Faith Fellowship Ministries World Outreach Center

Last updated

EPIC Church International
Faith Fellowship Ministries World Outreach Center
Location Sayreville, New Jersey
Country United States
Denomination Non-denominational Christian
Weekly attendance10,100 (2013)
Website https://www.epicchurchintl.org/
History
Founded1980
Clergy
Senior pastor(s) John J. Wagner

EPIC Church International, formerly Faith Fellowship Ministries World Outreach Center is an independent non-denominational Christian megachurch in Sayreville, New Jersey, USA. The pastor is John J. Wagner. [1] As of 2013, Outreach Magazine ranked the church 44th in congregation size in the US, with weekly attendance of 10,100. [2]

Contents

History

David T. Demola founded Faith Fellowship Ministries in early 1980, and by the end of that year was able to move from a private home to St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Staten Island, New York. The growing congregation temporarily held services at an Elks Club, and then in July 1982 moved to a former synagogue in Iselin, New Jersey. Still growing, in mid-1985 the church moved into a newly constructed 1,300-seat facility in Edison, New Jersey, its base for the next fifteen years. However, overflow crowds and limited parking created tensions with neighbors. [3]

In July 2000 the current 2,900-seat auditorium and office complex was established on a 14-acre (57,000 m2) site in Sayreville that was once used by Public Service Electric and Gas Company as a training center. The site was selected in part because it already had sufficient parking space, a significant factor with urban megachurches. [4] In 2003 the center launched a homeownership program through its nonprofit affiliate, the Faith Fellowship Community Development Corporation, which provides education and coaching in financial planning. [5]

After Pastor David T. Demola's passing in 2018 [6] , Pastor Wagner took over as lead pastor. [7]

On January 1, 2019, the church announced on its website and social media pages its transition to EPIC Church International. [8]

See also

References

  1. "Faith Fellowship Ministries World Outreach Center". USA Churches. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
  2. "100 Largest Churches in America". Outreach Magazine. October 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  3. Maxine N. Lurie, Marc Mappen (2004). Encyclopedia of New Jersey. Rutgers University Press. p. 265. ISBN   0-8135-3325-2.
  4. George James (June 29, 2003). "Exurbia and God: Megachurches in New Jersey". The New York Times . Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  5. Lisa Prevost (May 28, 2006). "Today, Homeownership Is Next to Godliness". The New York Times . Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  6. "Pastor David T. Demola". Legacy. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  7. "Pastor John Wagner". About Me. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  8. "Epic Church Intl". website. Retrieved January 16, 2019.

40°29′34″N74°17′50″W / 40.49285°N 74.29719°W / 40.49285; -74.29719