Encounter Church was birthed in Pastor Hunter Howard’s heart in 2008 when, in a dream, Jesus told him that his main purpose in ministry was to “help people encounter Him.” After spending eight years as a missionary in Chihuahua, Mexico, Hunter married Liz, and they served together on the pastoral team and in missions at Heart for the World Church in Las Cruces, New Mexico. There they trained up young people to be leaders in the ministry.

Encounter Church started in 2014 when Hunter and Liz Howard, Julian and Diana Elizalde, their families, and a team of about 20 young people, decided to move across the country from Las Cruces to the Atlanta area, to plant a brand new church from scratch. They settled in Cobb County and quickly realized that God was calling them to reach the campus of Kennesaw State University. They started meeting in the Howards’ basement in May 2014, and in September, they officially opened services in a small building on Lockhart Drive in Kennesaw. In 2017 they outgrew that building and moved to a larger space at 3450 Acworth Due West Road Kennesaw, GA 30144.

Today Encounter Church has weekly services, prayer meetings, outreaches, conferences, and a network of small groups, called E-Groups, that meet in homes as well as on the campus of KSU. We also have an official campus organization called Wake.