Seacoast Church
Encyclopedia
Seacoast is a large American
interdenominational church located in the suburb
of Mount Pleasant
, South Carolina
, near Charleston, South Carolina
, USA. It was founded in February, 1988 by Greg Surratt and a team from another large church in the area, Northwood Assembly in North Charleston. Surratt still serves as Senior Pastor. Seacoast was one of the churches who pioneered the multi-site church
technique.
has won Seacoast praise as being the 7th most influential church in America from The Church Report.
The idea came out of necessity, however. In 2002 the church had over 3,000 people attending weekly service leading the church to request permits to expand their facilities with local officials. The Town of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
denied all requests however. The church then began to use a video feed to show sermons to an off-site location. This was so successful that Seacoast began to open other "satellite" facilities throughout the Charleston, South Carolina
metropolitan area and throughout the state and now in Georgia and North Carolina.
In 2006 the church's original campus in Mount Pleasant, SC opened a new 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²) facility and provides different style services for people who have different preferences in music and worship. The sermons, outside its original facility, are a live worship experience with a video teaching recorded at the original campus using the multi-site church
philosophy for which Seacoast is recognized.
Seacoast currently has 13 campuses in three states, including an Internet campus.
, that God exists eternally in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
They believe that Jesus Christ, "lived a sinless life on earth and voluntarily paid for our sin by dying on the cross as our substitute." They believe "He rose from the dead and is the only mediator between us and God." http://www.seacoast.org/mountpleasant/statefaith.html
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
interdenominational church located in the suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Mount Pleasant is a large affluent suburban town in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. It is a member of the Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area, for statistical purpose only, as designated by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget....
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, near Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, USA. It was founded in February, 1988 by Greg Surratt and a team from another large church in the area, Northwood Assembly in North Charleston. Surratt still serves as Senior Pastor. Seacoast was one of the churches who pioneered the multi-site church
Multi-site church
A multi-site church is one church that meets at multiple locations. Churches began to use the multi-site church model in the mid 1980s...
technique.
Early history
According to their website, "Seacoast began in February of 1988 with sixty-five people meeting in an apartment clubhouse. In April of the same year the first 'public' meetings were held in a rented theater with a vision for reaching out to the unchurched people of the Charleston area. The dream was to build a church" The church grew quickly with its contemporary worship style and support from Northwood Assembly, a similar church in North Charleston. Today, the church has over 10,000 worshipers who attend weekly.Multi-site coast
The church went through several building programs and helped create the idea of having satellite services on off site campuses. This idea of a multi-site churchMulti-site church
A multi-site church is one church that meets at multiple locations. Churches began to use the multi-site church model in the mid 1980s...
has won Seacoast praise as being the 7th most influential church in America from The Church Report.
The idea came out of necessity, however. In 2002 the church had over 3,000 people attending weekly service leading the church to request permits to expand their facilities with local officials. The Town of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Mount Pleasant is a large affluent suburban town in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. It is a member of the Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area, for statistical purpose only, as designated by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget....
denied all requests however. The church then began to use a video feed to show sermons to an off-site location. This was so successful that Seacoast began to open other "satellite" facilities throughout the Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
metropolitan area and throughout the state and now in Georgia and North Carolina.
In 2006 the church's original campus in Mount Pleasant, SC opened a new 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²) facility and provides different style services for people who have different preferences in music and worship. The sermons, outside its original facility, are a live worship experience with a video teaching recorded at the original campus using the multi-site church
Multi-site church
A multi-site church is one church that meets at multiple locations. Churches began to use the multi-site church model in the mid 1980s...
philosophy for which Seacoast is recognized.
Seacoast currently has 13 campuses in three states, including an Internet campus.
List of Seacoast sites
- Asheville Campus - located in Asheville, North CarolinaAsheville, North CarolinaAsheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
- Columbia Campus - located in Columbia, South CarolinaColumbia, South CarolinaColumbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
- Greensboro Campus - located in Greensboro, North CarolinaGreensboro, North CarolinaGreensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
- Greenville Campus - located in Greenville, South CarolinaGreenville, South Carolina-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
- Irmo Campus - located in Irmo, South CarolinaIrmo, South CarolinaIrmo is a town in Lexington and Richland counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina and a suburb of Columbia. It is 12 miles outside of the city center of Columbia and is part of the Columbia Metropolitan Statistical Area...
- James Island Campus - located in James Island, South CarolinaJames Island, South CarolinaJames Island is a former town in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. It is located in the central and southern parts of James Island. As defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and used by the U.S...
- Mount Pleasant Campus - located in Mount Pleasant, South CarolinaMount Pleasant, South CarolinaMount Pleasant is a large affluent suburban town in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. It is a member of the Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area, for statistical purpose only, as designated by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget....
- North Charleston Campus - located in Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South CarolinaCharleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
- Savannah Campus - located in Savannah, GeorgiaSavannah, GeorgiaSavannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
- Summerville Campus - located in Summerville, South CarolinaSummerville, South CarolinaSummerville is a town in the U.S. state of South Carolina situated mostly in Dorchester County with small portions in Berkeley, and Charleston counties. It is part of the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area as designated for statistical purposes by the U.S. Office...
- West Ashley Campus - located in Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South CarolinaCharleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
- Manning Campus - located in Manning, South CarolinaManning, South CarolinaManning is a city in South Carolina and the county seat of Clarendon County in the Southeastern United States, located in the center of the county, just to the east of Interstate 95 and at the intersection of U.S. 301 and U.S. 521. The population was estimated to be 3,943 as of 2008, down 2% from...
- Internet Campus
Beliefs
Seacoast is an interdenominational or non-denominational Christian church and states its "sole basis for [its] belief is the Bible." They believe the Bible is infallible. Further, they believe in the trinityTrinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
, that God exists eternally in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
They believe that Jesus Christ, "lived a sinless life on earth and voluntarily paid for our sin by dying on the cross as our substitute." They believe "He rose from the dead and is the only mediator between us and God." http://www.seacoast.org/mountpleasant/statefaith.html
News articles
- "Growing Appeal" Charleston Post & Courier
- Featured church in Vision Magazine: http://www.visionondemand.net/online.php?issue=4
- Seacoast Church's Media Page http://www.seacoast.org/news
External links
See Also
- Celebration ChurchCelebration ChurchCelebration Church is a global, diverse, multi-site megachurch that reaches people from all walks of life. Founded by , now the lead pastor of the Jacksonville campus, Celebration began in 1998 and now has nearly 12,000 in attendance weekly...
, Church of the HighlandsChurch of the HighlandsChurch of the Highlands is a non-denominational, Christian church in Birmingham, Alabama. Highlands is a multi-site church with campuses in several Alabama cities. The church was founded on February 4, 2001 by Pastor Chris Hodges and a core group of 34 people. In 2008, Outreach Magazine named...
, Substance ChurchSubstance ChurchSubstance Church is a nondenominational, Evangelical Christian, megachurch in Minneapolis – Saint Paul, Minnesota. In 2010, Outreach Magazine ranked the church as the 21st fastest growing congregation in the United States...
- other notable ARC churches