Our Story

Our vision, Our Mission, Our Goals

Steven L. Goodner Junior bio:

Steve Goodner has been the Lead Pastor of Rocket Town Church for the last 10+ years. Before that he and his wife April helped start God's House Orlando in 2003. Pastor Steve grew up in Titusville, his hometown where he lived until 1984 when he went to Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville. In 1990 he joined the United States Air Force where he served at Hurlburt Field until 1994 whereupon the family moved to Tampa, Florida where he began his ministry as an adult Sunday school teacher, then moved to St. Cloud Florida and became the youth pastor at Faith Assembly of God in 1997. He became his first senior Pastor at Christian assembly of God in Zion Illinois in 1999 where he and April built the church from 80 members to 140 in about four years. In 2003 the family moved back to Central Florida. After helping start God's House Orlando in 2003 they served as children’s minister and other ministry roles until God's House launched them into ministry to start Rocket Town Church and Titusville. Rocket Town church has grown from 25 people the first year to a pre-COVID-19 average of over 130 during this time we purchased and renovated a 19,000 square-foot complex of buildings which provided tremendous growth opportunities. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Rocket Town Church has adjusted well to the new norm of both online and in person Ministry and has maintained our overall health, even growing during this time. Steve and April Goodner look forward to many more years of ministry serving Titusville at Rocket Town Church in the years to come

Core Values

Worship Passionately
We believe that loving God with all of our hearts includes a passionate expression of devotion.
(Mark 12:30)

Pray Effectively
We believe that God hears and answers prayer.  It is our job to learn to pray effectively, as the original disciples asked to do.
(James 5:16)

Instruct Carefully
We believe that teaching all that Jesus taught us is important and that it should be taught thoroughly and correctly, without adding the traditions of men.
(Matthew 28:20)

Connect Sincerely
We believe fellowship is vital to a healthy church, should be sought and encouraged.  Opportunities include regular worship services and Life Groups.
(1 John 3:18)

Relate Honestly
We believe telling the truth in love is the best way to relate to people.  It allows for solutions to conflict and growth for the individual.
(Ephesians 4:15)

Forgive Quickly
We believe that forgiveness has been freely given to us in sincerity by God and that we have no right to do any less.
(Matthew 6:14-15)

Grow Gradually
We believe that growing up in our faith is essential to a healthy church.
(Luke 2:52)

Serve Tangibly
We believe that serving others instead of ourselves is a sure sign of spiritual growth and is vital to our church and our community.
(Mark 9:35, Matthew 20:28)

Manage Wisely
We believe that living within our means while tithing, giving and saving are all reachable goals towards financial peace.
(Matthew 25:21, Luke 16:10-12)

Live Fearlessly
We believe that fear is the opposite of faith and that God wants us to "fear not."
(2 Timothy 1:7)

Our Vision & Mission

Our Vision
is to Give people a better way to do life through a relationship with Christ (Ephesians 5:15-16)

Our Mission
is to equip people to learn and live out the five biblical purposes.

DISCIPLESHIP
We were created to become like Christ! A disciple is someone who seeks to become like his/her teacher. Jesus Christ is our Teacher and a Christian seeks to become more like Him. (Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:15; 2 Corinthians 3:18)

EVANGELISM
We are called to share our faith with and serve those who do not believe! While ministry is service within the context of the church, evangelism is the effort to reach out and serve those who do not go to church and/or who do not believe in Christ. The goal is to help others to know God. (Psalm 67:2; Matthew 28:19-20; John 17:18; I Peter 3:15-16)

WORSHIP
We were created to bring pleasure to God! Worship isn't just a service or gathering we have on the weekend, but is a word used to describe a life devoted to bringing pleasure to God. (Revelation 4:11; Romans 12:1-2)

FELLOWSHIP
We were created to be in community with other believers! Fellowship is a word we use to describe the friendship and togetherness we experience through our common faith. (Ephesians 1:5; I Corinthians 12:12-26)

MINISTRY
We were put on earth to make a contribution! In the church, we call that ministry. Ministry happens when someone discovers and uses their unique abilities and heartfelt passion to serve others in the church. (Ephesians 2:10; John 17:4)

Rocket Town Church welcomes people from all church and non-church backgrounds!

