When Reverend Barry Randolph became the Pastor of the Church of the Messiah in Detroit in 2002, Sunday service attendance was down to a paltry 40 people and the church itself seemed far too large for the size of the congregation. Today, the size of the congregation has grown to nearly 300 individuals and the church is beginning to seem too small. Randolph was able accomplish this impressive growth by mobilizing the church’s potential to be a community center and expand the church’s influence beyond evangelical measures.

The church’s community-building efforts focus on financial empowerment for their members. This is why, unlike most churches throughout the country, the Church of the Messiah’s members are mostly young people between the ages of 16-30. Besides offering courses in financial literacy and entrepreneurship, the church helps members learn about and even run businesses of their own. So far, four companies have either been founded or greatly helped by being associated with the church. In fact, a ginger-tea manufacturing company that is run out of the kitchen of the church has been so successful that it is sold in more than 50 outlets statewide, including major corporations such as Wholefoods.

The church's community-building efforts don’t stop with economic development, however. With more than 700,000 vacant lots in Detroit, the church has recently created their own housing development corporation to try to help turn those places into institutions that will of value to the community for years to come. The Messiah Housing Corporation owns over 200 affordable housing units that provide shelter for 400 Detroit residents who would otherwise not be able to pay for sufficient housing. Other vacant lots owned by the church have been used to establish community gardens through the ‘Grow Town’ program, and there are more projects in the works.

The church’s efforts even extend to helping to stop crime in the downtrodden community. Reverend Randolph cofounded the organization Citizens United for Safety, a grassroots organization that brings together law enforcement officials, community leaders, religious organizations, and business leaders to develop strategies to lower crime in their neighborhood.

When Detroit was in the heart of the recession and the Church of the Messiah’s attendance was waning, Reverend Randolph took the chance to expand the church’s influence by attracting more community members to join be a part of rebuilding Detroit. The church has so far transformed dozens of peoples’ lives and given them hope for the future by opening doors to them that most low-income Detroit residents would have otherwise never experienced. With a growing congregation and an ambitious leader, the Church of the Messiah will look to improve the mindset of more and more Detroit residents in the future. 

For more information: http://www.churchofthemessiahdetroit.com/3020.html