Case Study: From the Hood to The Region. How Clarifying Calling Can Accelerate Impact
Pastor Ernest Grant, Accelerate Church
Client: Epiphany Camden / Accelerate Church
Lead Pastor: Ernest Grant
City: Camden, NJ → Marlton, NJ
Population Served: Urban neighborhoods in Camden and surrounding areas
Key Themes: Calling Clarity • Sustainable Urban Ministry • Leadership Transitions • Strategic Relocation
The Challenge:
Epiphany Camden was a legendary urban church plant known for its vision to become a modern-day Antioch, a sending hub for urban ministry leaders. Charlie Mitchell was one of those leaders, completing a residency that immersed him in community life and rigorous training, ultimately leading to church planting.
When the founding pastor transitioned out, the baton was passed to Executive Pastor Ernest Grant. Ernie carried a deep love for the city, the people, and the mission, but quickly found himself hitting an invisible ceiling.
The church had plateaued at around 120 people. The meeting space, a narrow venue across from the projects and next to a junkyard, was limited in capacity and lacked long-term viability.
Financial partnerships from over 40 churches and various networks were sunsetting after 3–5 years. The funding model wasn’t sustainable, and the charismatic momentum of the founding era had run its course.
Pastor Ernie knew he had more to offer, but the setting no longer aligned with his long-term vision and leadership capacity.
The Intervention:
Maroon House stepped in to offer strategic coaching and community consulting.
Using our CAMO framework, we walked with Pastor Ernie through an honest evaluation:
Clarity of Calling & Capacity – Who are you now? What has God shaped you for in this next season?
Audience – Who are you uniquely positioned to reach and shepherd?
Movement – What type of ministry ecosystem are you called to build?
Opportunities & Obstacles – What realities need to be confronted in order to unlock your full potential?
Rather than push harder in a constrained setting, we encouraged Ernie to prayerfully explore a strategic relocation, not to abandon Camden, but to build a stronger base to serve it.
The Result:
Ernest led his church through a bold replanting season. Epiphany Camden became Accelerate Church, relocating to the broader Cherry Hill area in NJ, an adjacent community that allowed him to:
Expand facilities and create a welcoming, safe space for families.
Implement scalable systems aligned with his leadership style.
Reach a broader audience while still staying connected to Camden roots.
Since the move:
Attendance has grown from 120 → nearly over 500 people to-date.
Financial health has dramatically improved. Financially self-sustaining.
Accelerate Church now funds initiatives in Camden, employs staff, and draws more residents from Camden who willingly make the commute.
The mission didn’t shrink; it was able to scale. Impact multiplied.
The Maroon House Difference:
This case illustrates what happens when coaching, care, and strategic clarity come together. We don’t just offer encouragement, we walk leaders into courageous, context-aware decisions that lead to sustainability and transformation.
Maroon House exists to help urban leaders:
Clarify their calling
Recalibrate their strategy
Build movements, not just ministries
Pastor Ernie didn’t walk away from the mission. He stepped into his next assignment with confidence, and now, Camden and the broader metro region are stronger because of it.
“Maroon House helped me name what I felt deep down. My calling hadn’t changed, but my strategy had to. That clarity gave me the freedom to lead boldly.”
– Pastor Ernest Grant, Accelerate Church
Accelerate Church, 2025
The Big Takeaway:
You don’t have to choose between loyalty to a place and long-term effectiveness.
When leaders are clear on who they are, where they thrive, and how they’re called to serve, whole cities get blessed.
Are You In the Inner-City?
Dr. Ernest Grant II has written a book on his experience leading and building a church in Camden, NJ.
