Our Story
A waypoint is a navigational term where people arrive to get their bearings in order to continue on in their journey. It’s where adventurers have to stop to get their vitals checked, regroup, and recharge. However, if they remain in the tents too long, they will drop out of the race. Therefore, they must get back onto the trail.
Likewise, Waypoint Community Church is a stopping place along life’s journey for us to:
get our bearings and directions from Jesus Christ through the Bible, and
get both encouragement and challenge from one another as we walk together in community.
We are a place where people converge from different stages and places in order to reflect on the challenge placed before us, so that we can apply it to our daily lives.
Our History
2012…
In the fall of 2012, our organizing pastor, Wes, began to feel Christ’s nudge to leave the established church and go meet people on their turf. In a time of reflection, he came across this verse:
Paul left the synagogue to move next door and meet Titius Justus, a worshipper of God. ~ Acts 18:7
Following Paul’s example, their family engaged people through F3, Bible studies, reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones. Conversations began to spill from coffeehouses, into parking lots, and throughout the city.
2013…
In December 2013, the growing group of “Trailblazers” gathered for worship. This happened well before any church planting manual timeline would advise — because we still lacked a logo, website, and even a name. However, 73 adults and children gathered to authentically worship Jesus Christ.
2014-2018…
Our community quickly grew to formally launch Waypoint Community Church at Myers Park High School on April 6, 2014. By March 2016, we had out grown our initial space and God opened up an opportunity at Queens University Sports Complex to push us one step further out into mission in our city.
Within the first three years, we saw children baptized and teenagers publicly profess their faith in Jesus Christ. We sent a mission team to Peru and heard numerous “Praise and Prayer” reports of what God is stirring in our hearts.
2019-2021…
In September 2019, Queens University invited us to use the Belk Chapel on their main campus for our services. However, like the rest of the world, things changed in 2020 with the pandemic, and we could not use Belk Chapel on Sundays. However, Covid became a true blessing for Waypoint in that it forced us to return to our roots of being a genuine community throughout the week rather than just on Sunday.
We were able to come back to Belk Chapel for Easter 2021, and we have held services there since that time. Due to the growth of our children’s ministry, Basecamp, we asked Queens if we could use the Rogers Building, which is next to the chapel. Queens has allowed us to use several classrooms in Rogers for Basecamp including a theater where all the kids go for the first part of the hour.
2023 and what’s ahead…
Charlotte has seen significant growth in the last couple of years, and that growth has led to a much stronger community at Waypoint — in terms of people sharing life and opportunities to serve locally and beyond. We can’t wait to see what is ahead for us as we pursue our mission of “Equipping people for life through Christ and community.”
A few comments that have captured Waypoint’s DNA along the way:
“I like Waypoint because I can worship at my own speed.”
“Waypoint reminds me of the fellowship I receive, not up in the pretty sanctuary, but down in the basement of a church I attend for my A.A. meetings.”
“While the sermons are alright, I really appreciate getting to hear how God is actively moving in other people’s lives.”
Our story is just beginning as we uncover His Story for our lives.
We invite you to join us!
We are members of the Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians (ECO) whose desire is to build and plant flourishing churches. As the first church plant of this new denomination, we get to creatively adapt, adopt and adjust to meet people where they are and challenge them to take one step closer to God. To learn more, visit the Our Beliefs page.