The friends and families of Christ Church Sanford believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ is sufficient in all ways to reconcile us to God and give us eternal life. The gospel of Jesus Christ can be summarized as the birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. We embrace the gospel through faith by God’s grace.
2019:
​2020:
2021:
2024:
Now:
Backyard gatherings were held.
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From one family to twenty-two, CCS has grown consistently and has met at a variety of different locations. Praise God for His faithfulness!
CCS launched LIFE groups
Bible studies and Backyard Bible Club began.
Worship services were launched before Christ Church Sanford became a mission church per Central Carolina Presbytery.
About Us
Our Beliefs
Our Values
The Bible
We believe that the Bible, which is made up of the Old and New Testaments, is the only authority for glorifying and enjoying God because it primarily teaches what we are to believe about God and what God requires of us. We believe the Bible is inerrant, authoritative, clear, necessary, sufficient, and perspicuous.
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The Gospel
We believe the gospel is good news because God accomplished for us what we could not accomplish on our own. We are redeemed and set free through faith in Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection alone. The gospel of Jesus is good news for the saved, the lost, the community, and the world. (John 3:16, Romans 5:8)
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People
We will never forget that our most valuable resource is our people. Each person bears the image of God and is therefore worthy of love, respect, dignity, and affirmation. We also believe that each of us has an equal need for the forgiveness of our sins and salvation through faith in the person and work of Jesus. (Gen. 1:27, 1 Thess. 2:8)
Community
We are committed to invest in and celebrate relationships. We understand that relationships take time and that they reflect the rhythms of where we live, work and play. We believe in collaborating with others and building partnerships whenever given the chance. We also recognized the central role of the church as God calls his people to gather for encouragement and support through worship, the preaching of the gospel, celebrating the sacraments, small groups, and in loving our friends, families and neighbors well. (Acts 2:42, Heb. 10:24-25)
Stewardship
We believe that this world is not our own and because of that, we are committed to take seriously the stewardship of our time, talents, and treasures. We desire to generously invest in our communities and world with our children, grandchildren, and eternity in mind. We resist the temptation to focus on our own personal kingdoms and instead focus on building the Kingdom of God for His glory and for our enjoyment. (Gen. 1:28, 2 Cor. 9:6-7, 1 Tim. 6:17-19)
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Mission
Just as Jesus was sent into the world. so are we. We are called to be salt and light and to spread the gospel to family, friends, neighbors, and the world. (John 17:18, Matt. 5:13-16, Matt. 28:18-20)
"They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts."
Acts 2:46b
Our Staff
Senior Pastor - Ralph Johnston​
(770) 530-2714
Ralph and Lisa entered the ministry with CRU in 1992 after graduating from the University of North Carolina. They had the privilege of beginning Student Venture, the high school ministry of CRU, in Jacksonville, Florida. At the same time their family grew to four with the birth of Elizabeth and Matthew. Ralph fell in love with the local church while in Jacksonville and felt called to pursue theological training. So, Ralph and Lisa left Jacksonville and headed to Atlanta, Georgia in 1999 to work with the youth ministry of Perimeter Church. Andrew was born shortly after they arrived in Atlanta, and within two years Ralph took a job as an assistant pastor with Alan Foster to help plant East Lanier Community Church in Buford, Georgia. While at East Lanier, Ralph graduated from Reformed Theological Seminary in 2006 as Lisa invested full-time in the kids. Shortly after graduating, Ralph got the bug for church planting and left East Lanier to plant GracePointe Church in Forsyth County, Georgia. That was twelve wonderful years ago. Ralph, Lisa and the kids have seen a new church born and we have also been privileged to launch a successful day camp called Camp Kerusso, which serves the community for eight weeks in the summer. The Johnston family has been in the business of starting and building ministries for 27 years, and it is time to launch into one more adventure. Ralph and Lisa feel called to hand off GracePointe and Camp Kerusso to others, and move out and start a new church (and possibly another camp) in Sanford, North Carolina.
Church Administrator - Melanie Lasley
Melanie has lived in North Carolina for 14 years with her four children. She has homeschooled three of them for some of their school years while working part-time on a home business. She has been a member of Christ Church for four years and in 2022 came on staff as the church administrator. She loves spending time with her children - Ruth (24), she is married to Jacob, Caleb (21), Sarah (17) and Zach (15). She enjoys spending time baking, crafting, walking, and playing games with her family! She is also very grateful to be a part of Christ Church’s loving family.
Elder - Noah Bostrom
No email listed
Noah lived in Fuquay-Varina, NC until he was 14, when he moved to Helena Montana where his father had been called to plant a church. After several years of seeking his own selfish way, Noah was rescued by God from sin and death. A loving Savior indeed! Noah graduated from Montana State University with a BA in Photography and Writing. He moved to Nashville, TN with his new wife Caroline in 2019 and then onto Sanford, NC in 2022. He loves being out in nature, having fellowship at his home, reading to his son Beren and hanging out with his wife Caroline. He has owned his own photography business since 2015, and loves sharing the beauty of God’s creation with the world. Noah is honored to serve Christ Church Sanford and those God puts in his path, and hopes to learn well and share well, the Gospel. To glorify and enjoy Immanuel forever!
Deacon - Randy Thomas
No email listed
Randy is married to Lauren and has two sons, Jack and Judson. He is a native of North Carolina, growing up in Moore County and moved to Sanford in 2020. He works as a project manager for an industrial mechanical company in Greensboro . He likes to spend time with his family, especially outdoors, hiking favorite trails and exploring new ones. Randy has felt privileged serving at Christ Church Sanford and getting to know the families through fellowship, life groups, and bible studies.
Deacon - Ben Ferrarini
No email listed
My name is Benjamin Ferrarini, I go by Ben. I gave my life to Christ in 2003. After giving my life to the Lord, He has sent me on a journey of study and service. I studied Mass Communication at Toccoa Falls College with a passion for movies, tv shows, music, anime, and visual arts. There I also met my wife, Rachel, whom with we have two boys, Seth and Michael Asher. After leaving my undergrad, the Lord has sent me to study film in Los Angeles as well as obtain my Masters of Fine Arts in directing film and television at Regent University. I have a passion for showing the struggles with modern media arts and the message of the Gospel. Â I look forward to serving the members and attendees of Christ Church Sanford as we a seek deeper relationship with our Lord and Savior.
