Pastor Erik Oliveras announced his Axios Church plant in Lakeland, Florida, just weeks before the COVID-19 shutdowns hit in March 2020. While most people were retreating, Erik and his team were stepping out in faith. Their story is one of the most compelling examples of how adaptability and trust in God can turn an impossible situation into something incredible.
That combination of digital outreach and personal follow-up mirrors what other pastors have experienced. Pastor Sherman Dumas used the same approach at Kingdom Culture, where 60% of his first-time guests came through Facebook and Instagram ads.
Launching a Church in the Middle of COVID
Erik had been planning the launch of Axios Church for months. Then the world shut down. Instead of giving up, he pivoted. The church started meeting online, then in small outdoor gatherings, and eventually transitioned to in-person services. Every step required creativity and flexibility.
“We announced our church plant, and then a few weeks later, COVID hit,” Erik told me. “But God met us there. Every step of the way.” That willingness to adapt is something I have seen in the strongest church plants across our ChurchCandy network.
From Online to Two Services
One of the most impressive parts of Axios Church’s story is the growth. They started with nothing during a pandemic and grew so quickly that they had to add a second service. Erik told me that the growth was a direct result of building strong systems before they scaled.
He was honest about the tension between wanting to grow and not being ready for it. “We weren’t ready for the growth,” Erik said. “But we built systems first, and that’s what allowed us to sustain it when it came.” That is a lesson every church planter needs to hear. Growth without systems leads to chaos.
Finding a Permanent Location
Axios Church started as a mobile church meeting in a civic center. When they were told they needed to move out, they had just over a month to find and renovate a permanent location. Erik told me he did not know how to do drywall, did not know how to do much of anything construction-related. But they figured it out.
“I didn’t have a life for a month and a half,” Erik said. “I was at the church every day. We just figured it out and trusted God.” That kind of hustle reminds me of the Eden Church planting story, where the team also had to navigate finding the right space under pressure.
How ChurchCandy Fueled Their Growth
Erik connected with ChurchCandy early in their journey and started running Facebook and Instagram ads. The impact was immediate. Before the ads, people in the community did not even know Axios Church existed. Once the ads started running, awareness exploded.
“We took what we were doing and put it towards ads on social media and it blew up,” Erik said. But he also stressed that the ads worked because they had built the systems to handle the growth first. You cannot run effective ads if you do not have a follow-up process in place. Pastor Ken Bennett proved this same principle at Connect Church.
Raising Funds as a Church Plant
Erik and I talked about the financial realities of planting a church in a post-COVID world. Dino Rizzo, the executive director of ARC, recently told me that church planters today need to raise more money and be in their city longer than expected before launching. Erik’s experience confirms that. Fundraising is not optional. It is essential.
Erik shared how he and his team raised funds through personal relationships, church partnerships, and creative giving strategies. He encouraged future church planters to be transparent with potential supporters and to treat fundraising as a ministry, not a burden.
Advice for Post-COVID Church Planters
- Raise more money than you think you need. The post-COVID landscape is more expensive and more competitive.
- Build systems before you build crowds. Growth without infrastructure will collapse. Get your follow-up, volunteer, and communication systems in place first.
- Get into a permanent location as quickly as possible. Mobile church has advantages, but a permanent home builds stability and trust in the community.
- Start running ads early. ChurchCandy gave Axios Church visibility that word of mouth alone could never have achieved.
- Trust God with the timeline. COVID changed everything about when and how churches launch, but it did not change God’s faithfulness.
For pastors planting in difficult seasons, the key takeaway from Erik’s story is to keep moving forward. Pastor Ken Bennett faced similar uncertainty before partnering with ChurchCandy and went on to grow Connect Church from 150 to over 600 in just six months.
Final Thought
Erik Oliveras and Axios Church are a testament to what happens when faith meets preparation. Planting during COVID was not the plan, but God used it for something beautiful. If you are a church planter navigating uncertainty, this episode will encourage you to keep going.
For more on effective church planting strategies, check out how Pastor Derrick Hawkins brought 950 people to Promise City Church’s first Sunday.
About The Author
