The Story of NLC

Matt and Sarah Keller had it in their hearts from a young age to be local church pastors. They also knew that "planting" a church somewhere was a great way to do that. After serving in different areas of ministry, in August of 2001, the vision that God had placed in Matt's heart came alive! They knew that it was time to move to Fort Myers and begin the process of birthing Next Level Church.

After taking the fall of 2001 to travel and share their vision, Matt & Sarah moved with their son Will, to Fort Myers in January of 2002. Their plans were to bring into reality the dream that God had placed in their hearts by creating a culturally relevant & user-friendly church. Accompanied by Mike Ash, Dave Donahue, and Taitem & Jessica Kretz, the six-person church planting team formed the nucleus of what is now Next Level Church. 

The church planting team began holding a weekly Bible study at Lighthouse Coffee Company in late February and from there, a core group of 12 was formed with 10 adults and two children. "Those days were exciting," Pastor Matt says, "we just knew God was going to do something. We weren't exactly sure how, but we were glad to be apart of it!"  After looking at one venue, Pastor Matt & Sarah were on a date at the local movie theater when he turned to her and said, "Hey, do you think that they would let us meet here?" God was so good to open every door necessary to be able to do just that!

On Mother's Day, May 12, 2002, Next Level Church launched their first service at the Bell Tower 20 Theaters. Mike Ash, Relationships Pastor says, "We were all so nervous that morning. I will never forget the relief felt when the first people actually showed up." There were 35 in attendance that first Sunday and the church continued to grow and add new faces through the summer months.

By Christmas of 2002, Next Level was averaging 70 in attendance in their Sunday Morning Worship Service. They continued to meet at the Coffee House Tuesday nights and lives were really being changed. "I kept looking around and thinking, how did these people get here?" Pastor Matt says, "I guess just one family at a time!"

The church continued to grow throughout the spring months and on Easter 2003, after sending out 25,000 invitation postcards, attendance skyrocketed to an all-time high of 175. It wasn't just numerical growth either. Many people were giving their hearts to the Lord."It was awesome to see people who had turned away from their faith for years returning to Him," Pastor Matt says. "I was so thankful for every life that was being touched. After starting so small, it was easy to be grateful." Because of the incredible growth, the Tuesday night Bible Studies were canceled and Small Groups (our connection groups) were birthed.

Due to continued growth, in September of 2004 Next Level Church launched  an additional Sunday morning service.  "Everyone just pitched in to make it happen," Pastor Matt said.  "We knew it would be an adjustment with our workers and crews, but they all made it happen!"  By Easter of 2005 there were 365 in attendance and lives continued to be changed.

After continued growth, the leadership team of NLC just felt that it was time to move.  In the fall of 2005, God began to open a new door.  On April 9th, 2006, NLC moved into the brand new auditorium at South Fort Myers High School.  By Easter of 2007, the church had grown to 600 people. 

In the fall of 2007, the church built out 6300 square feet of warehouse space.  This serves as a place for our youth and other small meeting events.  It is also a huge asset for the staff to be able to function in great offices.  In January of 2008, NLC launched two identical services at the High School.

With a vision to have their own facility someday. . . The focus of Next Level continues to be on creating an environment where people of all ages can experience God, worship Him freely, participate in ministry, & connect with others!