EVERYONE COUNTS
We want you to know that this is a place where you can come, regardless of race, personality or background, and find a home full of loving, wonderful people who are passionate about living a life full of eternal purpose.
At Destination you won’t find a lot of rules and traditions. You’ll find people who are far from perfect but who want to know of God’s perfect love for them. We’re committed to helping people build the kind of life that’s healthy, vibrant and overflowing in every area.
FAQ
Find the most asked questions & their answers here.
Each weekend at Destination you’ll find a relaxed and friendly atmosphere with exciting, contemporary worship music and a practical, relevant message. You’ll also find a printed outline for notes in your worship guide that will help you make the most of each week’s teaching. Children are well-cared for in a loving, quality nursery and fun-filled DC Kids service.
You can get a sneak peek by watching our services online at live.destination-church.org every Sunday at 8:00am, 9:45am, & 11:30am, or you can watch past services anytime at our YouTube channel.
If you are visiting for the first time, we will not embarrass you, have you stand up, or ask you to give money. We know that many people want to check out the church and “be anonymous” for awhile—and that’s fine with us! Come in, enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, and see if this is the church for you.
You’ll find everything from casual clothes to business suits at our Weekend Services. Come in what is comfortable for you, because Destination is not about what you look like or what you wear.
Destination Church is located at 2081 Ware Street Ext. Blackshear, GA 31516.
From Blackshear: Take US Hwy 84 West toward Waycross. Turn Right onto Ware Street Extension between Circle K convenience store and Winlectric. Destination Church is 0.2 miles on the Right.
From Waycross: Take US Hwy 84 East toward Blackshear. One mile past the Satilla River Bridge (the Ware County/Pierce County Line), turn Left onto Ware Street Extension between Winlectric and Circle K convenience store. Destination Church is 0.2 miles on the Right.
Technically, you just did, but we’re always happy to answer your questions! We’re here to help guide you to Jesus and support you as you walk with Him. If you have a question, feel free to message us on Facebook, use the contact form at the bottom of the homepage, email us at info@destination-church.org, call the church office at (912)284-9066, or ask when you see us in person.
We do not have a midweek service but we have different areas of ministry for the entire family to be involved in with our men and women’s small groups, DC Student Services, childcare, along with other small groups that meet on Wednesday evenings all from 6:30-8:00pm.
At Destination Church your children are a top priority. Our nurseries are clean, safe, and staffed with loving workers. We offer a dynamic children’s ministry called DC Kids on Sunday mornings as well as life-changing ministry to DC Students from 6th-12th grade on Wednesday evenings from 6:15-8:15pm.
There are many ways to get involved. You can begin by attending our Growth Track, which a 4-step journey to church membership while discovering your unique design and purpose. Small groups are another great way to connect. In each of these, you can build friendships, learn more about the life of our church, and have the opportunity to grow in your faith.
Our desire is to see you become a fully-devoted follower of Christ. Our Growth Track offers the tools necessary to make this happen in your life. From the initial decision to accept Jesus as your Lord to your involvement in life-changing ministry, we will lead you step-by-step from healing to growth and into leadership. The other way is to join one of our dynamic small groups which meet at the church and in homes and locations across the region.
Small groups are an important part of Destination Church; in fact, you haven’t fully experienced the church until you’ve experienced our small groups. Groups allow you to meet other members and develop relationships that will spur your relationship with God. As Destination Church grows, groups allow us to “stay small” and connected. Groups are available for all ages and interests—there’s bound to be one that’s just right for you. Learn more about why we’re big on small groups, or find a group to visit in our directory.
One of the easiest things to do at Destination Church is to participate in a Small Group. Groups meet throughout our region and provide a place for Bible study, fellowship, and support. Wherever you live, there’s a Small Group near you. Check out our online directory and visit a group this week.
WHAT ABOUT MY KIDS?
