OUR HISTORY

In this journey called life, there are countless moments of epiphany…times where plan and purpose find their inherent union…where vision and affirmation expose themselves before the eyes of those who dare to believe and receive…where quests and questions are no longer the protagonists of an insurmountable divide…where unwavering hope and unquenching thirst serve as the impetus towards a profound ending that begins anew with each “today.” Such is the paradigm of the ministry that is Restored Life Church International, the Dangerous Church!  
Restored Life Church International is an ever-evolving, strong pulse within the Body of Christ that is purposed to help others to become renewed, revived, and ultimately restored to the family of GOD. Initially existing within the heart and spirit of then Minister John Croslan II, this GOD-sent vision and mission was destined to manifest itself and become an influential catalyst of the Kingdom of GOD’s growth both nationally and globally in the 21st century. 
This ministry, originally known as Restored Life Bible Church (RLBC), took its first breath on Sunday, December 12, 2004. During its infancy, services were held at the Rock of Ages Lutheran Church in Stone Mountain, GA. With worship services being conducted every Sunday night at 6:00 PM, the word began to travel throughout the Metropolitan Atlanta area that a “new sound” was resonating from the suburbia of DeKalb County. Newly affirmed Pastor John Croslan II enlisted the services of his community choir, The Interdenominational Mass Choir, affectionately known as IMC, and asked that they submit themselves to serving as the church’s choir for one month; and of course, the group consented to this divinely expressed request. 
As each weekly worship experience transpired, musicians from all over the Metro-Atlanta area volunteered their gifts to form a full band of minstrels who ministered to the souls of those lost and found who were in attendance. From this conglomeration of highly skilled and divinely anointed artists, RLBC was blessed with the services of Jamie Best, who became the church first full-time musician, and Reginald Croslan, who served as its first Music Director. Another first for this unfolding dynamic was the welcoming of James Clopton as the first “non-Croslan family” member of the church. 
In the backdrop of these weekly gatherings that were filled with awe-inspiring preaching from Pastor John Croslan II and his wife, then Evangelist Bernita Croslan, the ministry of RLBC continually evolved, and the recognition of the church in the community mirrored the same expansion. The membership was growing, and in 2005, Evangelist Bernita Croslan was ordained as Co-Pastor of RLBC.  
With the emerging significance of these praise-infused Sunday night worship services, new auxiliaries began to form. The Worship & Arts Ministry, which included the Praise Team, Dance Ministry, and the Kids Life Children’s Choir, the Usher’s Ministry, Life Conference (a revival ministry), the Women of Life (the Women’s ministry), Loving the Least (the Benevolent Ministry), and the Audio/Visual Ministry all became fixtures in the church’s expansion. Yet, in the midst of the perpetual development of these vital ministries, not to mention the extremely reasonable rental expense of $400 per month that the church incurred, RLBC decided to step out on faith in an effort to address the needs of its current membership, while also foreseeing the possibilities associated with the needs of their future members. 
In November of 2006, RLBC moved into the Lions of Judah Conference Center in Stone Mountain, GA. It was at this location that the “first morning services” was held at 11 AM. This step forward brought in new additions to the RLBC family, and it also allowed existing ministries (within the church) to thrive, and subsequently fostered the conception and development of new auxiliaries. Life Talk, the church’s “interactive” Bible Study which was/is held on Tuesday nights, now had the ability to accommodate a larger audience of inquisitive spectators and zealous participants. The Conquerors’ Society (the Men’s ministry), Life Support (the College Ministry), and Life Disciples (the revolutionizing Youth Ministry), were also born during this transition phase as a means of serving the needs of this growing congregation. 
Acknowledging the changes that were taking place within the assembly and recognizing that change is both critical and essential to evolution and growth, on December 6, 2009, Pastor Croslan decided that it was time for the church to emerge from its one-room existence in this shared facility. In that stead, the ministry relocated to 190 Laredo Drive in Decatur, GA, its first free-standing building. 
With the church growing steadily and progressively maturing, the aforementioned location afforded RLBC the freedom and space to establish new auxiliaries and also sponsor a variety of events that were ancillary to its weekly morning services. Refocusing the church’s vision, which states that, “We are a people, called by GOD to be agents of reconciliation for the Lord Jesus Christ. We do this by reclaiming the lost, rekindling our worship, revitalizing our communities, and renewing and restoring our relationships,” RLBC embraced the challenge to become renewed, and transformed itself into a “DANGEROUS CHURCH!” As the momentum for growth continued, on June 2, 2013 RLBC began to call 4185 Snapfinger Woods Drive in Decatur, GA its new home. 
GOD was persistently showing HIS hand in the life of the ministry…for every transition was a pruning of sorts…a refining, if you will, where that which was old or unproductive was being removed, and that which was deemed productive was being challenged, enhanced, and emboldened. In March of 2015, another move was required...one that was ordained by GOD, and subsequently RLBC was re-established at 2244 Panola Road, in Lithonia, GA [in what is now a portion of the city of Stonecrest].  
The Hand of GOD remained steady and evident in the growth of RLBC. In 2016, Pastor John Croslan II was affirmed as an Apostle of the Lord’s Church, and not long afterwards, in September of 2017, Co-Pastor Bernita Croslan was ordained as Pastor. During that same service RLBC ordained four Elders, licensed six Ministers, and appointed its first Youth Pastors to the ministry. In January of 2020, Restored Life Bible Church was relaunched as Restored Life Church International, serving as further evidence of the ministry’s embrace of Jesus’ directive to “therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them everything that I have commanded you.”  
Over the past nineteen years it has become increasingly apparent that Restored Life Church International (RCLI) has been assigned and contracted by GOD to be the frontrunner of the “Dangerous Church” movement. Equipping it members with the tools to become fearless disciples of Jesus Christ, as well as loving, righteous leaders in their homes and communities, Restored Life Church International is renewed and positioned to serve the people of GOD for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We, the RLCI family, are prepared to fight for, win, and restore the souls of others through an unwavering and unconditional love and commitment to GOD. We are armed with the HIS Word, which emboldens us for the battles that will inevitably ensue. We are poised to “fill the seats with people, fill the people with Jesus, and allow Jesus to fill the people with Hope!” 
The recent onset of the global pandemic has not and will not sway the church’s efforts to fulfill its ministerial purpose…it has merely afforded Restored Life Church International another opportunity to be innovative, industrious, and intentional, as we extend our reach beyond the physical limitations of the four walls that once enclosed our sanctuary. The “world” now serves as our place of worship…and our ministerial community. RLCI is steadfast and determined to reach the souls of men, women, and children from every walk of life, in every corner of the Earth…and to do so for GOD’s Glory! Whether we are virtual, hybrid, or otherwise, we are still standing…for “we are DANGEROUS, and we belong to a DANGEROUS CHURCH!”