10 APRIL 2026 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition PASTOR PROFILE At 6-foot-4, wearing a Michael Jordan jersey in his office and thinking like a coach, Pastor Troy Gramling recently marked 25 years of ministry at Potential Church in Cooper City, where he has become known for his creative, unconventional teaching designed to draw people in. A former college basketball player from Arkansas, he still approaches leadership like a game. For Gramling, the mission is to help people reach their full potential, a plan he lays out in his book Potential: The Uncontainable Power of God Within You. This year his reach has also extended beyond South Florida as he was added as a teaching pastor on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), where his messages, blog content and teaching are now distributed to a national audience. It’s clear Gramling is not afraid to think big. His long-term vision for the church, which he calls the 50/100/150 initiative, sets a goal of launching 50 campuses, reaching 100,000 people and raising up 150 leaders for ministry, with the hope that the next generation of leaders, including his own children, may carry it forward. How it started Interestingly, Gramling didn’t originally plan to go into ministry. After playing college basketball at Williams Baptist College before finishing his degree at Arkansas State, he thought he would be a teacher and coach. But while he and his wife, Stephanie Gramling, were volunteering in a small country church teaching youth, something shifted. “I just felt a nudge,” he said. “I didn’t know what it meant. I just knew it was in that direction.” That nudge led to his first pastoral role at Finch Baptist Church in Arkansas, where he began by teaching youth and gradually stepped into leadership. He later planted his first church in Paragould, Ark., starting in his living room with about a dozen people. In 2000, he was called to South Florida to join what was then Flamingo Road Church as a young adult pastor under Pastor Dan Southerland, succeeding him as lead pastor a few years later. Breaking through the noise Adapting to a very different culture in South Florida, Gramling realized he needed a creative approach to attract people who may have never stepped foot in a church. He built a reputation for provocative, attention-grabbing series designed to spur curiosity and encourage people to attend. He promoted a teaching series called “My Naked Pastor,” focused on authenticity and transparency, where he spoke candidly about his struggles, challenging the idea that faith requires having everything together. A few years later, he expanded that theme with “The Glass House,” where he and his wife lived for 30 days in a glass-walled structure on campus, allowing people to observe their daily lives and marriage in real time. He also taught “Snake Versus Lion,” bringing a live boa constrictor and a caged lion on stage, and for a “Daredevil” series, he joined a stuntman as they exploded a car in the parking lot and walked out through the flames, with firefighters on standby. Recalling the stunt, Gramling said, “I still have the helmet — it’s melted — and the boots I had on. We had a GoPro, and you can see the fire just go through the cabin of the car!” However, he emphasizes the goal isn’t shock. It’s about removing barriers, so people feel comfortable engaging with faith. “You have to be willing to take the risk of going too far,” he said. “If you’re not willing to do that, you’ll never get above the noise.” That approach has also elevated Potential Church to a larger audience, attracting more than 70 guest speakers, including Steven Furtick, Rich Wilkerson Jr., Brian Houston, Erwin McManus and Joel Osteen. Portraits of each guest line the hallway to his office. Gramling credits leaders like Rick Warren and his book, Purpose Driven Church, with shaping his ministry around clear, intentional purpose. Why “Potential” matters He changed the name of the church from Flamingo Road Church to Potential Church in 2010. “We knew if we were going to expand to multiple locations, a name like Flamingo Road wouldn’t make sense everywhere,” Gramling said. “So, we changed it to Potential because it reflects who we are and what we believe God wants to do in people’s lives no matter where they are.” For Gramling, “Potential is who you are meant to be. It’s what God sees in you, even if you don’t see it yet.” The church’s mission is “Partnering with people to reach their God potential to impact the world for good.” Before COVID, Potential Church had grown beyond its Cooper City base to multiple South Florida campuses, plus locations in Pensacola and Lima, Peru. Like most churches, Potential had to pivot during COVID to a smaller footprint; however, they are preparing to relaunch in Pensacola and looking to go wherever God leads. Gramling is also part of the Global Kingdom Partnership Network, an alliance of influential churches around the world that share strategy, resources and leadership insight. Building for the future Locally, Potential Church operates Potential Christian Academy, a growing school now expanding into high school, adding a ninth and tenth grade, and building out one grade level each year. Potential Christian Academy in Pensacola has expanded to 8th grade. It has also launched Centurion International University (CIU), focused on leadership development and spiritual growth. But of all he has accomplished, Gramling said, “The thing I’m most proud of is that my kids serve God.” He and his wife, Stephanie, have three children, Tyler, Carson and Baylee, all actively involved in ministry at Potential Church. “Tyler and his wife, Amber, are campus pastors. Carson is the next-gen pastor, his wife Jess is the communications manager, Baylee is the graphic design and digital media coordinator, and her husband, Larry, leads as the associate youth director,” Gramling said. “I don't know if they'll always be a part of Potential… but we're proud that they all have their own faith.” And after 25 years, Gramling is still encouraging people to reach their God potential. Following Easter, he’ll begin a new series titled “Fearless Conversations,” focused on honest, bold prayer, encouraging people to talk to God about real struggles rather than surface-level faith. To learn more about Potential Church or plan your visit, go to potentialchurch.com. Unlocking Potential: Pastor Troy Gramling at 25 Years Shelly Pond Good News Editor Pastor Troy Gramling Photo credit: Leslie J. Feldman
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