Newhope church named 10th fasted-growing church in U.S.

Nine years ago, Benji Kelley and his family started a worship service in their Chapel Hill home.

Even when he had five members in attendance, Kelley had big hopes for expansion.

“It was just my wife and my three kids,” he said. “From there, we started getting out in the community and serving the community.”

Newhope church has since grown to more than 1,000 congregation members and has two locations in Durham and Garner and an “iCampus,” available on the church’s website.

Newhope’s growing numbers have drawn the attention of Outreach Magazine, which recently listed newhope as the 10th fastest-growing church in the U.S. and number one in percentage increase.

Director of Marketing Emily Barahona said she has only been there since March but has seen the church grow extensively since then.

“We’ve had 300 to 400 every service,” she said. “And that’s not including all of the students in the student area.”

And it’s only getting bigger.

The church hopped from several locations, including East Chapel Hill High School and the Raleigh Diocese of the Catholic Church on Gimghoul Road, before settling in its permanent space near the Streets at Southpoint in 2009.

Staff members are already talking expansion.

“We’re out of space,” Kelley said. “We’re beginning this process of drawing the plans to expand the current building.”

Kelley said the church offers a variety of programs and services to draw in more members.

“We stay really, really focused,” he said. “We have a children’s ministry, student ministry, small group, missions and adult worship.”

Congregation member Dave Sears, who has been attending newhope for more than five years, said he appreciates the variety.

“There’s something for everybody,” he said. “I have two grandkids, and the kids’ program is exciting and relevant to them.”

Fran Helpingstine, executive director of operations and finance, said the environment and offered programs at newhope allow people to make a difference in the world.

“At the end of the day, I could feel like I actually did something in someone else’s life,” Helpingstine said.

But she said newhope’s growth can’t be solely attributed to the hard work of the congregation and staff.

“This is not about us. This is not about something that we’re doing,” Helpingstine said. “We know that He is driving.”

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.