With an aging membership, Ridge Baptist had stalled growth.

When Pastor Bobby Eubanks was considering retiring from Ridge Baptist Church in Summerville, SC, he knew he wanted to retire well. Eubanks knew the church was ripe for revitalization, even if it meant a challenging road ahead. Wanting to set the stage for a healthy future, he began conversations with South Carolina Baptist about what revitalization could look like for the church. That groundwork paved the way for new leadership.

In 2020, the church unanimously called Eric Grissino as lead pastor. “I presented an idea for how we could move forward with revitalization,” Grissino said, “and so we hit the ground running.” Grissino was not always met with ease along the way, though. He admitted that change is hard for anyone, but that the church had agreed to the roadmap for revitalization. Each time a bump in the road came up, Grissino reminded the church of their path and encouraged them to continue on. “I used that opportunity to take it step-by-step, and now we look back and everything we said we were going to do, we have done,” Grissino said.

Leading Change

When Grissino first arrived at Ridge Baptist, now called Ridge Church, he saw a tight-knit congregation that loved each other as a family. “They loved each other, but they weren’t really looking to reach new people with the Gospel of Christ,” Grissino said. “They wanted the change, but they didn’t know how hard that was going to be.”

The first two years, they focused on casting vision and refocusing on what matters. Grissino said they knew they wanted to glorify God, so they looked at how to do that through evangelism, discipleship, and fellowship as top priorities.

Among other things, the church made thoughtful updates to high-traffic areas including the sanctuary. “The grounds were really in need of adjustment,” Grissino said. They also updated their worship style. Grissino told the story of an older couple that came to him. “They said, ‘We know what you want to do. This music is not for us. The way we’re doing services is not for us, but we don’t want it to be for us.'” Since that conversation, the couple went from being the only two in their family at the church to filling up two rows every Sunday. “Those are the opportunities we see in revitalization,” Grissino said.

Reaching the Community

Located minutes from the campus of Charleston Southern University (CSU), Ridge Church also knew they had an opportunity to reach college students. Grissino admitted that at the time, the church had little to offer college students. “We didn’t have a group for young adults or college-age classes, but we showed them that we cared about them and brought them in,” he said. Now they regularly have a large group of CSU students attending weekly.

The community outreach has made a difference. “This church is over 150 years old. It’s been right here on this corner, but people didn’t even know it was a church,” Grissino said. After intentional efforts to reach their community, people notice the change. “Now we see people that know this is a church. They know we love people and that we love Jesus, and we want them to meet Jesus.”

Partnership and Support

New to South Carolina, Grissino had little support he could lean on. After connecting with their local association, Screven Baptist Association, and the South Carolina Baptist Convention, Grissino found the support he needed.

He also walked through RE Cohort through SCBaptist. The cohort equips, resources, and encourages pastors with an emphasis on revitalization. “This is where South Carolina Baptists are really stepping up to the plate,” Grissino said. He emphasized the connections made through SCBaptist and the resourcing provided. “I think a lot of our churches out there are looking for revitalization, but they don’t know who to get in contact with,” he said. “I think that as a Convention, we are working in a way that is going to help them do that.”

The Fruit of Revitalization

The changes the church made has created a ripple effect. In the four and half years since Grissino began pastoring the church, they’ve seen 127 salvations and numerous baptisms. Attendance has grown, as well. Grissino noted that there was only one Sunday without growth since the start of the year.

Ridge Church is also working on creating a missional culture. In just one week, the church reported 174 Gospel presentations. “I’m excited to see people excited about the Gospel,” Grissino said.

Multiplying the Model

Looking ahead, the church is already positioning to help other churches. “We want to take what we have done and apply it to other churches to see God move in those churches just as he’s moved here,” Grissino said. In October, The Ridge partnered with another Screven Baptist Association church, Pleasant Grove, in a revitalization effort.

“When churches help churches, God is glorified, and the Gospel continues to spread across the nations,” Grissino said. They are hopeful and exciting to see what the coming years hold for their partnership. For Grissino, efforts like these remind him that God’s work is not done. “The good days are yet to come.”