We have a thriving Kids ministry, with a learning environment for all ages. Our trained volunteers are committed to ensuring that your child feels known and loved.
WEEKEND EXPERIENCES
Sunday Worship
Sunday
8:00am, 9:45am, & 11:30am
Sunday Worship Online
Sunday
8:00am, 9:45am, & 11:30am live.destination-church.org
Destination Iglesia
Cristiana Hispana
Sunday
11:00 am 301 Brunel St, Waycross, GA
In addition to the times below, we have amazing small groups that meet at various times throughout the week! Visit Small Groups for more info!
Wednesday AM Prayer
(Facebook)
Wednesday
6:00 am www.facebook.com/everyONEcountsDC
DC Students
The Way
Wednesday
6:15 pm 6th-12th grades
A Message from Our Pastor
Welcome to Destination Church!
On behalf of the Destination family, thanks for your virtual visit! We want you to know that this is a place where you can come, regardless of race, personality or background, and find a home full of loving, wonderful people who are passionate about living a life full of eternal purpose.
At Destination you won’t find a lot of rules and traditions. You’ll find people who are far from perfect but who want to know of God’s perfect love for them. We’re committed to helping people build the kind of life that’s healthy, vibrant and overflowing in every area.
God’s Word is so full of incredible promises for every area of our lives and we want to see that message of life and hope revolutionize our community, touch our nation and impact the world.
On this website you can get a glimpse of what we’re all about through our vision and values, find ways to connect and get information to help you stay up to date on what’s happening at Destination Church. If you are looking for a church home, we would love to have you be a part of doing life together with us. Exciting things are happening in our church and city and we invite you to be a part.
May the rich blessings of God consume your life!
Until all have heard,
Pastor Rodney & Renee Thrift
Our Staff
Rodney Thrift
Lead Pastor
Johnny Mitcham
Connections Pastor
Ricky Mills
Executive Pastor
Tim Bennett
DC Kids Pastor
Christine Jones
Executive Assistant
Jonathan & Mary Taylor
DC Students Pastors
Josh Deal
Worship Pastor
Pastors Edgar & Marcela DeLeon
Spanish Campus Pastor
Renee Thrift
Guest Services Team Leader
Bryan Evans
Media Coordinator
About Us
In October of 2009 God put a dream in the heart of Johnny Mitcham to talk to Rodney Thrift about the possibility of merging his church, Freedom Community Church and Crossway Church. Rodney, Renee’, Johnny, and Wendy prayed about it and sought counsel from their Lead Teams, and they felt that God said to move forward with the dream.
After much conversation and prayer, the decision was made to merge the two ministries. On March 28th, 2010, the merge was official and the two churches started doing ministry as one church on two campuses. It took from March until July to complete the merger and move forward as one ministry called Destination Church. On August 8th, 2010 the two churches had their first service all under one roof.
It is the desire of Destination to help you build strong relationships with God and others and to become more like Jesus Christ every day. Destination Church is a Bible-believing, life-giving, non-denominational body of believers. Our focus is to create pathways for people that are far from God, and that they would come into a growing and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As people progress through the steps to become a strong Christian, we believe that it is imperative that they continually build creative and ever-changing ways to grow and go. It is our desire to have many venues so that people can use their gifts, talents, and abilities to minister to people that are far from God.
Our Mission Statement:
Because every ONE counts,
Destination Church relentlessly loves & serves like Jesus
Believers who invest their time, talent, treasure, and families, in the building of a local church deserve to have confidence in church leadership. People are looking for leaders who conduct themselves with integrity and respect when making decisions that affect their lives.
Our church government is made up of Leaders:
Guided by EXECUTIVE STAFF
The ministry staff team is led by the Lead Pastor. This team oversees the day-to-day ministry and operations of the church. These staff leaders serve the congregation and are responsible for the development of the spiritual life of the church.
