‘Come As You Are’: Inside The Journey Church’s Growth
The Journey Church in Newark, Delaware, has rooted its identity around one conviction: “We’re a real church for real people.” Located in a college town where the median age is just 22 years old, the church near the University of Delaware has found authenticity to be the ultimate growth strategy.
“People are longing for a place where they can come as they are, connect with God, and not feel the pressure of having it all together,” explains Abby Ecker, Next Steps pastor.
Ecker, who oversees much of the church’s discipleship and volunteer programming, points to three specific drivers behind The Journey’s momentum: a culture of invitation, a focus on reaching young men, and a commitment to community service.
The first begins with relationships. The Journey talks constantly about what it calls “invest and invite”—investing in the people around you and inviting them to church.
“There are invite cards at the doors of all of our locations,” Ecker says. “We continually encourage people to invite.”
That practice has created a culture where bringing a friend isn’t awkward or forced on anyone but anticipated and celebrated.
Layton Smith, a leader on the Journey Kids team who has attended the church since 2017, says that its culture of invitation drew in her family. Her father drove past the Newark campus one day, watched a service online, and brought her and her mom to the church after they relocated to Delaware a month later.
“There was a homey feeling we felt for the first time walking in,” Smith recalls. “The smiles and the waves from people greeting you on a Sunday morning are memorable. You can tell it’s genuine. That opens the door for connection because it’s something real.”
Ecker says the church has worked to connect with men ages 18-30. “When we reach that particular group, we also reach their spouses, other family members and friends.”
Due to the church’s proximity to the University of Delaware, young men aren’t hard to find. Within a 30-mile radius surrounding The Journey’s Newark location, one may run into college students, transplants, commuters and lifelong residents. The area also includes the family-oriented neighborhoods of Middletown and the more established, suburban makeup of Hockessin. Further out lie Wilmington, Philadelphia and the broader I-95 corridor.
Smith, who now leads a middle school girls’ small group and co-leads a Women of the Bible study, has watched that investment in younger generations foster cycles of discipleship and growth.
“It shaped a lot of who I am without me realizing it—through the people I’ve met, the experiences I’ve had, the stories I’ve been told,” she says.
The church’s outward focus also extends to the surrounding community. Through its outreach ministry, Code Red, The Journey organizes food distributions, serves the special-needs community, and supports people recovering from addiction.
“Whether someone is serving at one of these events or being helped through one of them, Code Red has often been the reason people find their way to us,” Ecker argues.
Melissa Slocum is one of those people.
When she first came to The Journey three years ago, she says she was searching for purpose and community, especially for her 13-year-old son who has autism. He immediately connected with Journey Students, a group that helps youth find Jesus and follow him fully. Meanwhile, Slocum’s financial woes sometimes made her feel isolated. She remembers struggling to carry groceries home after walking to food distribution events because she had no transportation.
Today, she leads the church’s mobile food distribution ministry, serving others with the same generosity she once received.
Ecker recalls one moment with Slocum that still stands out. “She talks about the time she was asked for her input on how the food distribution was set up. That question stunned her, because she wasn’t used to being asked her opinion or feeling like it had any worth. At The Journey, it does.”
According to Ecker, she has also been surprised by how hungry people are for genuine spiritual experiences. Even with unlimited access to online sermons and religious content, many still long for authentic community.
“They can access messages from pastors and churches all over the world, even before they know what they believe,” she explains. “You cannot thrive long-term as a follower of Jesus without a community of believers to anchor you.”
Sam and Brittany Williams know that firsthand. After 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, Sam struggled emotionally after retirement, uncertain of his identity and future. Brittany had already found The Journey and encouraged him to attend. During a Week of Prayer, a gathering to help churchgoers strengthen their faith and learn how to pray, she watched him stand at the altar with his hands raised. She silently prayed that God would transform his life.
Today Sam serves on the production team, with Code Red, and with Journey Students, while their children have been baptized.
“The man that I am today is so far from the version of the person I thought I was supposed to be,” Sam says. “It’s night and day.”
For Smith, The Journey remains exactly what it promised to be when she first walked through the doors.
“I feel safe, supported, loved and cared for here—not just on a Sunday but every day of my life,” she says. “I have people, thanks to God and The Journey, that I genuinely could not imagine my life without.”
THE JOURNEY
Newark, Delaware
Pastor: Mark Johnston
Website: YourJourney.TV
Denomination: Nondenominational
Founded: 2007
Fastest-Growing: 85
