Georgia Church Lives Out its New Name ‘Legacy’
Photo: Worship at Legacy Church-Canton.
By Carl Stagner
Town Center Community Church in Marietta, Georgia, has been an influential church in its community for many years, but its new name reflects God’s vision for the congregation today. Not only are they intentionally targeting the family unit as the primary conduit of faith to the next generation, they’re also making investments beyond their own neighborhood to reach even more people for Christ. The seeds Legacy Church-Marietta is planting twenty-six miles to the north of their original location have already begun to blossom and bear fruit. Legacy Church-Canton now exists as a satellite location which, after just one-and-a-half years, has exploded in growth from 66 to 140 in attendance.
For Legacy Church, simplicity was a key factor to creating an atmosphere conducive to growth. “We would focus on the most important things,” Brent Vicars, lead pastor of Legacy Church-Canton explains. He cites the following basic emphases: the Word of God, worship, fellowship, and high-quality children and youth ministries. Building on that foundation, the satellite campus has added community outreach, partnering established local ministries, small groups for adults, and evening activities.
“We have an overwhelming desire to reach lost families for the Lord,” Brent continues. “Legacy Church is focused on teaching the Word of God to this generation and the next…” After much time spent on their knees and conducting research, they landed on the city of Canton. “This area is filled with young families and has a large population that is unchurched,” he explains. “We had a number of families that already lived in that area, and they agreed to be the founding families of our new campus.”
No greater legacy can a family leave than that of faith. Nate Nielson, the senior pastor of Legacy Church, explains that both campuses are now considered “D6” congregations. Based on the commands given in Deuteronomy 6:4–9, the overarching goal is to equip families to raise their children up in the Lord as the primary influence. “This re-direction began in 2011, and we have seen marvelous things happen to our families as a result,” Pastor Nate recalls.
Not only is this Georgia church leaving a legacy to families and children in two locations, but it is also reaching across cultural lines. For seventeen years, the Spanish-speaking ministry has breathed life into a fast-growing segment of the population that must not be overlooked. Julio and Julie Rivas co-pastor this outreach which, over the past fifteen years has celebrated more than five hundred souls saved and baptized.
Looking forward to what God has in store for the future of the satellite campus of Legacy Church, Pastor Brent says it boils down to this: “reaching more of the lost for the Lord, and making a greater difference in the community.”
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. —Deuteronomy 6:4–9 NIV
Photo: Pastor Brent Vicars speaks at Legacy Church-Canton.
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