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
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