Planting a Church in Phoenixville

When Darin Pesnell and his wife Krissy were making their way down from New York City to Pennsylvania, Krissy made one thing clear: they would not be doing a church planting.

Things, however, changed. On Sunday, March 4, the Pesnells will celebrate the launch of weekly worship services for Iron Works Church with the kickoff of a spring sermon series, “Rise from the Ashes.”

Pesnell became fascinated with the idea of church planting as a member of a Presbyterian Church of America congregation in Brooklyn. The new churches were springing up and Pesnell watched as the process unfolded.

When the family moved to Pennsylvania, Pesnell attended seminary in Philadelphia and the family stayed with friends in Chester Springs. Pesnell was intrigued by the idea of new urbanism, a planning movement focusing on walkability and community that attempts to reverse the course of suburban sprawl. He liked that Phoenixville seemed to be embracing new urbanism. The family went to check out the borough.

“We came her to buy guitar strings and really fell in love,” Pesnell said.

They moved to Phoenixville in 2008, shortly after talking with two friends about the idea of starting a new church.

“We said, ‘We’re probably insane, but what do you guys think?'” Pesnell recalled.

The two friends said they’d been hoping something would come along and were happy to be part of the Pesnells' journey to start Iron Works Church.

Over four years, the Pesnell family prayed about the idea, according to Darin, and worked to get out in the community. Pesnell attended meetings of Agnostics Anonymous and the philosophy group Beer and Ideas.

“I made good friends, friends who think very differently from myself,” he said.

The fledgling church hosted in October in Reeves Park and did a Church in the Park series in 2009 to 2010.

He said the Church in the Park effort aimed to get a dialogue going about things that are broken and obstacles to faith.

“We really want to engage with folks who think very differently than we do,” Pesnell said.

The church plant in Phoenixville was officially accepted into the denomination last May, and Pesnell was selected to serve as pastor. Iron Works Church is part of the Presbyterian Church of America, which differs from the Presbyterian Church (USA), a question Pesnell hears frequently.

Though the church is small and will likely remain that way, Pesnell said attendance at preview services hit nearly 100 at one service, and dozens attended the others.

“We’ve been pretty pleased with the response,” Pesnell said.

Though the Phoenixville area has a number of churches already, he said he still felt there was a need to be filled.

“We think we have a niche,” Pesnell said. “It’s not going to be for everyone.”

The desire isn’t to turn people away from the churches they’re at now. Rather, Pesnell said he hopes Iron Works can reach out to those who are currently not attending any church.

“We’re not interested in really moving around Christians,” Pesnell said.

The church’s branding and marketing has embraced the Phoenixville vibe of resurrection. The logo is the familiar Phoenix column, and the first sermon series “Rise from the Ashes” alludes to the Phoenix’s role in mythology.

Beyond the sermon series, Pesnell is also planning a discussion in November on Bertrand Russell and St. Augustine. He hopes the church and those types of events can get people to interact with each other and realize the diverse viewpoints that exist.

Iron Works Church kicks off its spring sermon series on March 4 at 4 p.m. at Franklin Commons, 400 Franklin Ave. The public is invited to attend and a nursery and children’s church will be available.