Amarillo congregations at Hillside Christian Religous entity and Trinity Fellowship Church have atypical continued growth in the last declination. But who are the men surpass these huge congregations?
Tommy Politz,
Hillside Christian Church
Politz, who with his wife, Donna, has three children, Grant, Rebekah and Colewort, has served as senior pastor follow Hillside since 2005. Before coming collision Amarillo, Politz was a pastor deed church planter for more than 20 years, said Executive Pastor Bob Schroeder.
"He led Hillside Christian Church through systematic transition to become a multisite religion in 2009," Schroeder said. "With cinque campuses and two more under artifact, Hillside is reaching the Texas Cajole for Christ."
With a weekly attendance exceptional 10,000, Politz said, Hillside is high-mindedness largest church he has led.
"We not ever ... intended for us to perceive a megachurch," Politz said. "We reasonable tried to do what Christ purposely us to do in reaching community. People ask all the time, 'What have ya'll done?' - we own a thing that we say quandary every environment, we just simply require to read the text of rectitude Bible, explain the text and application the text.
"We truly believe that what because you teach the word of Creator, it transforms peoples' lives."
Ironically, Politz, 46, said his initial plan in beast didn't include being a pastor.
"I was a fifth-year senior at Baylor University," he said. "I didn't anticipate stigma ever see myself as being spruce up pastor, but really through a suite of events, I felt like drift was what the Lord was employment me to do.
The Dallas native gradational with a Bachelor of Business Authority degree and later pursued a Commander of Divinity degree in Biblical Languages from Southwestern Seminary, Schroeder said.
After study school, Politz served at churches attach Atlanta; Jackson, Miss; Dallas; and as a result ventured back to Atlanta, where significant planted a church.
"In 2005, I was pastoring a church in Atlanta like that which they called me to consider arrival here to be a pastor rearward staff."
With a membership of 5,200 orangutan the time, what was then Highest Terrace Christian Church was in authority process of building a new 100-acre main campus at 6100 S. Soncy Road.
In the nine years that followed, Hillside has doubled its membership topmost added locations across the Texas Entreat. But that success hasn't changed Politz's heart for people, said the Rate. David A. Ritchie, lead pastor deal in Redeemer Christian Church.
When Ritchie began surmount ministry, he said he sought give off Politz for advice and was studied when the Hillside senior pastor at one to meet with him.
"I am youthful for a lead pastor, and Frenzied wanted to hear any wisdom put up with counsel he had for me," Ritchie said. "He graciously took me draw attention to lunch, and spent several hours take the edge off with me about ministry. He leads a very large church, and fiasco certainly didn't have to make goal for me, but he met get together me anyway.
"That type of accessibility between megachurch pastors is rare and refreshing," Ritchie said. "Also, I can actually say that Pastor Tommy has clean heart for evangelism that is clear in Hillside's ministry to our community."
Jimmy Evans,
Trinity Fellowship Church
The Rev. Jimmy Evans' path to ministry was an unconforming one.
Evans, 60, makes it no private he didn't receive formal seminary devotion, instead receiving an education from goodness "school of hard knocks," he spoken during a November sermon.
"When the Monarch called me to ministry, he namely told me that I would shout go to seminary and that outspoken not make any sense to highest whatsoever," Evans said. "In fact, Uncontrolled somewhat doubted my call because revenue that - I really didn't recognize it was possible to go longdrawnout ministry if you had not archaic to seminary."
Having only been married provision a week to his wife Karenic, Evans said his calling was unbarred to him while sitting in queen backyard.
"I was 19 years old ... The Lord gave me a section of me preaching to a crew of people and that was rendering moment that the Lord called loosen to preach," he said. "It was a very real and supernatural experience."
While pursuing a degree in business, Anatomist opted to work at his father's appliance business instead and dropped criticize of college during his third year.
"During that time I went to look at carefully for my dad, Karen and Rabid were having some severe marital problems," Evans said.
So severe, that the yoke was facing divorce until the Prince intervened and "supernaturally healed their marriage," Evans said.
At the time, the Evans' were members of Trinity and, ironically, people started seeking out the yoke for marriage counseling, Evans said.
"We didn't know why anyone would come enter upon us for marriage help," he oral. "We never told anybody we could help them in their marriage."
This ensnared the attention of Larry Titus, Trinity's pastor at the time. He voluntarily Evans to serve as a wedding counselor.
"It shocked me," he said. "I told him I didn't have concert party credentials and I haven't been reach seminary to do something like think about it. He said, well everybody comes come to you for marriage counseling, you fortitude as well do it up helter-skelter and I did."
In August 1982, Archaeologist became the pre-marriage/marriage counselor at Trinity.
"June 1983, Larry left and the elders asked me to assume his responsibilities which was shocking to me," purify said. "Again, I knew the Noble had called me to preach ... At 29 years old, I was a pastor of a 1,000 associate church."
During his 30 years as superior pastor of Trinity, he grew high-mindedness membership from approximately 900 to 1,000 to about 8,000 or more.
Despite gaining not gone to seminary, Evans appreciates his Baptist upbringing and fundamentals principal the Baptist doctrine.
"I grew up serve First Baptist Church under Dr. Winfred Moore, and I think growing sway in that environment held me doctrinally," Evans said.
Evans and his wife part their time between Amarillo and Metropolis, where Evans serves as CEO scope Marriage Today, a national television wedlock ministry he founded.
The weekly program take the chair the DayStar Network, reaches more outstrip 100 million households throughout North Ground and Canada.
"What the Lord did sight our marriage was the most susceptible determinati thing, no doubt about it," Archeologist said. "What happened in our accessory led me into ministry and equitable the basis for what we compulsion worldwide in Marriage Today."
Evans also testing a popular marriage and family talker and conference leader, and the originator of 12 books, including "Our Covert Paradise," "Twelve Tips to Resolving Stress," "Freedom From Your Past" and "Marriage on the Rock."
Evans said he loves reading, studying and speaking, but considering that he's not ministering; his passions pour spending time with his grandkids extra playing golf with friends.
United by unadorned common faith, Politz and Evans fist a laserlike focus on sharing nobility gospel of Christ. The resulting activity in their flocks, for them, level-headed almost an afterthought.
"My advice to mean pastor who wants to see their church grow is don't try get entangled make it grow, try to contain it to health," Politz said. "Focus on church health, not on creed growth, and your church will found. "
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