An excerpt from How to Build a Church and Be Debt Free by Dr. Steve McMillian, Sr.

Chapter 2: Laying the Foundation

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I was called into the ministry in 1982 and preached my initial sermon at Shaw Road Church of God in Fayetteville, NC. I knew early in my calling that God had a plan for setting up a ministry for me. Five years later, I established New Life Covenant Fellowship in a small rental building, a humble beginning where God gave me a vision for his people. 

In 1990, the congregation relocated. I purchased a small, old house on Dick Street. I had it gutted out and made into a church. It could only fit about 15-20 people. It was in a neighborhood where there was a group home for people who were recovering from drug addiction. It was the perfect location because God had planted us in the middle of a place where there was a strong need for the hand of God. It was at this place where we did lots of community outreach, helping the people and showing the love of God and bringing lost souls to Christ.

Yet in still, this was a humble beginning. God wants to see what you will do with this level of glory before He takes you to the next level of glory. That’s why He said He takes us from glory to glory. Now I knew God had a “next level” for us, but I didn’t know when He would do it or how He would do it. And until He did it, I was going to be faithful where He had placed me. 

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(page 12)

I had been pastoring there for about three years or so when one day, I was taking one of the members home—she was a relative of mine—and that’s when I spotted the property. It was after a service one day and I spotted this piece of land. I didn’t even know it had a “for sale” sign on it. The “for sale” sign was laid down, so the average person wouldn’t have even spotted it. But I saw it, and I was able to call the people who owned it. And God shared with me that this is where He wanted me to build the church. The land was a wooded area, lots of trees, lots of things that had to be cleared. So I called the number on the sign to purchase this property, not realizing that God had other plans for how this would transpire. I knew He wanted me to purchase the land to build a church, but I had limited funds, limited knowledge, and no idea how to make this happen. 

When God told me to do this, I was so confused. I was perplexed. I didn’t have the means to do it, didn’t have the know-how, didn’t have the money, but I had a word from God. And a word from God is all you really need.

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