In August of 1995, Bryan and Lanette Crute along with about 20 committed others moved from Richmond, VA to the Atlanta area to plant a church. In an act that proved later to be symbolic, the moving truck carrying all of the Crutes' belongings caught fire. Everything in the truck was consumed. God was confirming that nothing old would measure up to the new standard He had set for their lives.
After the Crutes settled in Marietta, those who moved with them began meeting in the basement of the Crutes' home once a week and at a hotel on Sundays. Initially, they did not call it a church. It was just a core group. This was the beginning of Destiny's public ministry.
From the Crutes' basement to a hotel, and from a hotel to a local movie theater, God added those committed to the vision Pastor Crute declared. The church officially launched as Destiny Metropolitan Worship Church in 1997 but still had no place to permanently call home. In early 1998, after weeks of prayer and fasting, the leadership identified a commercial plaza in Marietta as Destiny's new home.
The church grew steadily in its new home. By the time it would identify additional facilities, the church was maxing out its meeting space by offering three Sunday church services and one on Saturday. A separate meeting space on the same property had become the Life Development Center, the area housing all children's, youth, and young adult services.
In 2003, the church acquired the current multipurpose property with 127,000 square feet of building on 12.7 acres of land. The first service in this building was on Easter Sunday in 2005.
Since its beginning, Destiny has been a different type of church. Pastor Crute set out to attract people who had experienced and rejected church for its meaningless formalities. Mrs. Crute led the congregation in worship that was electric, leading people in vigorously expressing their hearts to God. Pastor Crute's messages compelled people to an unwavering standard of holy living.
Destiny's message of maximizing potential for God's Glory has transformed countless lives. The gospel of Jesus Christ is preached here with practical application, yet without compromising the intricacies of the God of the Bible. With a commitment to building strong families, Destiny, under Pastor Crute's teaching and example, has presented a model of purpose-driven living that has as its goal reaching more people with the love of Jesus Christ everyday.
