Thank you for taking time to find out more about our church family. The Summit is a community of real people seeking a relationship with the living God. Our church provides a casual modern worship experience that allows people of all backgrounds an opportunity to seek a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
The Summit is a non-denominational, non-charismatic church designed for Worship, Fellowship, Discipleship, Ministry, and Outreach. We are a casual place where real people from all walks of life can come to cultivate relationships with God and each other. Our preaching packs compelling and positive messages that can easily be applied to our lives in today’s world. Our worship team performs modern worship song selections that are entertaining and inspiring at the same time. You can learn more about God and yourself with our Small Group Program. There are countless opportunities to volunteer in our community or participate in events that benefit the entire world. We hold monthly fellowship events where we can cultivate new friendships and renew old ones. While The Summit remains non-denominational, we maintain a relationship with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship [global and NC].
History
The Summit began with a Bible study group that met at the home of Jim and Lisa Dean in the spring of 2005. Nine persons gathered weekly for prayer and study in an attempt to seek the Lord’s direction in beginning a new church that reached out to those who did not attend church or those who had no personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
The Summit Church held its first worship service on September 11, 2005 at the Family Resource Center in Webster N.C. The dream was to begin a fresh worship experience that would honor God by bringing all who attend into a deepening relationship with Jesus Christ.
Since then the church has quickly grown into a vibrant community of faith that features creative worship, exciting fellowship, deepening discipleship, ministry for all ages and community outreach.
On September 10, 2006, The Summit moved to Cullowhee Valley School for Sunday worship gatherings. This allowed the congregation to accommodate space for worship, small groups and children’s ministry.
In 2016, Jim Dean resigned as the church’s first pastor. T Thomas graciously agreed to become the church’s interim pastor. The church underwent a large search for its next pastor, ultimately calling Gary Long.
On August 13, 2017 Gary Long, Mdiv was called as the second pastor of The Summit Church.
The Church remained in the Cullowhee Valley School until January 7, 2017 when it was able to move into a joint space with Heritage Christian Academy’s Preschool at 486 Fairview Rd. This allowed the church to develop and design a permanent worship space to practice the 3 tenets of belonging, believing, and becoming.
Gary Long resigned as pastor in September of 2018. A transition team, Dream Team, spent many months working to redefine the church’s mission and vision and prepare to lead the congregation in a discussion about future staffing hires and goals for our church. The Dream Team developed a updated mission statement for the church that they felt reflected the ethos of the church’s pursuits.
In November of 2019, The Summit hired Rev. Steve Jamison of Sylva, NC, to serve as Co-Pastor alongside Rev. Tracie Jernigan. Steve and Tracie share the responsibilities of casting vision for the church, maintaining its ministries, caring for our congregation, and connecting to our community.
The Summit ordained Rev. Jim Pressley, Jr., in October 2021, and Jim serves on our pastoral staff.
The Summit Church 