The Lord led Terence Merritt, M.D. to establish a ministry in Atlanta. The ministry was to be called the LIFE Church (John 10:10b “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”). Without any outside financial support and without any initial members, Dr. Merritt leased a building in the Candler Park neighborhood and began renovating it. This location, 344 Candler Park Drive, NE, became the birth place of LIFE Church. Dr. Merritt spent many hours in prayer in the building, before any services were held. LIFE began as a house of prayer, and continues to be so today.
January 20, Dr. Merritt began leading weekly Wednesday evening Bible Study, and in February, he began having Sunday services. On March 7, the doors of LIFE were opened for the first time, and seven persons joined the new ministry. For the first year, LIFE gathered for worship every Wednesday evening and every Sunday afternoon. At the end of 2010, God instructed Pastor Merritt to move LIFE’s service to Sunday morning, beginning the first Sunday of 2011.
In December 2012, Pastor Merritt prophesied that 2013 would be a year of swift, sudden transitions for better, and in July, Dr. Merritt found what would become LIFE’s new home in Southwest Atlanta. In August, LIFE closed on the facility, and in September, LIFE moved into its new home. The Father favored the three year old ministry to purchase the 25,000 square foot facility and to obtain a mortgage for over $1 Million. The entire time LIFE leased the property in Candler Park, it remained an active listing on the MLS for sell, but there was not a single contract placed on the property, until after LIFE finalized the contract on its new facility. In January 2016, LIFE officially closed on the property directly across the street from the main campus, and called it LIFE Plaza. This is the second acquisition of LIFE church.
God has tremendously blessed and favored LIFE. LIFE’s ministries, which include the intercessory ministry, the children’s ministry, teen mentorship, the prison ministry, feeding and clothing of the needy, an employment network, and benevolent assistance, reach and impact beyond the walls of LIFE. LIFE Church is a place where "miracles are common". Since the inception of the ministry, there have been many reported miracles and deliverances. Testimonies of healing are prevalent throughout LIFE. Lives are being radically transformed for the better, and to date, the church is growing by leaps and bounds. 8 years later, we are still holding to our original mission "Passionately Loving God and Intentionally Loving People.”