The Conroe-Montgomery area is experiencing a surge of young families, and North Shore Church is responding with a new 5,000-square-foot children’s building.
The building, which opened in mid-February, is designed to bridge the gap between immediate space needs and long-term community growth.
“This past year, we saw a 20% growth in the life of the church,” senior pastor JJ Cox said. “People from all generations are coming: children all the way through senior adults. It’s remarkable.”
Why the expansion matters
The church was founded in 1997. For years, they have adapted existing rooms to keep up with rising attendance, often repurposing spaces not originally built for youth.
“When we began to explode in size, we had no place to put the children,” Cox said.
The new facility solves that problem with age-specific classrooms, a large group gathering area and a new playground.
“The designated space for children to break up into age-specific groups allows them to be taught on the level that is most beneficial for them,” Cox said. “It’s going to allow them to have the opportunity to focus on their spiritual growth.”
Leaders also emphasized that the impact extends beyond the kids. By providing a dedicated, safe environment for children through fifth grade, the expansion frees up space for parents and grandparents to engage in their own small groups and community gatherings.
A community resource
North Shore Church views the new building as a resource for the entire area, not just for its members.
The church regularly hosts homeschool groups, neighborhood initiatives and local organizations. They currently partner with the Bentwater Master-Planned Community, Lincoln Elementary and various food banks in Montgomery and Willis.
For leadership, the primary metric of success is staying accessible.
“If God picked this church up and moved it out of the community, and nobody recognized that it happened, then we’re not doing our job,” Cox said.
This outward focus is fueled by a deeply personal, internal culture of care.
“Our people are great at serving each other,” worship and youth pastor Matt Etter said.
That spirit of service is how new members find their footing. Etter told the story of a local veteran who began attending the church last summer.
“This past Thursday, he was up here putting together furniture for the kids’ area,” Etter said. “Seeing him get involved, and knowing that he’s getting baptized this Sunday is definitely a highlight of mine.”
Looking ahead
The children’s wing marks the third phase of campus growth, but it won’t be the last. With the youth program for grades 6-12 also seeing significant attendance spikes, the church is already evaluating future service schedules and staffing needs to keep pace with the region’s trajectory.
Ultimately, the expansion represents more than square footage. It’s a commitment to remain a supportive, grounded presence as the community continues to evolve and to serve the people within the church.
“The church is growing, but we’re staying small enough to have relationships with our people,” Etter said.
Click here to learn more about North Shore Church today.
The above story was produced by Senior Multi-Platform Journalist Sydney Heller with Community Impact’s Storytelling team with information solely provided by the local business as part of their “sponsored content” purchase through our advertising team.