OUR HISTORY

It all started when... 

The River Sparta (now The Forge) was founded in the summer of 2015 by pastor John Phillips and his wife April. John was the life group and outreach pastor at The River Community Church in Cookeville, TN for five years. After being on a core team at Crossroads church plant for two and a half years, and various other church leadership experiences, John and April took the leap to plant River Sparta in Sparta, TN. 

The Forge has a strong core team that has prayed for many years that a church like ours would come to Sparta. Our church family is made of people from all walks of life who have one thing in common, Jesus! This church family plans and executes outreach events, and reaches out to our community. God has brought this church together to change Sparta, Tennessee for His glory. We hope you'll join our family!

Our church began in the Sparta YMCA gym until 2018 when the LORD blessed us with the building we have now at 264 Judah Dr. We officially changed our name from River Sparta to The Forge in 2025.