Encounter Church, initially Gateway Community North with thirty-five charter members, was constituted on February 3, 2013, with Rev. Andy Lamon as pastor and two hundred in attendance.
The church had been meeting in Ebenezer Elementary School and in 2012, moved to a permanent location in a Rincon shopping center. In 2018, Gateway Effingham merged with The Chapel Ministries and became The Chapel Effingham. The Chapel continued serving the community through the Effingham campus and local mission partners. On April 3, 2022, Encounter Church was launched from The Chapel Ministries to pursue a greater focus on local missions and ministry in Effingham County.