What We Believe

In essential beliefs

We Have Unity
"There is one body and one Spirit...one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all".
Ephesians 4:4-6

In non-essential beliefs

We have liberty
"Accept the one whose faith is weak, without passing judgment over disputable matters... Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall.  So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God...So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God."
Romans 14:1,4,12,22

In all our beliefs

We show charity
"...If I hold in my mind only all human knowledge but also the very secrets of God, and if I have the faith that can move mountains-but have no love, I amount to nothing at all."
I Corinthians 13:2(ph)

The Essentials We Believe

WE BELIEVE
The Bible is inspired by God and is without error as originally written.  The Bible is God's unique and final authority on Christian faith and practice. (Psalm 119; Matthew 4:1-11; II Timothy 3:14-17)

WE BELIEVE
God created the universe as outlined in the Bible and He remains in charge of all things.
(Genesis 1:1-25; Colossians 1:15-17)

WE BELIEVE
God eternally exists as ONE GOD, revealed to be Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Both three and one, As one touches the corner of a triangle, one has touched but one shape so then as we come in contact with Jesus and the Holy Spirit, we have come in contact with God.
(John 4:24; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Isaiah 9:6; I Peter 1:11; Galatians 4:6; Matthew 3:16; Genesis 1:29)

WE BELIEVE
God created human beings to have a close, intimate relationship with Him, but humans chose to disobey God and became separated from Him.
(Genesis 3; Romans 8:18-23)

WE BELIEVE
Jesus Christ gave up his position next to God to come to earth, born of a virgin, where He lived a sinless life.  He voluntarily died on a cross to pay the price for our sins and then rose again thereby allowing u s the opportunity to gain eternal life with God.
(John 1:1-16; John 3:16; Luke 9:21-22; Romans 6:6-11,23)

WE BELIEVE
Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and humanity.
(John 14:6; Acts 4:8-12; Colossians 1:18-20; I Timothy 2:3-6; I John 2:20-23)

WE BELIEVE
All who accept the sacrifice of Christ on the cross are given the Holy Spirit to empower them to lead a life that will bring honor to God.
(Luke 11:9-13: John 3:1-8: Romans 81-17: Galatians 5:16-25: I Corinthians 12:7-11)

WE BELIEVE
The church is a group of people God has designed for encouragement and support for believers while corporately glorifying God through various forms of worship and outreach, in order to advance the Kingdom of God on the earth.
(Matthew 3:2, 6:10)

Church History

Rocket Town Church began as a local bible study, called an "Access Group," of God's House Orlando.  Within that group were those who were committed to the launch of Rocket Town Church. The vision for a new church in Titusville was to start a church that “I would want to go to” and believe that others would want to come as well.  The vision was for a church that was biblically- based, casual in dress, exciting and contemporary in worship, believed in healing and the gifts of the Spirit in the church, and was outward focused. The church met from the fall of 2007 until fall of 2009 in Steve and April Goodner’s living room ; then for three months we met at 8850 Grissom Parkway in Titusville in a rented banquet hall for what was called “pre-launch services” on Tuesday evenings. Then on January 17th, 2010 Rocket Town Church met for the first Sunday morning services, and a new church was planted. After about a year the church began meeting at the Police Hall of Fame banquet room. In May 2012 Rocket Town Church rented its own building at 230 Grace St and began to grow quickly.

New Venture Church began as something of a restart of Titusville First Church of God. Originally organized under Pastor Ron Holder in 1962 in a home, the church soon built a building at 77 N. Carpenter Road where it reached the community for over forty years. In mid-2007 the church brought in Pastor Charlie Arms who was given a mandate to essentially re-launch the church as New Venture Church. This fresh start would be outward focused, contemporary. Under Pastor Charlie’s leadership the church began to grow quickly. Before long, the church sold the building and began to meet first at Astronaut High School, and then in February 2012 began renting space at 3910 S. Washington Ave.

