WATERTOWN CHURCH PLANT
Grace & Peace Oconomowoc is hosting a project to call together a new gospel church in the Watertown area.
Clay Smith
Pastor of Church Planting
I grew up in suburban SE Wisconsin. I saw Christ pictured in crucifixes and stained glass, but not trusted as Lord and Savior. I drifted away from faith altogether in high school, thinking the Christian God a mere symbol of moralism or therapy rather than a life-changing reality. I made a career in music my god instead. I chased the mirages of self-determination, approval, and sin. These left me empty and asking, “Who am I? Why am I here?” I came to realize that self-made identity and purpose can be neither true nor good for me. I opened myself to church again, where God and his people were gracious to me in my ignorance, doubt, and defiance. I came to see Jesus Christ not as a mere symbol, but as God himself come to bear my sin in the flesh. I have been growing, failing, and following in Christ ever since.
If you are wondering how to begin (or begin again) with God, I’d love to hear your story—especially if you find yourself in the Watertown area where I am called to explore the possibility of a new church. If you are wanting to join our merry band of those seeking gospel transformation in Watertown, please reach out! I hope you find your way onto my calendar through nearby button. Let’s meet and seek together!
Has a "personal relationship" with God felt more like going through evangelical motions to you? Has the message of the church sounded more like echoes of our moment's political and cultural friction than life-changing gospel in your experience? Have you seen firsthand how unaccountable church leadership results in scandal and abuse? Have the failures of the institutional church left you in profound bitterness and isolation? Do you not even know what to think about God and Jesus anymore? Are you simply church-tired--run down by a treadmill of endless programming, obligations, and guilt?
This is a church group for the damaged, the disillusioned, the doubting, and the deconstructing. It's also a group looking in faith to God for a new beginning…
Catch us if you can, Watertown!
We don’t have a building, and we haven’t even launched services. You can find Clay at Grace & Peace Oconomowoc on Sundays, but if you want to find this group in the Watertown community, you’ll have to catch us out in the wild! You usually won’t be able to miss Clay: look for the goofy guy in the clerical collar. Click below for some hints on how to meet up and engage Watertown with us!