RESURRECTING FAMILY TREES

Generation Church in Portland, Tennessee, was planted in 2012 by Brandon Petty with the support of General Baptist National Missions. The church was recognized this year by Outreach Magazine as one of the “Fastest Growing Churches in America.” In fact, Generation was ranked 17th overall.

The list is compiled using data from Lifeway Research through responses to a survey of attendance averages for February and March (excluding Easter weekend). The numbers are then compared to the previous year, and churches are ranked factoring both numerical and percentage growth. Generation had the second highest percentage attendance increase of any church on the list (attendance average of 1055; +435 from previous year; 70% increase).

Generation Church’s success is related to their attention to the unchurched and dechurched in the Portland area. In the Outreach article about Generation Church, Pastor Brandon says, “The story of this community is my story. I have empathy for people in pain, and I wanted to create a safe place for people to deal with those things.”

As a result, Generation Church prioritizes ministry to those who are hurting. “We want to resurrect family trees and help people start something new in their families. Half of the families in our congregation are dealing with some sort of brokenness, whether it be abuse, divorce, or addiction. They need to feel supported in this pain and find ways to restore relationships for the next generation.”

Pastor Brandon relates several elements to their recent growth. First, he connects his own growth and health as a leader to the growth of Generation Church. He says, “I walked through some dark personal things in years 3-5 of our church that almost drove me out of ministry. We would grow to about 700 and then fall back. I realized that when I got healthy, I could be the leader and pastor that the church deserved.”

He also believes that the church’s culture has also contributed to the growth, especially their intentionality to have an irresistible culture in the church.

Finally, clarity of vision has led to growth, namely vision to see changes in the city of Portland. “Someone asked me once, ‘what separates you from other churches,’ and my response was, ‘We don’t have a preconceived list of things we aren’t willing to do to reach people and grow. Most churches say they want to grow but already have a list of things they won’t do. You can have comfort, or you can have growth. You can’t have both.’”

Phase 1 of a building project was completed in 2019, and Generation moved into a new facility on a new site. However, Pastor Brandon is adamant that their growth was about so much more than the building. “Once we got healthy leaders, great culture, intentional vision, and then created space, we started growing exponentially. The building helped us make room, but really it was the other factors that set us up for growth. Not everyone who builds a building grows.”

As an example of the impact that Generation Church has had in its community, Pastor Brandon tells the story of Rhealyn and her family. Rhealyn is a 9-year-old girl who comes from a blended family. She would invite her dad to church all the time, and he would always have an excuse not to come. Rhealyn was baptized during the groundbreaking for Phase 1 of the building, and she wanted her dad there. He came.

Slowly, her dad started attending, even being invited by Rhealyn’s mom and stepdad. Eventually, he came to one of Generation’s men’s retreats. It was at the retreat that “God got ahold of him,” he gave his life to Christ, and was baptized! James now plays bass in the worship band and volunteers an any ministry he is needed. Now, Rhealyn’s mom, stepdad, and dad all attend, volunteer, and make Generation Church a place where family trees can be forever changed. Pastor Brandon says, “It’s stories like THAT that have led to growth!”

On October 3 and 4, Generation Church celebrated the groundbreaking and launch of Phase 2 of the building project. The majority of Phase 2 will allow for the expansion of the worship space and addition of a larger area for children and students. In total, the addition will approximately double the current facility.

As the church celebrated this exciting new work, Pastor Brandon told the congregation, “Today is an incredible day of God’s faithfulness! We have seen God move; we have seen Him do some incredible things. And we are ready to see Him do it again! I want you to know that what we are building is not a building; it is an opportunity to see more family trees resurrected, and it is an opportunity to see more people reached for the Kingdom of God.”

Pastor Brandon Petty is the founder and lead pastor of Generation Church based in Portland, Tennessee. He is responsible for leading the mission, vision, teaching, and leadership development of the church. Pastor Brandon is a firm believer that, “There’s a YOU, you haven’t met yet.” This is what drives the unique purpose of Generation Church to help people move from where they are to where God wants them to be. Pastor Brandon is passionate about seeing people take next steps as they become more like Christ and grow into the best version of themselves.

Pastor Brandon and his wife Jessica have three kids: Launa, Mya and Truett.

“Today is an incredible day of God’s faithfulness! We have seen God move; we have seen Him do some incredible things. And we are ready to see Him do it again!”