Our Story

How did Southbridge come to be?

While in seminary in late 2004, Scott Lehr and his wife Shanna felt God begin to burden their hearts with the desire to plant a new church. Two major occurrences branded their hearts with this Great Commission challenge. First, they were selected from potential candidates from across the United States to serve in the Church Planting Residency program at Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. This exciting adventure prepared them for starting Southbridge where Scott now serves as Teaching Pastor and Directional Leader. Secondly, the Lord gave them an inescapable passion for the Raleigh-Durham area in North Carolina.

While the Lehrs were in Little Rock being prepared for ministry, God was also moving in the hearts of Jason and Amanda Tovey in Greenville, South Carolina. Jason now serves Southbridge as Co-Teaching Pastor and Community Group Director.

In the early summer of 2006, both families moved to Raleigh and began meeting with individuals who wanted to see an outwardly-focused church like Southbridge in the Brier Creek area of Raleigh. In August of 2006, 40 people gathered at the Brier Creek Country Club to discuss the core values and vision of Southbridge. In September, the first worship service was held and the church began reaching out to the community through various ministries. At the end of December, Southbridge Fellowship moved to the Brier Creek Movie Theater.

As our name suggests, we desire to build bridges into the community. The good news of the Gospel is too good to keep to ourselves, so we seek opportunities to bridge the gap from Christ to our world. We want to point people to Jesus by living genuine Christian lives expressed through good deeds -- lives that show an accurate picture of who He is so that the world may know Him. We look forward to having you be a part of our story.