MISSION : ACCOMPLISHED
TRAVIS GREENE / LEAD PASTOR / FORWARD CITY CHURCH / COLUMBIA , SC
Radical obedience , reimagined space , real impact
In their new , reimagined church home — a former Best Buy — Forward City Church can finally do ministry the way its founders have always dreamed of
By RaeAnn Slaybaugh
Pastor Travis Greene and his wife , Dr . Jackie Greene , started Forward City just five years ago after relocating to Columbia , SC from Charlotte .
Though the cities are merely 90 minutes apart , Travis says he never imagined moving to Columbia . Aside from his parents meeting in high school nearby , he knew next to nothing about the city .
“ We were really loving living in Charlotte , but we just felt that we were supposed to start a church and [ began ] to pray about location ,” he recalls . “ Really , prayer is what positioned us here . It ’ s just that simple .” Of course , it proved to be the right move . The Greenes began with a Monday night worship gathering in April 2016 . More than 600 people showed up — not just potential members , but also spectators and supporters . Dozens of people were saved that day . By August 2016 , organic growth moved Forward City Church to host Sunday morning services , where about 400 worshippers gathered , on average , every weekend . It didn ’ t take long before the church outgrew its small building on Legrand Road . “ We always had more people than we had space ,” Travis recalls . “ That was our biggest challenge .”
( Left to right ) Pastor Travis Greene ; Churches by Daniels ' CEO Charlie Daniels ; and David Fink , Churches by Daniels ' on-site superintendent on the Forward City Church project
8 CHURCH EXECUTIVE | JAN / FEB 2022