The Ark Church opens its doors in Magnolia as city’s growth continues

As growth brings more homes and residents to Magnolia, a new church will open its doors Sunday.

The Ark Church in Magnolia is starting with around 200 members and the intent to serve the community as the city continues to grow, said Lead Pastor Clayton Small. 

The church, which will host its first service on Sunday, sits behind Magnolia High School off of FM 1488 — next to other growing subdivisions such as Mill Creek and Audubon. The church is leasing one of the buildings in the area from Battle Cry ministries, whose home base “The Epicenter,” will neighbor the new church, Small said. 

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About five years ago, Small and his wife, Courtney, joined the staff at The Ark Church in Conroe. Eventually, Small approached Senior Pastor Alan Clayton about starting a church in Magnolia.

“We just felt like we were ready to go to a community that’s growing and developing,” Small said. “Our heart is to join the churches that are out here and see how we can continue to bless the community in a new way.”

Magnolia has approximately 2,800 residents and is projected to grow by more than 50,000 by 2039, city officials said.

While The Ark Church in Magnolia has the same name as the Conroe church, it will be a new campus, Small said. 

This is the fourth church funded through The Ark Church in Conroe, with other locations in League City, Huntsville and another location in Salina, Kansas. 

The Ark Church in Conroe opened in 1996, said Matt Clayton, son of the senior pastor. Now the church serves about 6,000 people a week, he said. 

The church looks for community leaders to be led by God, Clayton said.

“We felt led to go to Magnolia, and (Clayton and Courtney) felt led,” he said. “We see when that happens, that’s when the most successful churches grow.” 

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Growing up in Austin, Magnolia resident Stephanie Seidel grew up heavily involved in church, she said.

Seidel and her husband, Aaron, moved to the city a year ago, she wanted to find a place where she could make new friends, she said.

“I’ve been here for a year, I work from home…so there was a big sense of isolation because I’m home all day,” Seidel said, noting she was looking for a place where her 12-year-old son could make friends as well. “(The Ark Church’s) motto is about family.”

Seidel has been part of the church’s launch team for months and she’s already made several new friends, she said. 

“It hasn’t even launched yet, and I tell Courtney and Clayton this all the time, the things that God has done already and the changes that have happened in my life since joining the team have been tremendous,” Seidel said. “Just having those friends to pray for you and having those friends that you can talk to, who have the same kind of mindset, it’s just been a nice change for me.” 

Ryan Warren and his wife, Heather, have lived in Magnolia for 12 years and were in search for a church they could call home for some time, Warren said. 

Like Seidel, Warren and his wife have already made new connections, he said. 

“Even though we’ve lived here, we didn’t necessarily have those connections,” Warren said, noting that there will be new members who are going to be looking for new friends and a safe environment for their children. “I am confident that this church is going to do that because it is just a sense of community.”