History

In January of 1991, Smiley and Karen Sturgis and their family moved to St. Augustine (Smiley’s hometown) to plant Good News Church. Their vision was to plant a church passionate about the gospel—“Good News”—and small groups. 

On March 3, 1991, barely two months after the Sturgis family parachuted into St. Augustine, Good News held her first worship service at The Riverview Club in St. Augustine Shores with 140 attendees. That evening our first small group met as well, and we have been coming together in worship and small groups ever since. 

On Christmas Eve, 1999, we held our first service at our Wildwood Campus. In 2002, we added our gym to make room for our children and youth. 

In 2010 a growing number of people from the northern part of St. Johns County were attending Good News Church. We asked these members what would help them reach their friends and neighbors and they asked for a Good News campus closer to them. By prayer, Good News Church, World Golf Village, began that year. In 2016 the campus moved into its current facility at the corner of International Golf and I-95. Good News Church is one church with two campuses seeking to make disciples together.

Over the years, we have seen thousands of people, locally and worldwide, profess faith in Jesus Christ through the faithful witness of believers at Good News. Because of our passion and commitment to the gospel and biblical community, Good News has helped plant over 155 churches around the world. Our strategy is to plant gospel-preaching, self-supporting, multiplying, national-led churches. We have made amazing partnerships with nationals and other churches in this church planting mission.