Our Story
In the fall of 2020, Eric and Candace Johnson felt a shift regarding their future. At the time, they were the Senior Pastors of Bethel Church in Redding, CA, having served in that role for almost 10 years. In following their heart, they stepped down from this position and stepped into a space where they didn’t know where they were going, but knew it was what they were supposed to do.
As they were transitioning, Eric felt a pull towards the Carolinas, which is funny because they both had never been there. So in January of 2021, they rented a car and spent 8 days driving through both North and South Carolina. They wanted to see different areas but mostly, they just drove around for 8 days with the goal of seeing if a particular area or city was highlighted to them. They thoroughly enjoyed their time in the Carolinas and were captivated by its beauty, people, history, and culture. But there was something about Greenville, South Carolina that stood out to them. When Eric and Candace got back to Redding, CA, they spent a lot of time praying, talking, and processing with their daughters, family, and friends about where they were sensing they would go next.
In March of 2021, they went back to Greenville to continue to explore if this was the place they were to go next. Their prayer for going back to Greenville was “God, may this visit be a clear ‘no’ or a ‘yes’”. When they drove into the city and began to walk around downtown, something happened in their hearts for Greenville.
So, they began to make contact with different leaders, pastors and people who lived in the Greenville area to get to know the city and process what they felt God was leading them to. Their heart was to find out what God was doing there and partner with that while exploring ways they could contribute to the bigger story that was being written in the city. On April 4th, Easter Sunday, after praying and processing with their daughters and some close friends, they felt a release to make a commitment to start a church in Greenville, South Carolina.
Soon thereafter in the summer of 2021, Eric and Candace moved to Greenville with a launch team from Redding, California to plant Studio in the heart of the city. Since then, we’ve been joined by countless families and friends from Greenville and around the world who feel called to be a part of what God is doing through the Studio community. It’s here that our story begins, and we’re excited to invite you to be a part of what God is doing in our midst.
P.O. BOX 816, GREENVILLE, SC 29602 | (864) 729-2440