Discipleship: A Way of LIfe

The congregation built its name and purpose around the Great Commandment to love God and love others in the way that God loves us.

The Church On The Way held its first meeting as a Virginia-based church on December 22, 2024, just under a year ago. Throughout most of 2024, the congregation met at the beautiful Marriott Meadowview Resort and Convention Center in Kingsport, Tennessee, before relocating to its new home in Scott County, Virginia. The church is now housed in the former Teletech building in Weber City, originally built as a call center for Amazon and Citibank. Church On The Way is a lively congregation with the Great Commission at its heart.

Dr. Tony Crisp, pastor of Church On The Way, is a seasoned leader, professor, and a familiar figure in Southern Baptist circles. He has served on various national committees and the Executive Committee for Southern Baptists. He explains, “The congregation built its name and purpose around the Great Commandment to love God and love others in the way that God loves us. And the Great Commission as it appears in Matthew 28:18-20.”

Dr. Crisp continues, “There is one command that Jesus gave to His followers in verse 18, which is ‘Make disciples.’ To be clear, it is not ‘Go!’ The word ‘go’ is a participle that defines a verbal adjective that tells you when, where, and how to do the action that is being commanded. A more accurate and expanded translation of the Great Commission would be, ‘...Therefore make disciples of anyone of any ethnicity... as you are going, whenever you are going, wherever you are going... immersing those who are followers of Jesus in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.’ As followers of Jesus Christ, both individually and as the Church collectively, we are called to love God with all our being and to make disciples by baptizing them and teaching them to live in obedience to God’s Word.”

Church On The Way is named to reflect this truth. Discipleship is a way of life—not something we do only occasionally or in a place separate from where we live and work every day. The church is the anchor of a new development, Riverside, scheduled to begin in Scott County in the coming months. It is also developing a childcare ministry, Riverside Academy, to serve Scott County and the Tri-Cities area. Currently, there are no daycare facilities in all of Scott County, so this ministry will allow the church to play an important role in reaching families throughout the region.

The church is working closely with Travis Ingle, SBCV Regional Strategist for Southwest Virginia, to encourage and partner with like-minded churches, impacting the region with the life-changing message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.