Welcome
As I welcome you to our church, allow me to share what I feel God has placed in my heart for Forward Church and its surrounding areas.
First and foremost, know that ours is a “Kingdom-Minded” Church. The Kingdom of God is made up of every kind of background, race, and socio-economic level. I desire to be a church that anyone can come to and feel that this is where they belong. To accomplish this, we strive for people to experience a “Heaven on Earth” Culture from the time they drive onto our church campus until they leave.
I also believe with all of my heart that God has called my family and me to this church as well as this city. I desire to see people reach their potential of who God created them to be. With that said, I pray that this church and the surrounding area continue to “move forward together” into the life God has for us. To accomplish this, we want to provide various opportunities for everyone to experience a Godly Life Transformation.
Most importantly, know that at Forward you have a family that lives life together. No matter what comes your way, you can trust that you have a pastor and a church family who love you unconditionally and are constantly praying for you.
Your Pastor,
Justin Driver, Lead Pastor
Our History
The Bayou La Batre Church was started in 1937 with a few ladies having prayer meetings and revivals. In 1938, there was a 9 week revival. From this great revival, the “Pentecostal Fire Baptized Holiness Church” was born. It wasn’t until 1941 that the church became associated with the Church of God. Services were held in the Oddfellow’s Hall for a number of years. Then some of the ladies hosted in their homes until a building could be rented. After a few months, God opened up a way to purchase the land on Railroad Street in 1942.
Due to the fact we were no longer located in Bayou La Batre, Pastor Gary Smith coined the phrase “Church at the Bayou” while he was Pastoring here. For a time, it was adopted as our name. There was much confusion over the “real” name of our church. In order to begin fresh, the church unanimously voted to change our name. We became Forward Church officially on January 12, 2020. This name reveals who we are, not just where we are located.
Who We Are
As a Spirit-filled body of believers we strive to cultivate these 8 atmoshphers:
- Godly-We honor God and His Word by living a lifestyle of integrity and striving for worship services that reflect the atmosphere of Heaven.
- Grace– We believe the best about people and make forgiveness a priority.
- Gathering– We are a family and we do life together.
- Growing– We strive to build bigger people and teams with God’s Word.
- Generational– We honor the ones before us and inspire the ones behind us.
- Generous– We value others through giving.
- Guiding– We model healthy values to our community and help lead others down the right path.
- Great– We serve God with excellence.
Our Vision
- Moving on from our past into the “next steps” God has for us; Salvation, Baptism, and Church Membership
- Forward our relationship with God through Discipleship Forward and Small Groups
- Together, as the Body of Christ, make a difference in our local church, community, and ultimately the world!
Our Mission
- Love God
- Love People