Impact Church — Attraction in Phoenix

Attended this church with 8 of my friends for the first time and actually had to leave the service mid-way through it got that bad. The lead pastor spent the first 15 minutes of service after worship practically begging for more money out of false teaching. A few direct quotes: "Whatever you are giving today, double it." "How much is Jesus worth to you?" (Directly relating this to financial worth, which is absolutely insane). "Last week was the best sermon given of all time (speaking about himself) besides when Jesus was only earth." And proceeded to call Jesus the "sermonator.”

Mind you, the lead pastor was saying all of this while wearing an outfit worth $1000 AT MINIMUM -- everything designer and 4-5 chains on if you're including the bracelet he was wearing. Keep in mind all of us are in our mid 20s to early 30s and know the temptations of materialistic possessions -- I would expect better from a lead pastor begging for money, guilt tripping his congregation, and preaching a prosperity gospel.

ICING ON THE CAKE -- this caused us to leave mid service. The pastor was telling all the haters and enemies in life to eat popcorn while they continue to be successful, referencing it as "purpose popcorn" and proceeded to throw all the popcorn all over the congregation from the platform. Mind blowing.

Then we began walking out and one of his jokes followed up with "that was for my black folk." There was also a celebrity row where people of worldly status sat. The Bible directly warns again many of these things.

Sending prayer for the lead pastor and the congregation. Also sending prayer for new believers coming here -- if many of us weren't rooted in our faith and have intimate relationships with Jesus as our Lord and Savior, this type of experience could lead those astray for a while.

Upset and disappointed. Could say a lot more, but that's enough. 0 stars if that was possible. If you’re thinking about growing closer to the Lord and knowing Him better, I would highly recommend...

My wife and I have been attending for about 6 weeks now. We enjoy the worship music, even though it's a bit loud for my 60 year old ears, and pastor Travis seems sincere in his sermons, althoughsometimesI think he's seeking personal gratification or applause instead of preaching. My biggest concerns with the church are large and small. They don't have communion on a monthly or regular basis and when I asked the people at the help desk they couldn't answer the basic question, how often is communion served? One person said, "I know they do it at Easter." You're the help table, that should be an answer you know, especially if you've been attending the church. The next concern was when I tried to download the app, it said the app wasn't supported by my newer Android version. Apparently Apple people are the only ones who can get the app. When I brought this up to the help desk, no one could figure it out so they brought over the head techie and he was surprised too. It didn't work for him either. That was 6 weeks ago and no change. So I decided to send an email to the info email address and never received a response. Today they have a evening service but the pastor says it's at 6, the streaming info all over the church says 6:30 and when I asked the help desk, I got two different answers. Seems very dysfunctional for a church of this size. And they don't ever talk about their outside ministry, like where they are serving in the community and that seems odd to me. Most churches want their congregants to serve, in or outside the church. Lastly a lot of the young women in the church are half dressed, short skirts, midriff tops, cleavage hanging out, like it's a fashion show or date night. I find it very disrespectful to the Lord. Even the pastor stated at one service that the dress of some was not appropriate. We're not sure how long we'll continue to go here. I'm not sure I feel the Holy Spirit...

My first experience with Impact Church was in 2013 when I attended their Christmas Eve service. Upon entering what is basically a church inside an office building/park, I immediately knew this was unlike any other place I have been.

The worship as more than upbeat but downright hip. R&B and Pop Artist Michael Land who lead the team at the time crafted music that had everyone in attendance literally dancing in the aisles.

The sermon by Pastor Travis Hearn was so relatable I literally felt the word of God speaking to me on practical things I could use to live a more Christ-centered life. The people were friendly and for the first time in a church I felt that I was not being judged.

Since that first experience, I have had the honor of assisting in the video production of the services, co-leading a singles activities group and bringing over 50 individuals and couples/families to Impact. Often times these people are walking into a church for the first time since they were children and are in desperate need of God's healing.

Everyone you meet at Impact in the leadership including founding Pastor Andre Wadsworth, Pastor Todd and Toni Boffo and Pastor Ken among others great you warmly with open arms. Additionally the programs offered for Celebrate Recovery, teens and children are both professional and welcoming.

On August 20th of this year, I got to experience something I never felt before. I got Baptized at Impact Church as part of a group that has grown to almost a thousand members. The Joy I felt was so powerful it surpassed anything I have experienced in my life including watching my three beautiful children grow up to be adults.

If you want a chance to experience this Joy and the Love of Jesus Christ yourself, you should come join us one Saturday evening or Sunday soon.

Michael Benson Christian Father of Joseph, Maggie and David Member of...