When congregants at Kingdom Fellowship AME Church in Calverton, Maryland, enter their new, 1,500-seat building, they know that Senior Pastor Matthew Watley will preach the whole gospel. At this church, the good news isn’t a side idea.
“It’s the full game,” says Watley, who also is Kingdom Fellowship’s founder. He points to preaching the message of Christ as a reason for why the church has seen growth.
“I think that as a society we are awash in information but lacking in wisdom,” he says. A lot of information doesn’t mean people know how to live, or how to live according to God’s ways. “We think [sharing the gospel] is important now more than ever.”
About 20 years ago, Kingdom Fellowship, a satellite campus of a larger AME church, tapped into an underserved population wanting a younger, tech-savvy church nearby. Watley, who was executive minister at the main campus, led that new location. They met in a high school with linoleum floors and plastic chairs. Despite the humble setting, more and more congregants drove to get there.
Besides the leaders’ embrace of technology, Watley regularly addressing life issues attracted people. He talked about situations in the family, community and education.
“We really sought to be relevant,” he explains. Each week, Watley shared the gospel, and their campus swelled to more than 700 attendees.
After seeing the church on a commercial, Denise Johnson began attending Kingdom Fellowship in the early days. She lauds the pastoral side of the pulpit.
“He literally cares about the people, and that’s why he’s a great preacher,” she says of Watley, adding that his sermons hit home. She particularly remembers a part of his sermon after her husband died. “He said, ‘God loves you.’ I needed to hear that.”
Watley’s preaching and comfort for her family during a time that saw three deaths—including two of her children—made Johnson especially loyal to Kingdom Fellowship.
“I will never forget what my church did for me,” she explains.
Johnson’s daughter, only in her 20s, was in hospice with colon cancer when her son was hit and killed by a drunk driver. Watley conducted the funerals a week apart and repeatedly cared for the family.
One Christmas season afterward, Johnson texted him about how hard the holidays were. She said some people were barely making it, and asked if Watley could do something to help.
“He took that to heart,” Johnson adds.
On Christmas Eve, the church did a skit on grief, and Watley spoke about grief and shared Johnson’s and another person’s story of loss. Afterward, congregants hugged and comforted Johnson.
“I don’t care how big the church is, it’s a church that has a heart for the people, and that heart beats from the leadership,” Johnson says.
Kingdom Fellowship also carries on the tradition of addressing community needs.
“The Black church has always seen itself as providing not just spiritual leadership, but holistic leadership,” Watley says.
Take Kingdom Fellowship’s financial classes for example. They cover tithing, credit, saving, home ownership and small business development. More than 900 people attended the church’s estate planning workshop.
Why would they teach finances in the church? According to Watley, the average American has less than $400 in savings. Someone in financial straits is limited, and the church’s financial teachings can help free them so that “they can live out their full calling.”
In 2010, the church moved to a bigger building and attendance rose to around 5,000 people. When the pandemic hit, Kingdom Fellowship grew its online presence.
Watley saw that their streaming services needed improvement during the second week of COVID-19, so the church hired a producer who attended their services to make the presentation as high quality as possible.
Kingdom Fellowship debuted its new sanctuary for Easter 2022. It’s both bright and warm with wood tones when you walk in, Johnson says of the building. “It is a beautiful place.”
Watley mentions “architectural evangelism,” or a new building’s draw, as part of the appeal of Kingdom Fellowship. But the congregation also maintains a strong online presence and, not the least, remains a place to hear Watley preach the Word.
As a third-generation pastor, Watley, who had to move each time his father was promoted, never wanted to become a preacher. “I was on my way to law school. I said I was actually never going to preach.”
He is mindful of other pastors, like his grandfather, who didn’t lead a big church with a lot of resources. Watley’s own understanding of his divine calling wasn’t being at a megachurch, but just to be faithful where he was. Yet here he is at Kingdom Fellowship, leading thousands.
“[It’s] humbling and gratifying,” Watley concludes.
KINGDOM FELLOWSHIP AME CHURCH
Calverton, Maryland
Pastor: Matthew Watley
Website: Kingdom.global
Denomination: African Methodist Episcopal
Founded: 2019
Fastest-Growing: 36
