History of Solid Rock Ministries

HOW DID SOLID ROCK BEGIN?
Pastor John-Paul took his first Bible class when he was 10 years old with his Nana (his mother’s mother). It was an adult Bible College class on Homiletics, the art of preaching and writing sermons. After he finished high school in 1997, he enrolled at Horry Georgetown Technical College. Because standing up in front of a crowd always interested him, he took public speaking as an elective course. PJP holds several Bible School degrees and is currently continuing his education at a local Bible College as well as Horry Georgetown Technical College.

Pastor John-Paul spent most of his childhood and teenage years playing the piano in churches and ministries in Florence, S.C. and all over the Myrtle Beach area. PJP worked in churches ranging from Methodist, Church of God, Baptist, Charismatic, Episcopal, Catholic, Lutheran, etc. Because PJP wanted to spend his life as a musician, he studied music for a short time at Coastal Carolina University; but God had other plans.

In 2006 PJP stepped out in faith and started a church, Solid Rock Ministries, in the Socastee Library. From the library the church moved into a storefront building on Forestbrook Road. In 2009 due to the growth of the congregation the church moved to a second larger storefront on Forestbrook Road. In 2013 the church purchased the former Air Force Base Chapel.

In 2016 PJP started Solid Rock at Market Common, and since then life has been GREAT!

HOW IS SOLID ROCK GOVERNED?
Our congregation:
We believe in New Testament Church Government as evidenced in Acts 15:1-35. In this council one can note that the leadership made the ministry decision, and the people were informed afterward. This is the pattern all through the Bible and in the first 1,500 years of Church History. It still is the pattern in most Christian Churches today. There may be a meeting of the entire Body called by the Leadership in times of great decisions or crisis, but the general governmental decisions of the ministry are made by the Pastor, with encouragement from the Board of Trustees and advice from the leadership of the church (the Deacons, Deaconesses, and Elders).

Our Trustees:
Solid Rock is incorporated with the State of South Carolina as a non-profit church organization. The laws of S.C. and of the U.S. require that legal entities like Solid Rock have at least 2 trustees or more to incorporate. The Function of the Trustee Board is to guarantee that the corporation maintains its non-profit status and functions at all levels in a legal and proper manner. No property or anything of consequence can be bought or sold without the permission of the Trustees. The Board of Trustees gives approval to the Annual Financial Budget of the ministry, major financial decisions, mortgages, and provides any personal help or ministry advice that is needed by PJP. They are the only legal voting entity in the Church since Solid Rock follows a church government according to the New Testament.

There are seven Trustee Board members of Solid Rock at Market Common. These include a Bishop overseer, Pastor JP as the President of the Board, Elders, Businessmen, and ordained ministers. It is the personal goal of Pastor JP to never make a decision based on the involvement of the Trustees unless the Trustees’ opinions are unanimous.

Ephesians 1:20-23 makes it clear that Jesus Christ is the head of the church, and He appoints those to represent Him in the government of the church, starting with the Pastor or founding Apostle. Jesus entrusts the Pastor with the vision for the church and entrusts the leaders and members of that church to follow the Word of God and fulfill the vision of that particular local church.

Our Elders:
Acts 14:23 and Titus 1:5 and Ephesians 4 helps us to see that an Elder in the church (not by age) was someone who was appointed and recognized as having a ministry gift from the five-fold ministry gifts. The Elders of our church are those recognized and ordained as Prophets, Apostles, Pastors, Evangelists, or Teachers. The Elders of Solid Rock must be recognized by the Pastor, Board of Trustees, and Deacons of the church. Without that recognition they do not have authority as an Ordained Elder in our local church.

Our Deacons and Deaconesses:
Acts 6:1-6 is very clear that a Deacon or Deaconess was appointed to tasks in the church and never served as a Board in the New Testament church of Acts. As long as they oversaw a task in the church, they remained a Deacon or Deaconess. Some of them also shared the Word as in the case of Deacon Philip. At Solid Rock we use the word “Leader” in place of Deacon. All of our Deacons and Deaconesses are members of Solid Rock who live out our four Core Values and oversee an area of ministry or facilitate a Bible Study group.

Biblically since some Deacons and Deaconesses ministered in the Word and in Service, today we have what is known as Licensing and Ordination. A person can be licensed to legally minster as one of the five-fold ministry gifts while serving under the covering of an ordained Ministry. When they are recognized as a full-time minister with a particular gift, they are ordained.

HOW IS SOLID ROCK FINANCED?
If you have ever attended one of our services, I’m sure you noted that we do not pass a collection plate or an offering basket. We have offering boxes that are located around our church for the members of Solid Rock to freely tithe and give offerings. This allows people to determine whether they want to honor God’s Word and our Core Value of tithing without being forced or coerced in any way. Even though it is an obvious fact that our collections would be much larger if we passed an offering plate, we don’t want to be another church known for begging an offering out of people and constantly involving them in what we want and need. We believe God will provide and He will use people with a pure heart to give to His Kingdom.

Like most churches, there are three parts to our outgoing finances: missions/ministry, employees, and building maintenance.

