Welcome to Forward…
We’re Glad You’re Here!!

Our Story…

Forward Church is the fulfillment of a decision Sara and I made in 1997. Though neither of us came from a Christian background and were completely unchurched, we knew we wanted to spend our lives helping people experience God’s radical love.

As a teenager, I embraced New Age beliefs, experimented with drugs, and became involved in various occult and mystical ideas. Everything changed in 1991 when I had a terrifying encounter with demonic forces, an experience I share in my book Devil Walk. My conclusion was simple: if the devil is real, then God must be real.

That realization launched a journey to know God. For the next three years, while attending college at Georgia State and the University of Georgia, I developed a personal relationship with Jesus through prayer and Scripture. Though I still rarely attended church during that season, I spent countless hours seeking God and reading the Bible. Looking back, I am grateful for those years of discovering God's love and presence firsthand.

In 1994, my mom invited me to the church she started attending. It was there that I first sensed God calling me into ministry. Around the same time, Sara and I met at UGA and fell in love. Within a couple of years, we knew God was leading us toward planting a church in the Atlanta area.

My passion for sharing the Gospel began early. Long before any formal ministry training, I spent time on the streets of Atlanta simply telling people that God loved them and wanted a relationship with them. During that season, I saw a few hundred people give their lives to Christ.

We eventually moved to Huntsville, Alabama, to attend Impact International School of Ministry with Dr. Jim Richards, intending to move back to Atlanta to plant a church.

During our years at Impact, I served in a variety of ministry roles, including youth pastor, small groups director, instructor, associate pastor, outreach leader, graphic designer, and web developer. In 2006, Sara and I returned to Newnan, where we began preparing for the church God had placed in our hearts.

In October 2008, Forward Church began in our home with three other families. Within a year, we had outgrown the space and began meeting in rented facilities before eventually settling in Sharpsburg. What started as a small gathering has become a growing family of believers committed to loving God, loving people, and moving forward together.

At Forward, our passion is to help people experience freedom from religious bondage and discover the love of their Heavenly Father. We believe lasting transformation comes through the Gospel, the finished work of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

We're honored that you're interested in Forward Church and would love the opportunity to serve you and your family.

Grace and Peace,
Clint and Sara Byars
Founding and Lead Pastors of Forward Church