52 YEARS . 125 COUNTRIES . 3000 CHURCHES
REACHING.THE.WORLD.
OUR VISION
The vision of The Potter's House Christian Church in St Marys is to fulfil Jesus’ Great Commission in Mark 16:15 “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every person.”
To achieve this, the foundations of our Fellowship can be summed up as:
EVANGELISM. DISCIPLESHIP. CHURCH PLANTING
OUR HISTORY
In 1970 Wayman and Nelda Mitchell moved to Prescott to take over a small, struggling congregation. Shortly after arriving, God saved a number of young hippies who were very different than anyone in the church. But as they were welcomed, God began to pour out His Spirit on the congregation. As Pastor Mitchell sought to reach young people, they saw the possibilities of the “coffee-house” concert ministry. At the first concert they ever tried as an evangelistic tool, more than 200 young people attended, with many saved. Out of this a regular concert ministry was birthed. Two nights a week, bands played, testimonies of salvation were given and the Gospel was preached, with many being saved each night.
From the beginning, Pastor Mitchell understood that concert ministry was to be a training ground of ministry development; It was run by young people who were committed to Jesus and His church. From the beginning, people who had been radically converted sought to share with others what God had done in them. Personal evangelism began to be one of the basic foundations of the church. Then came impact teams: Groups of people that would travel to other nearby cities to help people there experience what God was doing in Prescott. Over time, God began to reveal His plan of discipleship: Training young couples for ministry within a local church. In 1973 the first couple was launched directly into the ministry – and God blessed them. Churches then began to be planted throughout the Southwestern United States, and then further across America as converts prayed for the Gospel to be preached in their hometowns.
In 1978 the first couple was planted into another nation – Australia; and it was discovered the Gospel worked there, just like it did here. After that, churches were planted in Mexico, Holland and Germany then as it came to understand God’s global mission more and more, churches began to be planted throughout the world. To date, there are over 3000 churches in 44 US states, and 145 nations of the world. Churches are recognised under Christian Fellowship Ministries as; The Potter's House, The Door or Victory Chapel.
Founding Pastor
The late Wayman Mitchell & The late Sister Nelda Mitchell
Wayman and Nelda Mitchell were married for 63 years, until her passing in 2016. Neither of them had a religious upbringing, but experienced powerful conversions in their mid-20’s. After responding to the call to preach, they pastored a number of churches in Canada, Arizona, Idaho, Oregon, and California. God began a marvelous outpouring of conversions and growth in connection with the “Jesus Movement” of the 1970’s. As God revealed His plan for discipleship, churches began to be planted throughout the US, and then spreading to many other nations. The Mitchells have pastored as missionaries to Australia on 3 different occasions to accelerate the movement there. In 2020 Pastor Mitchell went to be with the Lord, the Prescott church is now lead by his Son Pastor Greg Mitchell.