The New Venture Church of Rocket Town was the result of a marvelous work of God.  In August 2012 Pastor Charlie felt that his work in Titusville with New Venture Church had been accomplished and it was time for his family to move on. He then contacted Pastor Steve of Rocket Town Church to consider Pastoring New Venture because he felt that both churches had a very similar vision and approach to reach the community.  The result of much prayer and planning was the merger of the two churches into one new body of believers under the name New Venture Church of Rocket Town. The church would meet at New Venture’s building, would have Rocket Town’s pastor, and would merge all other staff, board and ministry functions. This could never have happened by the plans of men, but by the leadership of God, was accomplished with an amazingly smooth transition. The entire body came out of the merge stronger and healthier than ever as we look to the future.

For eleven long years, the building at 4525 Apollo Rd in Titusville, FL has languished as an unofficial hub for graffiti, petty theft, and pointless destruction. Built in 1995, once the home of New Life Christian Fellowship, now located on US-1, the aqua-roofed structure was abandoned for a larger one in 2004, and the building had been empty ever since. Locals, when referencing the once holy building, casually used the term 'Graffiti Church', as the frequent break-ins and resulting defacement of the property were, for the last decade, its most noticeable attribute.

Space Coasters will be calling it the "Graffiti Church" no longer, however, because in July 2014 Rocket Town Church bought the building. To many, this was a bold move as most of the walls had been kicked in, the doors were hanging from their hinges, and there was not a window left unbroken. Indeed, there was such a level of disrepair that some commented that it might have been easier to level the property and start again.

Big changes are nothing new to the members of Rocket Town Church. In 2012, the original RTC merged with New Venture Church, also in Titusville, to form "New Venture Church of Rocket Town" which was later shortened again to "Rocket Town Church". The members of both entities embraced each other with open hearts, successfully completing a transition that has broken weaker parties, and proving their fearlessness and dedication to unite the community.

Therefore, when this new project was brought to their laps, the hearty members of Rocket Town Church were undaunted. There is a lot of history in this building for many people in the area who attended or had been married in the church when it belonged to New Life. Pastor Steve Goodner (of Rocket Town Church) himself met his wife, April, after a New Life sermon in the attached building, now to be used as offices and classrooms. Neighbors living nearby have expressed joy at the endeavor, both at the rise in property value as well as a safe and loving environment to bring their children and friends to hear and grow in Jesus Christ.

The renovations were completed mainly by the selflessness of volunteers and donations by local businesses. Pastor Steve, a few retired handymen, and dedicated electricians arrived early and left late day after day to replace windows, hang drywall, provide power, and bring life to the once neglected building. "There is not a single member of this church who has not shown up with the extent of their abilities to paint, scrub, hammer, shovel, or otherwise to make this place our Home." says Pastor Steve, both humbled by and proud of his congregation.

After months in a rented office building followed by two weeks of praising God from the parking lot, Sunday, February 22nd, 2015 was the first service inside the sanctuary, now carpeted and painted like new. Pastor Steve led the Congregation in a tearful dedication ceremony, reclaiming the resurrected church as holy ground. Enthusiastic to share this place of worship with the surrounding community and beyond, Rocket Town Church hosted what was called "5 Nights of Praise" from Sunday the 22nd to Thursday the 26th starting at 7pm. Guest Speakers Worldwide Missionary/Pastor Samuel Pawlak Sr, Youth Pastor Pete Morrison of Rocket Town Church, Pastor Sammy Pawlak Jr of God's House Orlando, and Pastor Larry Linkous of New Life Christian Fellowship lead attendees in worship and thankfulness for the blessings God has provided.

"It's a chance to breathe life back into what used to be an eyesore." Pastor Steve says, allegorically to the new start given to those who accept Christ into their lives and are made new. If you are interested in seeing what God is doing in Rocket Town Church, adult and youth services are every Sunday at 10:30am, and free coffee and pastries can be found in the back of the sanctuary at the Common Grounds Café!

Come and find... "A better way to do life!"

-Kimberlee D. Long