CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – During the latest installment of Clarksville’s Conversation, Katie Gambill and Charlie Koon chatted with Mike Burnette, Pastor of LifePoint Church in Clarksville.
Lifepoint Church was named the fastest growing church in the United States by Outreach, Inc. in 2018, and Burnette has watched the congregation grow from 52 members during his first sermon over eight years ago to a staggering 4,200 in 2019.
Burnette is originally from New Orleans but grew up in Johnson City, TN. During his upbringing he devoted himself to ministry and after his formal training he was eager to find a church home. When he heard about a new facility in Clarksville, he felt it was the right fit for him.
“I love this town. I’m not from here originally, but I think of home. And I think of my future, raising my kids here. Two of my four daughters were born here, so I think of home,” he said.
Burnette believes LifePoint can use Clarksville’s outstanding growth to make a big impact in the community and reach a broader audience.
“I’m a pastor first, but I have an entrepreneurial spirit, and so I want to see measurable growth,” Burnette said. “The criticism of that in the church world, people say, ‘That pastor is all about numbers.’ I go, ‘Every industry is about numbers, and everybody is about numbers in everything.’ You go to the doctor, and they check numbers. In our industry, in the church, numbers are human beings, and lives. And I am about the lives of people. We do care about making a greater impact for humans.”
Burnette’s wish is coming true as the congregation continues to multiply at both the Rossview and North Clarksville campuses of the church. He attributes Lifepoint’s success in recruiting new members to a welcoming culture that embraces the community as a whole.
“It’s a low judgment zone,” he said. “From my perspective, anybody is welcome at LifePoint. We have a high generosity culture. We have a high invitation culture. We have a diversity culture. That’s the stuff we focus on.”
Ultimately, Burnette wants to serve the people of Clarksville the best way he can.
“We owe it to God to belong to Clarksville. It’s where we’re planted. And so, I look at Clarksville as a mission field. I don’t want to be a pastor in my building all the time. A ship in a slip. I want to be in the harbor,” he said.
LifePoint Church has two locations in Clarksville. Find more information about the congregation at the official website.
Listen to the Clarksville’s Conversation podcast below to learn more about Mike and LifePoint Church’s ministry:
About Clarksville’s Conversation:
The Clarksville’s Conversation podcast, hosted by Katie Gambill and Charlie Koon on Clarksvillenow.com, gives you the opportunity to eavesdrop on interviews with leaders and innovators in Clarksville-Montgomery County who shape our community. Check back every Wednesday for new episodes.