North Way Christian Community Church Revenue and Competitors

Starting in 1981 with just eight couples involved in a prayer group, North Way Christian Community has grown to more than 3,500 individuals worshiping during its weekend services and has now received the 2004 Church Health Award from Purpose Driven Ministries. "It's remarkable to read the story of the simplicity of design for God's followers and for his church," said Dan Chaverin, executive pastor of North Way Christian Community in Wexford. "If we are to follow him, we need to make his priorities our priorities and that is what the purpose driven life is all about."For more than five years, Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. and its church leadership ministry affiliate, Purpose Driven Ministries, has honored selected churches worldwide that have shown unique fruitfulness from their effort to convey and implement the core purposes that Jesus Christ taught. This year, 78 churches were honored worldwide with the award, which was presented during the Purpose Driven International Church Confer- ence held in southern California. "Quite honestly, the way that you get recognized is by actually being out there and doing Christ's purposes in ministry," said Chaverin. "This is really more a statement of our congregation. The people in our congregation are about giving God's love away and about sharing with our neighbors."According to Chaverin, North Way offers more than 90 programs that give things away and helps those in need. Just to name a few, there are groups that focus on helping teens, mentally challenged adults, those facing grief, single moms and couples that need help with their marriage. The church also has programs that assist the needy and the unemployed. During North Way's 23-year history, it has experienced remarkable growth with thousands of active members. Even though this growth in membership is quite remarkable, over the years the church has been focused more on church health rather than growth. "We feel that if the church is healthy, the church will grow up," said Chaverin."The church will become more focused on Christ, peoples lives will be transformed and the emphasis on God will be expressed in the community."In a recent survey of 1000 people in the North Hills area, approximately 80 percent rated the church as "warm and welcoming" and one way that North Way keeps this connection is through its hundreds of small family Bible study groups that meet regularly throughout the region. Rick Warren, founder of Saddleback Church and Purpose Driven Ministries, is also the author of "The Purpose Driven Life" that sold more than 16 million copies in 21 languages. Since the book was published in 2002, an estimated 13,000 churches throughout the world including North Way, have been utilizing the book's foundational biblical principles. Warren built Saddleback Church on the biblical foundation of the five purposes of the church including worship, fellowship discipleship, ministry and evangelism. These purposes are what North Way keeps focused on in order to stay healthy. "We are very much focused on church health and equate this with focusing on Jesus Christ, his purposes and balancing them. That is our definition of health," said Chaverin. "We really are driving towards health and not so much growth."When thinking about what he would like to see ten years down the road for North Way, Chaverin is just bursting with optimism. "I would love to see the church absolutely focused on the love of Jesus Christ. I would also hope that we could make a greater difference through God's love and impacting the global community," said Chaverin. For details about North Way, visit www.northway.org or call 724-935-6800.