About us
We are excited to introduce you to our church! Our passion is to provide a place where people of various backgrounds, regardless of where they are on their spiritual journey, can have a life-changing experience with God.
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OUR MISSION
To help people grow and develop in their relationship with God.
OUR VISION
To see people from all walks of life:
Know God,
Find Freedom,
Discover Purpose,
and Make a Difference.
KNOW GOD
FIND FREEDOM
DISCOVER PURPOSE
MAKE A
DIFFERENCE
OUR mission
To help people grow and develop
in their relationship with God
OUR purpose
To be a relevant connection to the love of God
OUR core values
I M P A C T
​​Integrity - guides our actions
Ministry - every member a minister
Personal intimacy - growing in relationship with God
Authenticity - being genuine in our pursuit of God
Community - determined to be a positive impact
Truth - as found in the Word of God
our pastor:
"Our freedom is inexorably linked to righteousness - we are not righteous by our right doing, we are righteous by our right being."
-Walter Nelson
Lead Pastor
Walter Nelson has been the pastor of Impact Church since November 2007. He is ordained with the Assemblies of God.
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It is his passion to help people discover who they are in Christ and to support them as they grow and develop in their relationship with God. Pastor Walt wants to see people equipped so that they can accomplish what God has called them to do.
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Before pastoring in Lake Wales, he and his wife, Tina, and their three children, served as missionaries in the West Indies with the Assemblies of God World Missions.
our STAFF:
Shawn Rudy
Children's Pastor / Ministry Director
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Pam Kneer
Empowered Master's Commission Director
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Kami Schulze
Youth Pastor
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Balaan Cotto
Spanish Pastor
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Joel Howe
Young Adults
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our story
Impact Church started on February 22, 1959, as First Assembly of God, Lake Wales. The small gathering of believers began meeting in the Lake Wales Women's Club under the founding pastor, James Abell. Soon, however, a local storefront building downtown was secured and the church began to meet there. As our congregation grew, property was secured and a building was completed in early 1960 at the corner of Pine and Minnesota, which served as the church’s home until 1985. Under the direction of Pastor AJ Steverson, the current grounds were purchased and buildings built until his retirement in 2004.
Pastor Walter Nelson, who has served the church since November, 2007, now leads the church in our mission, “To help people grow and develop in their relationship with God.”
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We are a group of believers who are committed to God through worship and His Word, the Bible. We are committed to being authentic in our pursuit of Him and service to others. Impact Church is focused on reaching out to the non-churched community by building relationships through our corporate worship services as well as small groups. The life-giving message of the Gospel, the passion and joy of Sunday services, and the simple style of Impact Church has its appeal to individuals of all walks of life. Our church is growing as people come and discover their need for God’s love in their lives.
Though we are still an Assemblies of God church, in July, 2012, we changed our name to IMPACT CHURCH to reflect our desire to take the ministry of God’s Word outside the walls of the church building. For us, Christ’s last command is our first priority:
Matt 28:19 “Go...and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
