True legacy is not about recognition or platform, but about transformation in the next generation.

About Church at The Mill

Church at The Mill is one church meeting across three campuses, each led by a Campus Pastor who preaches live and faithfully shepherds their local congregation. Together, they serve under the leadership of Senior Pastor D.J. Horton, who teaches weekly at the Central Campus and provides vision for the entire church. Recognized six times by Outreach Magazine as one of the 100 fastest-growing churches in America, Church at The Mill exists to be a place of new beginnings and real relationships for all who call it home. CATM is committed to being a deeply faithful, remarkably healthy, and highly impactful multi-site church.

About Spartanburg, SC

Church at The Mill is located in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, a thriving region nestled in the Upstate. The area offers easy access to mountain hiking while also being only a few hours from the coast. Positioned conveniently between Charlotte, NC, and Atlanta, GA, Spartanburg provides the best of both worlds - proximity to major metropolitan areas alongside the comfort and affordability of suburban living. Home to more than 350,000 residents, Spartanburg County is known for its diversity and growing international community.

Spartanburg is on the rise, with a revitalized downtown that continues to grow in energy and opportunity. A highlight of this momentum is the new home of the Hub City Spartanburgers, a High-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, bringing Minor League Baseball to the city. In recent years, U.S. News & World Report has recognized Spartanburg as one of the best places to live in South Carolina and ranked it among the top 25 fastest-growing places in the United States. With its blend of strategic location, growing economy, and dynamic community, Spartanburg is an ideal place to gather, connect, and experience all that the Upstate has to offer.

Meet the Kids at The Mill Team

Andy Armstrong

Andy oversees the vision, strategy, and leadership of children's ministry across all campuses, ensuring every child experiences a safe, engaging, and gospel-centered environment. He equips staff and volunteers, develops consistent ministry systems, and partners with families to help children grow in their faith.

Kids Pastor

Kyle Benefield

Kyle provides day-to-day leadership and operational oversight for the Central campus, ensuring ministries, staff, volunteers, and Sunday experiences are aligned and running effectively. He also supports Andy by coordinating ministry efforts, managing campus operations, and helping create an environment where people can connect, grow, and take their next step in following Christ.

Associate Kids Pastor

Makena Moore

Makena provides comprehensive administrative support for the Kids Ministry team, ensuring the day-to-day operations of the ministry run efficiently.

Kids Ministry Administrative Coordinator

Hannah Martin

Hannah oversees the care and programming for children from birth through 4K, creating safe, nurturing, and engaging environments where young children can begin building a foundation of faith. This role coordinates Sunday and event preschool ministry needs by ensuring classrooms are appropriately staffed and prepared.

Preschool Coordinator

Jmac leads the ministry for 4th and 5th grade students, creating engaging, age-appropriate environments that help preteens grow in their relationship with Christ. He oversees Sunday morning small groups and Midweek programming, recruits and equips volunteer leaders, partners with families, and provides intentional discipleship during this pivotal stage of spiritual development.

Preteen Pastor

Jonathan McNeely

Hannah Evatt

Hannah focuses on the leadership of children's ministry at the Woodruff Campus, ensuring every child experiences a safe, engaging, and gospel-centered environment.

Woodruff Campus Kids Director

Courtney Collins

Courtney focuses on the leadership of children's ministry at the Lake Cooley Campus, ensuring every child experiences a safe, engaging, and gospel-centered environment.

Lake Cooley Campus Kids Director

Jean Tolleson

Jean equips and supports teachers by developing, organizing, and implementing curriculum for children from preschool through preteen ministry. This role ensures biblical teaching is engaging, age-appropriate, and aligned with the church's discipleship strategy while providing training, resources, and coaching for volunteer teachers.

Teacher and Curriculum and Development Coordinator

Meet the NextGen Team

Tripp provides vision, leadership, and strategic oversight for all Next Generation ministries, serving children from birth through young adults. This role leads and develops the Kids Ministry and Student Ministry teams, ensuring every ministry area is aligned around a unified strategy that helps the next generation know Christ, grow in their faith, and live on mission.

NextGen Pastor

Tripp Atkinson

Joy Lyle

Joy provides leadership, coordination, and operational support for all Next Generation ministries, serving children and young adults from birth through college. She also helps direct the NextGen team by overseeing ministry execution, developing staff and volunteer leaders, coordinating cross-ministry initiatives, and ensuring consistent communication and alignment across all ministry areas.

NextGen Director

Jeff Buser

Jeff leads the strategy for recruiting, onboarding, developing, and retaining volunteer leaders across all Kids and Student Ministries. This role builds a healthy pipeline of leaders by identifying, placing, and equipping volunteers to serve in positions that align with their gifts and passions.

NextGen Leader Development Director

Laura Dyar

Laura leads the All-Access ministry to individuals with special needs and disabilities by creating accessible, welcoming environments where every person can know, grow, and follow Jesus. This role equips and disciples individuals with special needs in partnership with parents and existing ministries, providing advanced support that helps children and students successfully participate in classrooms alongside their typically developing peers. Laura oversees adaptive programming, volunteer recruitment and training, individualized support plans, and equips ministry volunteers to foster a culture of inclusion, belonging, and discipleship.

All-Access Ministry Director

Want to read more about our Kids ministry? Click below to browse our website.

KATM Kids Ministry Page

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