Guarded by THE LEAD TEAM
The Lead Team functions primarily as discerners and shepherds and as such serve as the conscience and guardians of the church. Acts 20:28 states, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which he purchased with his own blood.” The Lead Team guards the vision of the organization, the resources of the organization, and the organization’s statement of faith. No single team member has the authority of the entire Lead Team.
Strengthened by PRESBYTERS
The Presbyters are pastors of respected congregations and ministries who love Destination Church and its pastors and are willing to provide spiritual protection to the church. They may be called in to help in accountability matters relating to the Lead Pastor and staff if requested to do so by the Lead Team. The Presbyters serve as an Apostolic Team.
The Dream Team at Destination Church is made up of our volunteers. They serve and love like Jesus every Sunday. Leadership desires our Dream Team members serve from their own unique gifts and callings. Because our teams serve for a place of fulfillment, church guests feel special because everyone counts. There are so many teams to serve on that we are sure one will fit everyone. If you are interested in serving on one of our teams or just want to know how to get involved at Destination, simply join us in Growth Track on Sunday mornings at 9:45am.
Holy Bible
The Holy Bible, and only the Bible, is the authoritative Word of God. It alone is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. In its original writing, it is inspired, infallible and inerrant (II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 16:25-26).
Trinity
There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three are coequal and co-eternal (I John 5:7; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 3:7-11).
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. On earth, Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. He is the only man ever to have lived a sinless life. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died on the cross for mankind and thus, atoned for our sins through the shedding of His blood. He rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return again in power and glory. (John 1:1,14, 20:28; I Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-6; I Timothy 2:5).
Virgin Birth
Jesus Christ was conceived by God the Father, through the Holy Spirit (the third person of the Trinity) in the virgin Mary’s womb; therefore, He is the Son of God (Matthew 1:18, 25; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:27-35).
Redemption
Man was created good and upright, but by voluntary transgression he fell; his only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Gen. 1:26-31, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21).
Regeneration
For anyone to know God, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential (John 6:44, 65; Matthew 19:28; Titus 3:5).
Salvation
We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ; His death, burial, and resurrection. Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works or of any human efforts (Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16, 3:8; Titus 3:5; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; Hebrews 9:22).
Repentance
Repentance is the commitment to turn away from sin in every area of our lives and to follow Christ, which allows us to receive His redemption and to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Thus, through repentance we receive forgiveness of sins and appropriate salvation (Acts 2:21, 3:19; I John 1:9).
Sanctification
Sanctification is the ongoing process of yielding to God’s Word and His Spirit in order to complete the development of Christ’s character in us. It is through the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that the Christian is enabled to live a Godly life (I Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23; II Corinthians 3:18, 6:14-18, II Thessalonians 2:1-3, Romans 8:29, 12:1-2, Hebrews 2:11).
Jesus’ Blood
The Blood that Jesus Christ shed on the Cross of Calvary was sinless and is 100% sufficient to cleanse mankind of all sin. Jesus allowed Himself to be punished for both our sinfulness and our sins, enabling all those who believe to be free from the penalty of sin, which is death (I John 1:7; Revelation 1:5, 5:9; Colossians 1:20; Romans 3:10-12, 23, 5:9; John 1:29).
Jesus Christ Indwells All Believers
Christians are people who have invited the Lord Jesus Christ to come and live inside them by His Holy Spirit. They relinquish the authority of their lives over to him thus making Jesus the Lord of their life as well as Savior. They put their trust in what Jesus accomplished for them when He died, was buried, and rose again from the dead (John 1:12; John 14:17, 23; John 15:4; Romans 8:11; Revelation 3:20).
Baptism in the Holy Spirit
Given at Pentecost, it is the promise of the Father, sent by Jesus after His Ascension, to empower the Church to preach the Gospel throughout the whole earth (Joel 2:28-29; Matthew 3:11; Mark 16:17; Acts 1:5,2:1-4, 17, 38-39, 8:14-17, 10:38, 44-47, 11:15-17, 19:1-6).
