- HISTORY -
In 1970, Wayman and Nelda Mitchell moved to Prescott, Arizona to take over a small, struggling congregation. Shortly after arriving, God saved a number of young adults, who had a very different approach on life. As they were welcomed, God began to pour out His Spirit on the congregation. As Pastor Wayman Mitchell sought to reach the younger generation, they saw opportunities to create a concert scene. Through these concert scenes, they began to see over two hundred people in attendance and many saved.
From the beginning, Pastor Mitchell understood that concert ministry was to be a training ground of ministry development. It was run by young people who were committed to Jesus and His church. People who had been radically converted sought to share with others what God had done in them. Personal evangelism began to be one of the basic foundations of the church. Then came impact teams: groups of people that would travel to other nearby cities to help people there, experience what God was doing in their lives. Over time, God began to reveal His plan of discipleship: training young couples for ministry within a local church. In 1973 the first couple was launched directly into the ministry – and God blessed them! Churches then began to be planted throughout the Southwestern United States, and then further across America as converts prayed for the Gospel to be preached in their hometowns.
In 1978 the first couple was planted into another nation – Australia; and soon Prescott discovered the Gospel worked here in Australia, just like it did there. After that, churches were planted in Mexico, Holland and Germany then as they came to understand God’s global mission more and more, churches began to be planted throughout the world. To date, there are over 2,500 churches in 46 US states, and 126 nations of the world.