With several campuses, new construction underway, and more seating needs ahead, Christ Fellowship wanted a seating partner it could depend on for the long haul.
From a Living Room to Multiple Campuses
Christ Fellowship began more than 45 years ago with 40 people gathering for Bible study, prayer, and worship in Pastor Mullins’ living room. After years of meeting in schools and temporary spaces, the church established its first permanent campus and eventually began expanding across South Florida.
Today, Christ Fellowship gathers across 14 locations, online through Christ Fellowship Everywhere, and inside local prisons. More than 30,000 people attend on a typical weekend, with attendance climbing above 80,000 during Easter services.
Philip McCracken has watched much of that growth firsthand. He has been part of Christ Fellowship for 20 years, including 12 years on staff, and currently serves as its Risk Director.
As the church has grown, so has the work happening behind the scenes to support it. Newly constructed spaces need to be furnished. Existing furniture eventually needs to be replaced. When thousands of people gather each weekend, even something as ordinary as ordering chairs becomes a much larger undertaking.
Looking Beyond the Next Order
With several projects ahead, Philip and the leadership team began looking for a supplier they could rely on long term. They needed consistency across locations, predictable delivery, and fewer of the cost uncertainties that came with international shipping and tariffs. Their existing vendor’s shipping delays and unreliable lead times had eroded that confidence.
“We lost the ability to trust our old vendor and the time frames they said would happen,” Philip said.
With a new campus opening later that year, hundreds of chairs needed to be in place for the first worship service. A missed delivery date wasn’t something the team could work around and hope nobody noticed.
But reliability couldn’t come at the expense of the chair itself. The team expected quality materials, durability, an attractive finished product, competitive pricing, and good service. And after years with its previous supplier, they knew what they liked.
Making the Switch to Bertolini
Switching suppliers was one thing. Switching chairs was another.
Bertolini addressed several of Philip’s concerns right away. Its U.S. sourcing removed the international shipping uncertainty that had complicated previous orders.
Still, the decision to switch wasn’t unanimous.
For all the frustration surrounding delivery, the chairs themselves weren’t the problem. Christ Fellowship had years of experience with them, and some on the team weren’t convinced they should give up a product that had served them well.
They ultimately chose Bertolini Impressions Chairs with Interweave Slate upholstery and an Urban Bronze frame. When the chairs arrived, any lingering hesitation disappeared. Once the chairs arrived and the team saw the quality firsthand, no one was on the fence anymore.
Putting Service to the Test
Not everything went perfectly. Some chairs arrived with freight damage caused during shipping.
The damage wasn’t Bertolini’s fault, but how the company responded still mattered. Bertolini quickly provided replacements without requiring Philip to chase down the freight company or manage the claim himself.
There was no runaround and no hassle. When a problem came up, Bertolini handled it.
A Third Order
Christ Fellowship has received two orders of Bertolini Impressions Chairs. The hesitation surrounding that first purchase hasn’t returned.
The church has already placed its third order: 800 more Impressions Chairs for a building now under construction, with delivery expected later this year.
