New Direction Christian Church

Dr. Stacy L. Spencer
Senior Pastor

ANOINTED, BOLD, GOD-CENTERED, VISIONARY are all terms used to describe Dr. Stacy L. Spencer, Senior Pastor of New Direction Christian Church in Memphis, Tennessee. The man of humble beginnings now leads one of the area’s fastest growing congregations with member numbers reflected in the thousands in only 5 years.

With the vision of empowering all people to know God through life changing experiences from the inside out, Spencer strives to minister to the “unreached”. In other words, those people who have either been overlooked by, who’ve had little or no experience with or those who are disillusioned by traditional churches. His God-given vision, considered a radical move by many, has proven successful in reaching a core audience of “Generation X-ers”, with the median age of the congregation ranging in the mid-30s or younger.

Dr. Spencer started New Direction as a church plant of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in 2001 with roughly 60 members. Within a matter of months, God blessed the ministry with overflowing crowds forcing the church out of its original church into nearby school auditorium temporarily until the completion of its own 14,000 square-feet Sprung structure was complete. The Sprung structure yet proved to be too small to contain God’s blessing. In the summer of 2004, Dr. Spencer and New Direction family moved into its 74,000 square-feet Power Center facility. In turn, Dr. Spencer donated its original facility including the Sprung structure to a Hispanic congregation, Nueva Direccion. In March 2005, New Direction opened its second location, New Direction Collierville, to service the emerging diverse community beyond Memphis.

In 2006, New Direction birthed the independent non-profit Power Center Community Development Corporation designed to “RESTORE” the economic, educational and social foundation of Hickory Hill through empowering initiatives designed to instill hope, pride and a sense of community.

Dr. Spencer serves as Chairman, Board of Directors, for the Power Center CDC with the goals of: launching a charter school and business/career center; developing youth programming; along with teaching entrepreneurial basics.

Dr. Spencer also serves as an officer of Power Center Enterprises, parent company of Soul Café restaurant and Fillin’ Station Bookstore. Soul Café is the first of its kind in Memphis offering an upscale yet casual dining experience in an eclectic setting with wireless high-speed Internet connections and live Christian entertainment. Soul Café will employ up to 50 people to deliver exceptional 5-star service. Fillin’ Station Bookstore offers the latest in Bibles, contemporary Christian best-sellers, reference resources, inspirational novelty items, apparel and Dr. Spencer’s sermons.

Dr. Spencer is so passionate about building positive economic enterprises that he along with his brother, Shawn Spencer, invested in their personal resources to revitalize an abandoned local business. Shyne Express Car Wash located at 3581 Hickory Hill employs up to 13 full-time and up to 30 seasonal employees.

His Personal Journey
Dr. Spencer’s story is one of perseverance, patience and excellence. The oldest son of Carolyn and Pastor Sammy L Spencer excelled in academics and sports in rural Olmstead, Kentucky. He received a partial scholarship to Western Kentucky University where he later received a scholarship for outstanding leadership.

While he grew up in church, it wasn’t until his junior year in college that Dr. Spencer acknowledged his call to ministry at Cedar Grove Baptist Church. He accepted a full-time position as the Youth Minister at St. Stephen Baptist Church
is Louisville, Kentucky. While at St. Stephen, he was ordained in 1992 and earned his Master of Divinity degree form the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1993. He created programs, including Rites of Passage, Teen Summit and an active Sunday school for St. Stephen where he was responsible for more than 200 youth.

In August 1995, God led Dr. Spencer to Memphis where he served as the Assistant Pastor for Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church responsible for overseeing the expansive youth ministry. While there he created the wildly successful “Jesus And Me” or affectionately known as the JAM ministry geared toward reaching the “unchurched” youth.

For six years, God molded and honed Dr. Spencer’s gift and skills while at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church because he knew what enormous tasks lay before him. God knew when the time was right a community and generation that many had dismissed would need Dr. Spencer’s leadership and strength if they were going to come to know Him.

Dr. Spencer received his Doctorate of Ministry from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. He is married to Rhonda F. Spencer and they are the proud parents of 4 sons; Calvin, Omari, Jordan and Jaden Lynn.

His Evangelism
While Dr. Spencer has done some powerful things in the Memphis community, his message of love and inclusion has helped to extend his reach beyond the New Direction Christian Church family and Memphis community.

To further his vision of reviving God’s word and His people from years of traditional inactivity, he founded the Saving Lost Souls (SLS) Ministries. The non-profit ministry aims at finding people who are seeking God and empower them to know God through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through SLS Ministries, he seeks to preach, instruct, heal resurrect people who are in need of a change in their lives through a personal relationship with God. Proceeds from the book, compact disc and tape sales, as well as the speaking engagements and lectures are earmarked for scholarships awarded by SLS ministries.

1n 2003, Dr. Spencer led a group of New Direction pastoral leaders and members to West Africa for a two-week mission trip to minister and pray with and for these souls. They were joined by other local churches who also donated money and medical supplies.

This was not the first time God has led Dr. Spencer to minister internationally. While in seminary, he was chosen as one of five students to make a pilgrimage to the Middle East. While there, he visited Jordan, Israel, Damascus, Greece and Egypt where he got the unique opportunity to talk to Arab Refugees in the Gaza Strip about the oppression there.

His Personal Achievements
Dr. Spencer and his ministry are considered by many to be on the cusp of national exposure. Listed below are a few of his recent notable achievements as a community leader, international advocate and speaker.

Community Leader
· 2003 – Current - Serves on the Board of Directors - Civil Rights Museum
· November 2005 – Named one of Memphis’ Top 40 Under 40 by the Memphis Business Journal
· September 2005 – Chairperson, Lifeblood’s Hope 4 Healing Campaign
· 2005 – Planted a multi-racial congregation, Journey Christian Church with Hope Presbyterian Church
· May 2005 – Pastor of the Year, Memphis Gospel Bridge Awards
· April 2005 – Selected as 1 of 60 pastors in the Tri-state area for the Sustained Pastoral Excellence (SPE) program.
· Serves on Educational Task Force for Shelby County Mayor, AC Wharton
· 2001 – Recognized as a “Top Gun Under 40 in Memphis” by the Black Business Directory.

International Advocate
• Fall 2004 -- Planted Latino church, Nuevo Direccion at NDCC’s 5777 Winchester Road property
• October 2003 – Financed the building of a church in Accra, Ghana

Published Works
· June 2005 – Ranked # 19 of the 100 Fastest-Growing U.S. Churches. Outreach Magazine Report
· 2001 - Judson Press.- Sermon featured in the Top 20 Pastors Under the Age of 40 in the African American Pulpit.
· January 2001 - Sermon featured in the African American Pulpit, “Little People Can Do Big Things Too. This sermon is personally close as Dr. Spencer’s son, Jordan, has Achondroplasia.

Notable Speaking Engagements
· June 2006 – Served as guest preacher for Young Adult Conference, Greater Allen AME Cathedral, Jamaica Queens, NY
· January 2004 and 2005 – Served as guest preacher for the Youth Convocation at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Washington, DC (H. Beecher Hicks, Senior Pastor)
· April 2003 – Served as guest preacher at the Sisterhood Showcase where he spoke to more than 4,000 attendees on the issue of domestic violence.

If you are interested in inviting Dr. Spencer to speak at an upcoming event, please contact Lori McGee, Executive Assistant at (901) 433-3871 or mcgee.lori@n2newdirection.org. To learn more on New Direction Christian Church or Dr. Spencer’s SLS Ministry visit www.n2newdirection.org or www.stacyspencer.org