CHARLIE MITCHELL
Pastor. planter. author. catalyst.
Twenty years of building churches, developing leaders, and doing the hard work in hard places. Now rooted in Southwest Florida and still building.
Teaching Pastor at Summit Church • Founder of Maroon House • SWFL Catalyst, Church United
Author • Southwest Florida
Built in the Hard Places
I’m a shrimper’s son from Key West who grew up in Harlem Heights, Fort Myers. I lost my dad at 13, came to faith at 15, and have spent the last twenty years planting churches, writing books, coaching leaders, and building things in the places most people drive through without stopping.
I founded Epiphany Church in Baltimore in 2017, the same year I was diagnosed with kidney disease. I planted and pastored through years of urban ministry and physical decline, helped architect a church merger that became Hopeville, received a kidney transplant in 2023, and came back home to Southwest Florida in 2024.
The work has never been just a career. It’s always been the answer to a question I’ve been living with since I was a teenager: what does it look like to build something that lasts, in soil that doesn’t make it easy?
The work
Twenty years of building has produced a lot of entities. Here’s where to find each one.
Maroon House
Soul care coaching and cohort experiences for urban church planters and ministry leaders navigating the real costs of the work.
Founder
Books & Writing
Urban ministry resources, soul care reads, and the Mindset Mixtape series for men, real talk for leaders committed to doing hard work in rough terrain.
Author
SumMit Church
Teaching Pastor at Summit Church in Southwest Florida, where I joined the teaching team in September 2024.
City Renewal Pastor
Church United
Southwest Florida Catalyst for a national network mobilizing pastors and churches toward collective community impact.
SWFL Catalyst
Deep Cutz
Long-form writing on ministry, culture, leadership, and the inner life. Thoughtfully-crafted pieces for leaders who like to think deeply and engage with ideas.
Thought Leadership
Podcasts
Three audio series — The Dope Daily Audio Bible (daily scripture and prayer), Charlie Mitchell Teachings (archived sermons available on demand). The Urban Pastor Podcast. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere you listen.
CreatorSpeaking
Charlie speaks to pastors, church planters, denominational leaders, and community organizations on urban ministry, soul care, courageous leadership, and the intersection of faith and culture. He is available for conferences, retreats, church engagements, and leadership events across Southwest Florida and nationally.
Recent and Notable
Salem Chapel, Winston-Salem, N.C.
Renovation Church, Hampstead, N.C.
Habitat for Humanity of Lee & Hendry Counties
Heights Foundation
Backstage Soul Care Conference