Welcome to the story behind our future church home.
We’ve been a portable church for over 13 years. Building anything permanent has always felt like one of those distant someday ideas. Early on, someone asked me, completely serious, “So when are you all going to build a church?” I laughed because I honestly thought they were joking. They weren’t. And every year since then, someone else has asked the same thing. My answer has always been simple, “We’ll build a church when God presents an opportunity. Until then, I’m just staying focused on preaching the Bible.”
Well, for the first time, an opportunity showed up. And it showed up fast. Over the past couple of years God placed something in front of us that feels bigger than anything we imagined. Building a church went from a laughable question to a serious conversation. God got our attention in a way we never dreamed, and we’re trying to respond to His provisions with prayer, patience, and faithfulness.
On this page we want to share the drawings, plans, updates, and the unexpected series of events that brought us here. More than anything, we hope to make much of God, His timing, and the unique opportunity we believe He's given us. We’re just stewards trying to be faithful with what He’s entrusted to us.
Cody Parman
Pastor, The Journey Church
Take A Look Around!
We want to share how God led us from years of searching for space, to an unexpected land gift, to thoughtful planning for what comes next.
More Than A Building
The plans matter, but what matters more is honoring Him for providing a path we didn’t engineer, and inviting believers to step toward it with the same patient faith that brought us here... (click here)
Explore The Plans
We didn’t rush to publish plans just to have something to show. We spent twelve months doing the slow work of dreaming, sketching, revising, talking, praying, and revising again... (click here)
Campaign Goals & Progress
We want you to know what we’re aiming for, where things currently stand, and how you can participate... (click here)
Frequently Asked "Big Picture" Questions
The kinds of questions that matter before the first brick is ever laid.
Does every church need a building to be a real church?
No. A church is real because of Jesus, not because of a roof or a mortgage or a street address. We’ve spent 13 years meeting in borrowed rooms, auditoriums, online and various locations around this area, and not a minute of that has made us less of a church. A building isn’t what makes a church real, but it can become a tool a church stewards when God makes the opportunity clear and the church family is ready to walk toward it together.
How do you guard against the building becoming the main thing instead of Christ?
By talking about it honestly and handling it intentionally. The easiest drift in church life is when good things quietly become ultimate things. We remind ourselves often that if this ever becomes walls and doors and classrooms, it still exists to serve the same mission we already have, which is to worship Christ, teach the Bible, love one another, and share the gospel where we live. We’re guarding against the building becoming the main thing by refusing to build it on pressure, or hype, or guilt, or ego. We want it built on unity, prayer, generosity, and a clear sense that we’re still just a church family trying to be faithful to Jesus, not a church trying to make a statement.
Does the community of Marietta actually need another church facility?
The real need of any town isn’t another building, it’s more people who know Jesus and more believers who understand the Bible clearly enough to live on mission with confidence. Marietta is ancient, and we love that about it. We’re proud of the history here, the brick streets, the river culture, the generational stories, and the fact that we worship in a city with some of the oldest church structures in the state. Those buildings are part of the fabric of who we are, and we’re thankful for every one of them. Our desire for a new facility isn’t about assuming the town lacks churches, but recognizing the opportunity to steward something that serves the mission in a way older buildings simply can’t. Imagine a space that’s all one level, ADA compliant, incredibly safe, and built for the 21st century. Picture adequate parking, overflow parking, a yard for kids to play in, and room for hundreds of people to gather and learn about the gospel clearly and practically. That’s what these plans are aiming toward, not replacing the past, but stewarding a new possibility well. If this valley has another place like that, rooted in Scripture, designed to serve families and neighbors, and built with intention, it can become a real blessing for the community, for the mission, and for the glory of God.
Could the campaign fail, and if it did, would that mean God is saying no?
It could. And yes, that would be information we pay attention to. If the campaign stalls, we wouldn't interpret that as God being unfaithful. We'd interpret it as a moment to pause, pray, adjust, and keep Christ at the center of our obedience. We don’t boast in outcomes, we boast in His steadiness and provision, even in seasons when we can’t see a way forward. If the campaign fails, it simply becomes another chapter in which we respond the same way we’ve tried to respond for 13 years, without panic, without forcing anything, and without assuming God’s kindness depends on our immediate circumstances.
Can a new building reasonably serve people outside your church too?
Yes, if it’s stewarded well. The land we were given sits in a town where most churches are boxed in by space and parking and aging infrastructure. We want any future facility to serve our church, but also be a blessing to families, schools, ministries, and neighbors who may need meeting space, fellowship space, or community space. We want it to serve people in ways that give God the glory.