Pastors Brandon and Christy Hay have been on an adventure for the past nine years: planting and growing Life Church in Claypool Hill, VA.
The Hays have known each other for almost as long as they can remember and attended school together from the elementary years all the way through high school. They both came to know Christ at the same time, at the same event, at 18 years of age. They have literally grown up in Christ together, saying: “God has been so faithful, and this has been an amazing journey together. We make a good team.” Indeed, they do. Their teamwork extends into parenting as well. They have been married for almost 24 years, and parent two children together, Lauren who is 20 and Bryan who is 16.
The Hay Family: Lauren, Brandon, Christy, Bryan
As young adults, the Hays had numerous words spoken over them, speaking of a calling they both had to serve the Lord, pastor, and preach. In their early twenties, after Pastor Brandon had joined the Air Force as a firefighter, the Hays had the opportunity to be an integral part of a church plant in Florida. Working alongside Pastor Thomas Tucker, a mentor, friend, and fellow airman, Pastors Brandon and Christy got a taste of what was to come in their own future.
Caption: Thomas Tucker and Brandon Hay
After his time in the military came to a close, the Hays returned to their hometown in southwest Virginia. Once there, Pastor Brandon stepped in to work alongside his father in a family business, and the Hays also connected with a church and served as youth pastors for eight years. Pastor Kenny Fields relied on Pastor Brandon quite often to preach in the main church, and he continued to feel the Lord calling him to pastor. Based on where the Lord had them, Pastors Brandon and Christy thought they would be pastoring in the Methodist denomination. However, some doctrinal differences arose, and they realized the Lord was moving their family in another direction. A season of transition was upon the Hays again.
In the summer of 2013, the Hays were attending a birthday pool party when the Lord showed them what the next step would be. Travis Lowe, a new pastor at a church 45 minutes up the road, was attending the party also. He walked up to Brandon, and seemingly out of nowhere, said: “So, when are you gonna plant a church?” Brandon said he was surprised at the question, but he also felt that the idea resonated with his soul. He told Pastor Travis that he didn’t know if he was and that he needed to pray about it. After speaking with his wife, Christy, and a few mentors, friends, and family members, he was seeing the Lord’s hand in this; each person he spoke with was giving him a resounding “yes!” in response. This new adventure was beginning!
Jessi and Travis Lowe; Brandon and Christy Hay
Pastors Brandon and Christy contacted Pastor Travis Lowe, and it was decided: the Hays would partner with Pastor Travis and Crossroads Church in Bluefield, WV to plant their own church in Claypool Hill, VA. The dreaming process started immediately. Pretty early on, Pastors Brandon and Christy knew that the name would be “Life Church,” based on Pastor Brandon’s favorite verse, John 14:6: “Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’” For the Hays, they know that “Life begins at the cross.”
Life Church Logo
The process for planting Life Church was thought out and intentional. First, Pastor Brandon and Pastor Travis attended a class in the Fall of 2013 offered by the Appalachian Conference called “Mother-Daughter Church Planting,” a part of the Dynamic Church Planting International (DCPI) program. Through this class, they learned about the importance of having the support system of the Mother-Daughter relationship, of planning for financial needs, of casting a vision and being able to relay it to others easily and succinctly, and of having a “launch team” in place and meeting in the months leading up to the actual launch service.
Larry Meadors, currently the Assistant Superintendent for the Appalachian Conference, who served as the Director of Discipleship Ministries at the time, encouraged Pastor Brandon to set a date for his launch, even if it was a little far into the future. The date the Hays chose was Palm Sunday, March 29, 2015. They had 17 months to make this happen! Assistant Superintendent Meadors shared: “Brandon is thinking BIG all the time! No matter what, he is gonna swing for the fences!” Bishop Preston Mathena, current Superintendent of the Appalachian Conference, mirrored Meadors’ thoughts: “The Hays weren’t afraid to think big. They have been diligent in all that they have done. They are truly radiant for the Lord.”
Travis Lowe, Brandon Hay, Bishop Preston Mathena
Caption: Travis Lowe, Brandon Hay, Bishop Preston Mathena
As the Hays were thinking about where their church would meet, they started riding around looking at options. Some places were too small. Some lacked parking. Some were too expensive. Some required too much work and wouldn’t be ready in time. One day, Pastor Brandon had his daughter, Lauren, with him as they were looking for a possible location. They headed over to the local mall. The years had not been kind to the mall, as many of the stores had closed or relocated. Even so, Pastor Brandon and Lauren headed inside. Looking specifically at the old Hibbett’s Sport Store, Lauren, who was ten at the time, was suddenly so excited: “I can see it, Dad! It’ll be so easy to tell my friends where my church is. It’s in the mall!” Pastor Brandon caught her enthusiasm, and they had decided. It was a little more difficult to convince the owner of the space; he said: “Churches have a reputation for not paying!” Even so, the mall took a chance on Life Church, and now, because of their faithfulness, the church walks in favor with the owners.
In the year leading up to the launch, the Hays and their team met every other Wednesday night, at the mall. Their meetings took place in the middle of a significant amount of remodeling and construction within the store front; they were transforming Hibbett’s into a church. Pastor Brandon shared about that time: “People would come in dressed in their ‘Sunday-best’ and leave covered in dust! They never seemed to mind though. It was proof of progress. We were really building something! There was so much excitement!” Pretty early on in their Wednesday night meetings, they were seeing souls saved and had to borrow a baptismal from another local church. The Mother-Daughter class taught the Hays that they needed 25 people to be on their launch team and at least one hundred people at the launch service. By the time the service took place, Life Church claimed 50 people as part of their team, and the initial service launched with 230 people! Life Church was off to a great start!
Sunday Morning Service
Pastors Brandon and Christy said that the numbers did not stay in the 230 range; after the initial launch, followed by Easter Sunday, the numbers went down to about 80. He was prepared though! The Mother-Daughter class taught him that this was likely to happen, especially with summer coming up. The first fall, Life Church saw regular attendance at 150. Assistant Superintendent Larry Meadors said the preparation time that Pastor Brandon spent at the Mother-Daughter Church Planting class was invaluable: “Mother-Daughter planting is hands down the best way to do church planting. Having Pastor Travis Lowe and Crossroads Church behind Life Church in the beginning was a game changer.”
When asked if they would consider planting another church, Pastor Brandon replied: “Absolutely!” Pastor Christy joked that God would have to be very clear again, as clear as He was the first time. They are, however, always looking to support someone else as they plant a church; they are ready to be the “Mother” this time in another “Mother-Daughter” church plant.
Overall, the Hays have enjoyed the planting process. Pastor Brandon said that the most rewarding part of their ministry has been seeing people’s and whole families’ lives changed by the grace of God; being a part of the move of God as hundreds have committed to Him and been baptized; and seeing people grow and flourish through different trials in their lives. For Pastor Christy, the most rewarding part was walking in what God has called them to do; being a part of people’s journeys – able to pray, encourage, and walk beside them; and seeing their own children, Lauren and Bryan, not be resentful of the church, but having a soft heart turned toward the Lord, a strong desire to come and be a part of the church.
The process of church planting was difficult at times, but the Hays worked tirelessly to accomplish all that they set out to do. Throughout the planting process, they forged a bond with Pastor Travis Lowe and the Life Church family that would not be broken. They became the best of friends, crossing lines from church planters into chosen family. These two adventurers, Pastors Brandon and Christy, who grew up in Christ together, are enjoying this journey and can’t wait to see what He has instore for them next.
