Embrace named fastest growing United Methodist Church
Embrace’s rate of growth over five years is 1437%. This is not a misprint. Adam Weber was appointed as a church planter in 2007, and at the end of 2009 they averaged 137 people in worship. Today, over 4,000 people worship weekly at one of the four campuses or online with Embrace Church.
Photo: Welcome sign at the Summit Ave Campus of Embrace Church. Photo from Embrace Facebook page.
Each year Len Wilson develops a list of the top 25 fastest growing large United Methodist churches. “These congregations are sons and daughters of the great church grower, John Wesley,” said Wilson. “Deep in the roots of United Methodism is a call to grow churches. In the midst of an identity crisis, the United Methodist Church would do well to remember its origin as a church growth movement.”
Len Wilson is an author, speaker, and advocate for creativity in faith and life. He is known for his pioneering work in visual storytelling and has consulted with organizations and ministries across the country. Len is the author or co-author of ten books, has been featured in dozens of articles for major religious periodicals and has acquired leadership books for Abingdon Press, a division of the United Methodist Publishing House. He currently serves as Creative Director at Peachtree, a large church in Atlanta, Georgia. Follow Len at lenwilson.us or on Twitter at @Len Wilson.
Wilson generates the list based on a 5-year trend according to self-reporting attendance numbers, as recorded by the General Council of Finance and Administration office of the United Methodist Church. To qualify, a congregation must have had at least 1000 in average worship attendance (AWA) at the end of 2014, which is the most recent full year of official records, and cannot have experienced year-to-year decline in the last two years.
Click here to read the complete list
Embrace was also featured on Keloland TV on Sunday, January 24, 2016. "Our story revolves around the story of the prodigal son, where the son comes home and the dad throws a party. I always joke, I wish we could drop a disco ball for everyone who comes for their first time. Just be like, 'Hey, what's up?!?!' It'd probably freak people out and they'd never come back again," Weber said. Photo: Adam Weber, preaches at a recent service at Embrace Church. Photo from Embrace Church Facebook Page.