An average of 1/3 of our finances is used for Ministry purposes such as: international missions, national missions, local missions, church family needs, Benevolence Ministry, Financial Counseling Ministry, Widow Ministry, Gifts for the Body, Children’s Ministry, Youth Ministry, funerals, weddings, Bible Studies and ministry material, spiritual retreats, music department, groceries, festivals, communion, bulletins, paper copies, etc. The list goes on and on!

An average of 1/3 of our finances is used for employment purposes such as: Pastors, Administrator, Children’s Church teachers, Nursery Staff, cleaning staff, Technology/Media, and as needed employees, such as music ministry, bookkeepers, counselors, etc.

An average of 1/3 of our finances is used for building maintenance purposes inside and outside such as: renovation, electric, water, trash, insurance, mortgage, landscaping, plumbing, painting, flooring, AC units, roof, office furniture, sanctuary needs (stage, carpet, lights, sound system, speakers, etc), internet, streaming costs, advertisement, etc. The list goes on and on!

HOW DID SOLID ROCK AT MARKET COMMON OBTAIN ITS PROPERTY?
In 1956 the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base began construction on the first part of the chapel building. By 1959 the buildings which you see now, were completed, and served Catholic and Protestant worshippers for 35 years.

In the early 1990’s the Air ForceBase closed down and began auctioning off its buildings and properties. PJP’s father bid on the old chapel but came in second. The person who won the bid was a longtime friend of PJP’s grandmother (his father’s mother). Because of her boldness and never-back-down attitude, she was somehow able to convince this person to turn their bid over to PJP’s father. PJP’s grandmother paid the down payment, and PJP’s father took over the old chapel and used it for a Christian School.

In 2012 when Market Common began to develop and grow, PJP’s father sold the chapel and its property to Solid Rock. In 2013 Solid Rock began renovating the old building from the roof to the ground, the floors to the ceilings, the lighting, bathrooms, kitchen, etc. In 2015 Solid Rock at Market Common was started. Our building is the last building left on the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base that still does what it was created to do – worship God!

WHAT DOES SOLID ROCK BELIEVE ABOUT BIBLICAL SUBJECTS THAT SEEM TO PROVOKE CONTROVERSY?
On our website, www.solidrockmb.com, on our Resources Page, you will find handouts and booklets written by PJP on the following subjects: Homosexuality, Heaven and Hell, Baptism in the Holy Spirit, Women in Leadership, Water Baptism, Tithing, etc.

HOW WILL SOLID ROCK FULFILL ITS DESTINY?
There are five major areas of ministry at Solid Rock. We see these areas as a way to help any and every person grow closer to Jesus and fulfill their God-given destiny.

STEP 1: Our Hospitality Team and Welcome Team:
We want our visitors to return again and again. When a visitor attends Solid Rock for the first time, our hospitality team uses all their resources to make sure that visitor is welcomed with open arms and has a comfortable and enjoyable visit. Our hospitality team will make sure they are familiar with our order of service as well as our nursery and children’s church staff and classrooms.

After a visitor attends one service at Solid Rock, our Welcome Team will give them a call and encourage them to return the following week, 15 minutes early for coffee in our fellowship hall and a tour of our building. Our Welcome Team will be waiting to serve and dialogue with our returning visitors in the fellowship hall and will be ready for any questions or concerns that the returning visitor may have.

STEP 2: Our Sunday Morning Services:
This part of our ministry is dedicated to non-believers, new-believers, and members of Solid Rock who love to serve Jesus. Our Sunday morning services are filled with laughter, tears, worship, deep truths from the Word, amazing kids’ church, and tons of “Jesus Fun.” We make sure that our one-hour Sunday morning services are filled with encouragement, integrity, excellence, and an atmosphere that would allow anyone to invite anyone without any feeling of awkwardness or embarrassment.

Our very talented music team and choir will lead you in modern praise and worship songs with a few hymns every now and then, and a parody (rewritten secular song) every Sunday.

There’s a nursery available throughout the entire service for children ages 6 months to 3 years of age. We highly encourage you to allow our professional nursery staff to take great care of your baby during the entire service so that you can enjoy receiving from God without any distraction. After praise and worship, we dismiss all the kids ages 4-10 years old to our Soldiers and Transformed classes where they are taught the Word of God through their 6 Core Values: we choose friends wisely, we fulfill our destiny, we give, we serve, we respect, and we forgive.

After our kids are dismissed, you will hear an applicable and life changing message while being taught deep truths from the Word of God. Taking notes and writing in your Bible is always highly encouraged. At the end of the sermon we have an altar call that will allow you to come down to the altar and kneel in prayer alone or to be prayed for by one of our prayer partners as the worship team sings one last song.

STEP 3: Our membership process:
The Bible is very clear throughout the New Testament that the level to which a Christian loves Jesus is seen in how much that believer loves and serves his/her local church. The Bible is also clear in Romans chapter 12, Ephesians chapter 4, and 1st Corinthians chapter 12, that every believer is called to join and serve a local church as a member of that church.

