Our History
1988
1998
2004
2009
2016
2019
2021
2023
2024
Church at The Mill Was Born
Retired pastor Floyd Loudermilk and his wife Sara were approached by the Spartanburg Baptist Association with a proposal to start a mission on the west side of Spartanburg. In February 1988, Floyd and Sara held a meeting in their living room, and the church was born.
Possess The Land
With the rise in membership and visitors, it was necessary to review the church’s capacity to minister to a growing population. After deciding to build a facility, the church officially purchased the piece of land that was always the most ideal location on Anderson Mill Road.
The Right Man
In 2004 after almost two years without a pastor, The Lord brought our current shepherd, Dr. D.J. Horton to Church at The Mill. He was 25 and just finishing his first seminary degree when he and his wife Laurel moved to Spartanburg with their three-week-old firstborn child. Since then, D.J.’s family and our church have witnessed incredible growth.
The Time Is Now
For years it had been predicted that Church at The Mill was poised to experience breakout growth. The leadership and congregation decided to stop saying it could happen. They declared, “the time is now.” After a three-year spiritual and financial journey, the church finally moved into a new facility in March of 2009 that would allow Church at The Mill to begin the journey of becoming a regional church, drawing people from all over the Upstate of South Carolina.
Greater
After worshiping across five overflowing services in two buildings each Sunday, it was a rare day when the entire congregation came together in one place to worship. On October 30, 2016, the body gathered at the Upward Star Center for Commitment Sunday to kick-off the “GREATER” capital campaign to build a new 2,000+-seat facility. GREATER had very little to do with adding another building to the campus or creating an impression of size and prominence. Pastor D.J. continued to remind the church that this journey was not about building a greater church building. It was about building for a greater church.
New Facility
On Palm Sunday 2019, we worshipped for the first time in the brand new Worship Center that has 2,200 seats! This was a monumental day, as everyone could come and worship in one room together, comfortably. The following Sunday was Easter, and it was a full house for almost all of the services! It was a blessing. We can’t wait to see how God is going to use this building for His glory for years to come.
Woodruff Campus
In April 2021, we acquired a facility in Woodruff and began transitioning that into our first additional campus. Adam Siskey, our previous High School Pastor, has been sent to this campus to be the Campus Pastor and to shepherd the Woodruff community.
East Asian Congregation
In 2021, we started our first international/bilingual congregation. Pastor John Zhang joined the Church at The Mill staff and began weekly services in English and Mandarin in order to reach the growing Asian population in our community.
Lake Cooley Campus
In May 2023, we started a new campus in the Lake Cooley community after renovations of the original church home. Dylan Baxter is the Campus Pastor and has been called to shepherd the Lake Cooley community.
Church at The Mill Español
September 2024 brought our second international congregation—Church at The Mill Español. This congregation, made up of Spanish-speaking congregants with origins from many different countries, began meeting in The Chapel on Sunday evenings under the leadership of Pastor Andrew Smith.