Our Leaders
Pastor Ernest and Sarah Grant
Pastor Ernest Grant, II and Sarah Grant are passionate about helping people in the South Jersey region meet Jesus, walking in their God-given purpose, and live the life that God desires for them. Pastor Ern, as he is affectionately known, has served in ministry for the past decade, helped plant churches, earned a doctorate in organizational leadership, and is excited to see a move of God in South Jersey. Sarah was born in Nigeria and migrated to the States in the late 90s. She earned a masters degree in public health and currently serves as a Quality Assurance Director at a non-profit organization. She mentors women, leads the prayer ministry, and loves to cook Nigerian food. The couple met in college and are the parents of two world changers – Amaela, the ballerina, and Chancellor, the paleontologist.
Our Vision
"We are a movement that creates moments for people to meet Jesus."
A movement is a group of people that are seeking to change something in the culture. We believe that it's the perfect word to describe our Church because we are a group of people that are on a mission to change the fact that many people do not know Jesus in Camden City, Camden County, and the surrounding region. One of the ways that we do that is by creating moments such as our Sunday Service, Outreach events, Crews, and other environments where people can encounter Jesus and have their lives changed by Him!
"We are a movement that creates moments for people to meet Jesus."
A movement is a group of people that are seeking to change something in the culture. We believe that it's the perfect word to describe our Church because we are a group of people that are on a mission to change the fact that many people do not know Jesus in Camden City, Camden County, and the surrounding region. One of the ways that we do that is by creating moments such as our Sunday Service, Outreach events, Crews, and other environments where people can encounter Jesus and have their lives changed by Him!
Why Accelerate?
A church planter in the first century named Paul was having some difficulties in a seaport city called Corinth. He was being persecuted by the religious elite and his ministry had hit a snag. It was during that time that he asked for another church to pray for him. He asked them to pray that the “word of the Lord would speed ahead” (2nd Thessalonians 3:1). The same vision that Paul had 2000 years ago is the same one that we have today! We want to see the gospel of Jesus run in Camden City, Camden County, and the surrounding area so that people meet God at a rapid pace.
Our Values
Jesus Is Our Why.
There's always a "why" behind the "what"; and for us, it's Jesus! He's the reason we gather for worship, cultivate relationships, serve passionately, and do all we do!
We Help People Take Next Steps.
We meet people where they are and lead them to where Jesus wants them to go! At Accelerate, we're always looking to help people grow in their faith and become more like Jesus one step at a time.
We Are A Bridge.
As a church seeking to be the bridge for Camden City and the surrounding areas, we will strive to tear down barriers that keep us apart. Therefore, we advocate for the vulnerable, speak up for the voiceless, and pursue justice for God's image-bearers from the womb to the tomb.
We Bleed "Accelerate Blue."
We believe God is doing something special at Accelerate Church; so, we give it our best! We champion our vision and culture by embracing it, authentically living out, and developing systems that streamline it so we can passionately pass it on.
We Are Crazy Generous.
We go above and beyond to give towards kingdom-advancing initiatives, planting churches, and launching new campuses that impact the Camden area, our region, and the world.
Mission Statement
We want to help people Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, and Make A Difference
What We Believe
The Bible
We believe The Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, is the authoritative Word of God. It alone is the final authority for determining all doctrinal truths. In its original writing, the Bible is inspired, infallible and inerrant.Proverbs 30:5; Romans 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21
The Trinity
We believe there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit. These three are coequal and coeternal.Genesis 1:26; Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Hebrews 3:7-11; I John 5:7
Jesus
We believe Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. On earth, Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died on the cross for humanity and thus, atoned for our sins through the shedding of His blood. He rose from the dead on the third day according to scriptures, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return again in power and glory. Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1,14, 20:28; Philippians 2:5-6; 1 Timothy 2:5
Salvation
We believe man is saved by grace alone, through personal faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works or of any human effort. Through repentance of our sins, we receive forgiveness of our sins. Repentance is the commitment to turn away from sin in every area of our lives and to follow Jesus Christ, thus allowing us to be redeemed.Romans 10:9-10; Acts 3:19, 16:31; Galatians 2:16, 3:8;
Gifts of The Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit is displayed through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and sanctify the Church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection, and confirm the power of the Gospel. The lists of these gifts in the Bible are not necessarily exhaustive and may occur in various combinations. These gifts always operate in harmony with the Word of God and should never be used in violation of Biblical parameters.1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:5-16; Hebrews 2:4; 1 Peter 4:10)
The Church
Every person who is born of the Spirit is part of the universal Church as a member of the body of believers and is encouraged by scripture to be planted in the local Church. The Church is the representative of Jesus on earth and is to carry out the Great Commission.Psalm 92:12-15; Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23; John 17:11, 20-23
The Sacraments
We believe that the ordinances of the Church, by the command of Jesus Christ, are water baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper, both of which are administered to those who are born again.Matthew 26:26-29, 28:19; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38, 8:12, 36-38, 10:47-48
Heaven and Hell
Heaven is the eternal dwelling place for all believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. After living on earth, the unbelievers will be judged by God and sent to Hell where they will be eternally with the Devil and the Fallen Angels. Heaven and Hell are places of eternal existence.Matthew 5:3,12,20, 6:20, 19:21, 25:34, 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; John 5:11-13, 17:24; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Hebrews 9:27, 11:16; 1 Peter 1:4; Revelation 14:9-11
Marriage and Sexuality
We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary sexes together reflect the image and nature of God (Gen. 1:26-27). Rejection of one’s biological sex/gender is a rejection of the image of God within that person.We understand that in rare instances, due to the presence and reality of sin in the world that gender is not always clear at birth. In those cases we will walk a path of healing, restoration, and spiritual accountability in love and patience, understanding that we also do not have all the answers to these rare instances. It is our desire to lead any individual to find their true identity in Christ and to experience all the hope and blessings that come in being created in God’s image. We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity Matthew 19:4-6, 1 Corinthians 6:18, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Romans 1:26-27, Deuteronomy 23:1