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Citylife Church
A 2013 OUTREACH 100 CHURCH
#7 FASTEST-GROWING
In 2011 Tony Stewart went on a missions trip to Nicaragua where he witnessed hundreds of believers walking up a mountain to worship. But the church they had been building on the site had only one wall because their sponsoring U.S. congregation had run out of money to help them build it.
“I felt like the Lord spoke to me, and I told them we would build the church and that I would send the money the next week when I got home,” says Stewart, senior pastor of Citylife Church. “But I had no idea where that money would come from.”
Meanwhile, a well-funded group in Tampa wanted to open a charter school. The only structure that seemed to meet their needs was Citylife’s, so they approached Stewart about selling it. Not sure if they were serious, he says he threw out a “crazy number.” They took it.
A month later the building was sold and money was on its way to Nicaragua. Citylife has continued to flourish at its new location at the third-busiest intersection in the region.
“When you make something happen for others, God makes it happen for you,” Stewart says. “I find every time we reach out, God reaches in.”
CITYLIFE CHURCH Tampa, Fla.
Senior Pastor: Tony Stewart
Twitter: @TonyDStewart
Website: CitylifeChurch.cc
Founded: 1927
Affiliation: Church of God – Cleveland
Locations: 1
Attendance: 2,780
Growth in 2012: +938 (196%)
