessels for God challenge all of us to strive for excellence.  It is expected for all desiring membership to attend a lay led new membership class called “New Beginnings” prior to joining. Discipleship is at our core. Small groups are a part of every age.  Finally, dependence on the word of God has been a beacon and compass. Sound biblical teaching and preaching is at the center of this place dominated by love. All of this makes this a special place to live and serve.

Rev. Mitchell Wilson – pastor@mtpleasantumc.net
Church website – www.mtpleasantumc.net