Pastor John Wagner | Turning Point's Point Ministry Helps Students Follow God

Pastor John Wagner has been working as a full-time vocational minister for more than two decades. First starting as a youth pastor, he now serves as the lead pastor at Turning Point Community Church in Texas. Under John Wagner’s guidance, the church maintains a wide variety of groups and ministries focused on specific members of the church, from children and students to adult women.

While much of society may look at students as a part of the future, Turning Point Community Church sees them as both the church of today and the church of the future. Based on this view, the church offers The Point, a ministry that is focused specifically on showing students the truth about God. Students taking part in The Point are challenged to follow the destiny that God has given them and stay committed to their walk with the Lord. They learn about how to best take care of and love the life they have been given in a way that allows them to serve the worldwide community.

The Point is focused on students between sixth and 12th grade. It currently offers a midweek service and a Sunday service that differ slightly from one another. The midweek service, held on Wednesday nights, gives students the opportunity to connect and work in small groups to discuss the message given during that meeting. Meanwhile, the Sunday service is held at two times during the morning. Students attend the adult service at the church before going back to The Point for Bible Study and discussions about the scripture.

Pastor John Wagner is part of an international circuit of Christian speakers and has developed a curriculum that is used for teaching the stories of important figures in the Bible. He has worked as the executive, founder, and instructional pastor for congregations as large as 6,000 people. His approach combines facets of some of the world’s most beloved Christian institutions, including Saddleback, Willow Creek, and Hillsong, Australia. Pastor Wagner welcomes people from all communities and generations to hear his sermons at EPIC Church International.

Pastor John Wagner Contribution to Ministries

With more than 30 years of experience in ministry, Pastor John Wagner, along with his wife, Pastor Ilena Wagner, Ph.D. leads Epic Church International in Sayreville, NJ. He simultaneously teaches and ministers nationally and internationally through John J. Wagner Ministries, which he founded in 1991. 

As a community leader for more than 7000 regular attendees, he continuously casts vision, crafts relevant messages, develops vocational and volunteer leaders, and communicates creatively. Additionally, Pastor John Wagner trains and inspires other pastors and leaders through an active schedule of conference speaking.

In 1987, Faith Fellowship Ministries ordained Pastor John Wagner as a minister. For four years thereafter, he held a position as a Youth Pastor at Faith Fellowship Ministries World Outreach Center. Throughout his career as a pastor, he has led 1,000s of church members from a wide range of ethnic, generational, and cultural backgrounds. His sermons discuss inspirational topics such as faith, hope, love, motivation, priorities, and family. Recent sermon titles include “Rescued, Ransomed, and Redeemed,” "Supernatural Love," and “Fortify.”

Even aside from his dedicated ministry work, Pastor John Wagner has donated his time, finances, and efforts to both local and international communities. He led Turning Point Community Church’s contributions to Charitywater.org and Living Waters International, to fund the building of 34 wells to supply clean water to more than 6500 people. Additionally, John Wagner serves Covenant Ministries International as President and CEO, serving over 1,000 pastors and ministers in more than 90 nations.

Much of Pastor John Wagner’s ministry focuses on helping people in need through partnerships with nonprofit initiatives and engagement in issues such as fighting human sex trafficking and responding to natural disasters. Outreach programs at Pastor Wagner’s Turning Point Community Church have affected thousands of people. He also directed an award-winning cable television commercial for the Teen Suicide Hotline.

Pastor John Wagner | Vision Casting in the Church

Church leaders interested in inspiring their congregations or small groups to excel and thrive should have an understanding of vision casting and why it is essential to church leadership. First, a brief definition: vision casting is the act of sharing one’s vision with those whom it will affect. Naturally, sharing a vision requires working out the specifics of that vision beforehand.

In church contexts, leaders can expect the best results from vision casting when they take the who, what, when, where, why, and how questions into consideration. In other words, leaders should be able to tell congregants what the larger plans are for their church, why these plans exist, when various milestones can be reached, and how congregants can actively participate.

As a community leader for more than 800 weekly church attenders, Pastor John Wagner continuously casts vision, crafts relevant messages develop vocational and volunteer leaders, and communicates creatively. Additionally, he trains and inspires other pastors and leaders through an active schedule of conference speaking. In 1987, Faith Fellowship Ministries ordained Pastor John Wagner as a minister. 

For four years thereafter, John Wagner held a position as a Youth Pastor at Faith Fellowship Ministries World Outreach Center. Throughout his career as a pastor, he has led more than 6,000 church members from a wide range of ethnic, generational, and cultural backgrounds. 

Pastor Wagner's sermons discuss inspirational topics such as faith, hope, love, motivation, priorities, and family. Recent sermon titles include “Grace Revolution” and “BeLoved.” Even aside from his dedicated ministry work, Pastor John Wagner has donated his time, finances, and efforts to both local and international communities. 

Pastor John Wagner led Turning Point Community Church’s contribution to Living Waters International, which helped to build 12 wells to supply clean water to communities around the world. Additionally, John Wagner serves Covenant Ministries International, an organization of over 900 pastors in more than 80 nations, as the Apostolic Team Leader.

Pastor John Wagner | Effective Vision Casting for Pastors

Pastor John Wagner has taught in congregations around the world, from South Africa and Europe to the Caribbean Islands and the United States. He currently serves at Turning Point Community Church in West Texas. Known for his meaningful sermons, Pastor John Wagner utilizes a variety of speaking techniques, including vision casting, to reach culturally diverse populations.

Oftentimes, church leaders envision a bold new direction in which to lead their congregations but experience difficulty in communicating that vision to others. Vision casting is a technique made up of two parts: a distinct vision and the ability to share that vision so that others can help realize it.

Leaders must understand that, by definition, vision casting involves making an authoritative statement that informs people where they see the congregation is headed and how members can help it get to that place. 

The vision should concern an ideal future and should instill a drive to reach that future. Obviously, clarity is important when sharing a vision. To achieve clarity, the pastor should write the vision as a comprehensive mission statement, keeping it as short as possible and using accessible language so that plans and goals cannot be misconstrued.

Perhaps most importantly, the vision must be achievable. Striving to attain an unreachable goal only sets one up for failure and disappointment. One of the most effective ways to realize a vision is to plot a series of smaller, achievable goals that lead in steps to the ultimate vision.

Pastor John Wagner is passionate about his cause, hence he actively encourages everyone to make the world a better place. Margaret Mead, the well-known anthropologist once said: “ An individual's everyday acts may appear small and insignificant, however, we must always remember that it is the little things that make a big difference”.