Our membership process is probably the greatest jump in spiritual maturity for any person. Besides attending Pizza with the Pastor (for us to get to know each other and have any questions answered), we have 4 Core Values that we ask every member to grow in and apply to their lives as they join our amazing church family. These four Core Values are seen on the banners in our sanctuary. They are: We Give, We Serve, We Respect, and We Forgive. All of our Core Value sermons and booklets can be read and viewed on www.solidrockmb.com on our Core Value page.

When a believer goes from attending a church on Sunday morning to serving and giving to that local body, they become part of a family and their entire future and destiny explode for the Kingdom of God. The greatest decision that any human being can ever make is when they decide to join a Bible-based church. This decision affects their relationships (marriage, work related relationships, friendships, parenting/kids), finances, mind and thoughts (peace, wisdom, courage, etc.), emotions (joy, encouragement, etc.), and most importantly – their relationship with Father God and His Son, Jesus Christ!

Solid Rock is filled with groups for all ages to be a part of: youth group (The Forge), senior Bible study group (Senior Saints), 50s plus (Solid Rockers), Bible studies, Sunday School, “Friends” groups, couples group, etc.
The four Core Values of Solid Rock is what makes our church so great. Having a level of expectations and guidelines is why the people of Solid Rock are so loving, giving, forgiving, humble, and FUN!

STEP 4: Our Short Groups:
We have 3 short group seasons throughout each year: February-March, June-July, and October-November. Our short groups are 4 to 6 weeks long, 6 -10 people, and each meeting is 60 minutes maximum. The only rule in our short groups is to laugh and have fun! We have 2 facilitators per short group, and we love for anyone who attends Solid Rock to be a part of a group at LEAST once a year. This is a great time to get to know your church family and to learn God’s Word on a level that is far different than Sunday morning. On Sunday morning you get to hear Pastor JP preach; but in our short groups, each person gets to come to group with something that they liked and learned about the homework. Our short groups use a variety of books and teachings such as: Bible books and chapters, Joyce Meyer, Robert Morris, The Five Love Languages, Old Testament Tabernacle teachings, PJP’s books and sermons, Francis Chan, and many more.

We have ladies’ groups, men’s groups, co-ed groups, couples’ groups; our teenagers have a short group, and even a senior citizen short group. If you are unable to commit to a 4 to 6 week short group that meets during the week, you can always attend Sunday school during the season of our short groups.

Short groups take a member of a church and introduce them to lifelong friends who will cry with them, laugh with them, pray for them, visit them in the hospital, help them through tough times, sit with them in church, and create a Godly relationship that will withstand any offense, idiosyncrasy, or personality flaw.

STEP 5: Our discipleship program (Solidify Program):
Our discipleship program is when a leader of Solid Rock, or a long-time believer who has spent years walking with Jesus, agrees to spend one year “making a disciple” of a new believer or new member of Solid Rock. This person will be trained to encourage, befriend, share the gospel, pray, and be available for any spiritual guidance needed to help encourage someone into the position of a disciple of Jesus Christ. This is probably the most important mission that any of us have.

We believe that when a believer goes through these five steps in their walk with Jesus as they serve His body, that when they see Jesus face to face, they will hear those famous words… “Well done, My good and faithful servant.”

HOW WILL SOLID ROCK SUSTAIN OBVIOUS NUMERICAL GROWTH?
There are two things that Pastor JP loves about ministry: one is having a church family where everyone knows your name, and the other is training, developing, and growing other Pastors for the work of the Kingdom. Pastor JP is not personally called to have satellite churches. A satellite church is a modern-day movement in which groups of people gather for church and watch the preacher or “lead Pastor” on a big screen.

After our two Sunday services are full, our heart is to begin training Pastors and helping them start Solid Rock campuses in South and North Carolina. This would allow us to always have churches in which the family of people knows each other, the leaders, and the Pastor on a personal level.

WHAT DOES EACH YEAR LOOK LIKE AT SOLID ROCK?

Besides gaining the greatest and most encouraging, non-judgmental friends in the world, you can expect to grow into a spiritual giant while enjoying every minute of your walk with Jesus, here at Solid Rock. Our annual calendar has tons of great events throughout the year that something like this:

January- one week church fast and prayer…
February- Monday night prophetic service, 4 to 8 week short group Bible Studies for all ages…
March- Super Hero Sunday…
April- Easter Festival, Dragon Boat races…
May- Annual talent show, Ladies Breakfast…
June- Ugly Tie Sunday, 4-8 week short group Bible Studies for all ages…
July- Monday Night prophetic service. John Ross “Superman” Sunday…
August- Annual Water Baptism and cookout on the beach, Hat Day, back to school bash, graduation from Transformed to The Forge…
September- Old Fashion Sunday, Ladies Breakfast…
October through November- 4-8 week short group Bible Studies for all ages, Dress up like a Bible Character Sunday…
December- Kids/Teens service + “Blessing Session Sunday”, ugly sweater Sunday, Pajama Sunday…
In between all of the above functions, we also have several events like: Pizza with the Pastors, New member Sunday, A-men’s breakfast is the first Saturday of each month, Landscape Saturdays (church work day), and much more.