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and sanctify the church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection, and confirm the power of the Gospel. The Bible lists of these gifts are not necessarily exhaustive, and the gifts may occur in various combinations. All believers are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives. These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of Biblical parameters. (Hebrews 2:4; Romans 1:11, 12 :4-8; Ephesians 4:16; I Timothy 4:14; II Timothy 1:6-7; I Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-40; I Peter 4:10).
The Church
The church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of Jesus’ Great Commission. Every person who is born of the Spirit is an integral part of the church as a member of the body of believers. There is a spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23; John 17:11, 20-23).
Sacraments
Water Baptism: Following faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the new convert is commanded by the Word of God to be baptized in water in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12, 36-38; 10:47-48).
The Lord’s Supper: A unique time of communion in the presence of God when the elements of bread and grape juice (the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ) are taken in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross (Matthew 26:26-29; I Corinthians 10:16, 11:23-25).
Marriage: We believe marriage is defined in the Bible as a covenant, a sacred bond between one man and one woman, instituted by and publicly entered into before God (Matthew 19:4-6).
We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as either male or female. These two distinct, complementary sexes together reflect the image and nature of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.
We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture (Genesis 2:18-25). We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other (1 Corinthians 6:18; 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4). We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.
We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, or use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God (Matthew 15: 18- 20; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of Destination Church as a part of the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to Destination Church and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by Destination Church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this Statement on Marriage and Sexuality (Matthew 5:16; Philemon 2:14- 16; 1 Thessalonians 5:22).
We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ (Acts 3:19-21; Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:9- 11).
We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31). Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of Destination Church.
Healing of the Sick
Healing of the sick is illustrated in the life and ministry of Jesus, and included in the commission of Jesus to His disciples. It is given as a sign, which is to follow believers. It is also a part of Jesus’ work on the Cross and one of the gifts of the Spirit. (Psalm 103:2-3; Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 8:16-17; Mark 16:17-18; Acts 8:6-7; James 5:14-16; I Corinthians 12:9, 28; Romans 11:29).
God’s Will for Provision
It is the Father’s will for believers to become whole, healthy and successful in all areas of life. But because of the fall, many may not receive the full benefits of God’s will while on Earth. That fact, though, should never prevent all believers from seeking the full benefits of Christ’s provision in order to better serve others.
Spiritual
(John 3:3-11; II Corinthians 5:17-21; Romans 10:9-10)
Mental and Emotional
(II Timothy 1:7, 2:11; Philippians 4:7-8; Romans 12:2; Isaiah 26:3).
Physical
(Isaiah 53:4,5; Matthew 8:17; I Peter 2:24).
Financial
(Joshua 1:8; Malachi 3:10-11; Luke 6:38; II Corinthians 9:6-10; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Psalm 34:10, 84:11; Philippians 4:19).
Resurrection
Jesus Christ was physically resurrected from the dead in a glorified body three days after His death on the cross. In addition, both the saved and the lost will be resurrected; they that are saved to the resurrection of life and they that are lost to the resurrection of eternal damnation (Luke 24:16, 36, 39; John 2:19-21, 20:26-28, 21:4; Acts 24:15; I Corinthians 15:42, 44; Philippians 1:21-23, 3:21).
Heaven
Heaven is the eternal dwelling place for all believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:3, 12, 20, 6:20, 19:21, 25:34; John 17:24; II Corinthians 5:1; Hebrews 11:16; I Peter 1:4).
Hell
After living one life on earth, the unbelievers will be judged by God and sent to Hell where they will be eternally tormented with the Devil and the Fallen Angels (Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 14:9-11, 20:12-15, 21:8).
Second Coming
Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to earth for the second time to establish His Kingdom. This will occur at a date undisclosed by the Scriptures (Matthew 24:30, 26:63-64; Acts 1:9-11; I Thessalonians 4:15-17; II Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 1:7)