2025 Annual Report
NOVEMBER 2024 – OCTOBER 2025
A Song of Ascents Thank You Impact Stories
Average Attendance A-Kids
Students A-Team Groups Online Next Steps
Local Outreach
Global Outreach
Counseling
..... A Song of Ascents
A Song of Ascents.
Psalm 134
Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord.
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.
May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who is the Maker of heaven and earth.
“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.”
1 Corinthians 16:13-14
As we enter 2026, I pray we are on our guard. May we live with eyes open, ready and eager, always looking for opportunities to serve Him. May we be wise, praying for protection against spiritual attack.
As we enter 2026, I pray we stand firm in the faith. As people speak of revival in our nation, may we explore and lean into however God wants to use us. I pray this is a year of growth in Him like never before.
As we enter 2026, I pray we will be courageous and strong. Together, let’s face whatever adversity lies ahead.
As we enter 2026, may love be our motivation. May the love and grace of Jesus be what we are known for. May the gospel shape everything we do.
I love this succinct and inspiring admonition as to who we are called to be as people of faith. I pray this verse over my family every night and every morning. As we reflect on 2025 and move forward, I’m going to pray this over our church family as well. God has done so much this year and our team is eager to both share and celebrate with you. We hope you enjoy viewing our Annual Report, seeing just a portion of what God has done. We are thankful that God continues to move in the life of our church. Thank you for your sacrificial and consistent generosity and know that God works through your generosity to change lives. Please let us know if you have any questions or if we can serve you in any way.
God put us here for a reason. I believe we are still just getting started. Together, may we be on our guard, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, and be strong. Together, may we do everything in love.
In Him,
..... Stories
Impact
1,969 salvations since launch
Stories
I grew up in a traditional, denominational church very close to where Ascent is now. When I moved back to Virginia Beach, my wife, Linda, and I felt the need to find a scripture-based church to help us grow in our faith. We knew Ascent was our church during our first service in the Fall of 2021. 2025 has brought plenty of challenges, but I have also been blessed more than I deserve. Through all of the challenges, I have learned to turn to Christ. We felt called to be Baptized in the Spring of 2025, which was the highlight of our Spiritual journey so far. We continue to serve our community and are blessed and grateful for our home at Ascent.
Bruce McLaughlin
“Ascent Church is more than a building; it’s a community that shows up, cares deeply, and loves faithfully about all people.”
This year was a tremendously hard year for my family, as my husband got sick and started having very severe and regular seizures as a result of trauma response that had resurfaced from his childhood. As we experienced this intense season of suffering and our whole world being shifted, Ascent Church came alongside us and supported us in more ways than we could have imagined. Without hesitation, Ascent became our steady place - truly being the hands and feet of Jesus like something we’ve ever experienced. They provided us with weekly marriage counseling to help navigate our new normal, predicted our needs providing us with DoorDash gift cards when necessary, and additional individual counseling for our family as we all processed this significant life shift. Our small groups kept us connected and supported in community with constant check-ins and weekly encouragement. Ascent Church is more than a building; it’s a community that shows up, cares deeply, and loves faithfully about all people. My family is forever changed by the love and kindness from the pastors and body of believers at Ascent Church.
Katie Dobbs
Average Attendance
21.13%
Attendance
1,084
October 2024
1,313
October 2025
A-Kids
495
First Time Kids
Students
First Time Students
Summer Camp Attendees
A-Team
A-Teams
Groups
478
People in Groups
Total Groups
YouTube
208,108 Views since Launch
21,332
Downloads*
157,031 Views since Launch
*With listeners across 149 countries/territories
Sermon Series
Next Steps
Next Steps is a two week interactive session that invites people to hear our vision, establish their purpose, get equipped with resources, and empower others through serving. Our main purpose for Next Steps is to connect people to the life of Ascent Church and come alongside them as they take their next step in faith.
People connected to the church through Next Steps
Local Outreach 2025 Partners
Outreach Serve Day Projects
Samaritan House
Point O’View Elementary School
Manna Ministry of Tidewater
Judeo-Christian Outreach Center
Shelton Park Elementary School
Plaza Middle School
Bayside Elementary
Holland Elementary FreeKind
Union Mission Ministries
Stand Up for Kids
Pregnancy
Global Outreach 2025 Partners
37 ..... Brick by Brick
Brick by Brick
Brick by Brick is an opportunity as a church to increase prayer and intentional generosity to build His kingdom and not our own. This is more than a building. It’s about Kingdom impact. It’s about making room for more people to know Jesus. It’s about building faith, building community, and building a legacy—brick by brick.
Raised in 2025 $508,148.07
$921,315.46
Raised Since Campaign Launch (April 2024)
$1,593,842.51
$1,830,074.43
Budget
44 ..... A Letter from Pastor T
Association of Related Churches
We are a cooperative of independent churches from different denominations, networks, and backgrounds who strategically resource church planters and pastors to help them reach people with the message of Jesus. We do this by providing relationships, resources, and opportunities to leaders of new and existing churches so that they can thrive.
“…and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light. For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:12-14
As we look back, let us give joyful thanks to the Father.
As we reflect, let us never forget the gospel: that He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of His Son.
May we press forward, to be who He calls us to be and go where He calls us to go.
I invite you to be a part of what God is doing here at Ascent Church. If you don’t already, I invite you to call Ascent Church your church and your home. I invite you to join us in our mission to seek out the lost and send out the found. I invite you to pray for the future of this city. I invite you to fight for the next generation. I invite you to honor God by investing financially here. If led, you can support this ministry by going to ascentchurch.net and schedule monthly giving online to prepare the way for God to move in this city.
We believe we are now better positioned than ever to make an increasing impact for the gospel. Thank you for every prayer, every invite to a friend, every small group meeting, and every interaction on social media. Thank you for every financial investment you have given to make this move of the gospel a reality. God is working through you. We truly believe our best days are ahead and cannot wait to see what He has in store for us in 2026.
In Him,