A Holy Spirit-Led Church in South Austin
Impact Family Church sits on West William Cannon Drive in the 78745 zip code, a few minutes from the South Austin neighborhood where many of its members live and work. Founded in 1996 by Pastors John and Alison Larkam, the church describes itself as non-denominational and multi-generational, led and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Its purpose, in the words of its leadership, is to help people find and follow Jesus Christ and to equip them to live for and serve Him wholeheartedly.
The congregation gathers Sundays at 10 a.m. on its South Austin campus and through a livestream, and it adds a monthly Believers' Service on the first Wednesday evening. Around the main services runs a full slate of children's programming, small groups, men's and women's ministry, evangelism teams and prayer gatherings that touch nearly every day of the week.
From World Harvest to Impact Family
Impact Family Church began on January 7, 1996 as World Harvest Outreach Church, Inc., meeting at the South Austin Recreation Center. The young congregation grew quickly and moved to the Cherry Creek Plaza at the southwest corner of Manchaca and Stassney, where it built out several suites. As the church continued to expand, it relocated to Clint Small Middle School in preparation for owning its own property, and along the way adopted the name Impact Family Church.
The church then purchased the building previously owned by Jubilee Christian Center at 2909 West William Cannon Drive, and the two congregations merged after Jubilee's pastor stepped away from the pastorate to return to evangelistic ministry. The merged body has continued to grow, and plans are in motion for a multi-phase build-out of the campus that will eventually include a children's auditorium, an Impact Child Development Center for infants through age five, an Impact Christian Academy (Pre-K through Grade 5), an Impact Bible Training Center, an Impact Healing School and a television studio.
Sundays at 10 on Campus and Online
Sunday mornings revolve around the 10 a.m. worship service in the Main Sanctuary. All NextGen classes for children from nursery through elementary age are available during this gathering, and Impact Students join the adults in the main room. Services are also livestreamed on YouTube so that people can participate from home.
On the fourth Sunday of each month, the 10 a.m. service includes water baptisms, when members publicly declare their faith by being immersed. The first three Sundays of the month are reserved for NEXT Track, the church's connection class that introduces newcomers to Impact's history, beliefs, leadership and serving opportunities. A pre-service united prayer time meets in the NEXT Room from 8:30 to 9 a.m. each Sunday to pray over the service and any first-time guests.
First Wednesday Believers' Service
Once a month, on the first Wednesday evening at 7 p.m., Impact Family Church hosts a Believers' Service on campus only. This midweek gathering is designed for those who want a more focused time of worship and ministry, and only the infant through kindergarten classroom is staffed. There is no livestream for the Wednesday service.
NextGen: Kids, Students and the Next Generation
Children's ministry at Impact is called NextGen, a name that reflects the church's belief that today's children are tomorrow's parents, leaders, pastors and teachers. Every team member working with children has passed a background check and been approved by pastoral staff, and parents are welcome to visit their child's classroom before any service to meet teachers and see the environment.
The Nursery and Preschool wing cares for children from two months through five years, divided into three classrooms: infants, 18 months to three years, and three to five years. The infant room is equipped with changing tables, travel cribs and rocking chairs, and a nursing mother's room sits adjacent to it. The toddler room has a changing table and a small age-appropriate bathroom. Preschool and kindergarten children enjoy center-style toys, a dollhouse, a reading corner and a snack during service.
Impact Kids serves first through fifth graders with high-energy worship, interactive Bible lessons and games, meeting upstairs during the Sunday service. On First Wednesdays, Impact Kids joins the adults in the Main Sanctuary.
Impact Students covers middle and high schoolers, who participate in the Sunday service alongside the rest of the congregation. They gather on the lawn at 9:30 a.m. for a pre-service party with slushies, games and community-building, and they have their own Youth Night on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Main Sanctuary. Both the student ministry and the children's ministry are led by Catherine Larkam, the daughter of the senior pastors.
Impact Men and Impact Women
Impact Women gathers around the leadership of Pastor Alison Larkam, who ministers alongside women committed to encouraging, praying for and building up one another. The women host an annual conference and a series of smaller events, and they form the backbone of many of the church's Bible study and social groups.
Impact Men, under the direction of Pastor John Larkam, builds brotherhood around the idea of men standing strong in tough times. The men meet for bi-monthly breakfasts at the church on the third Saturday from 9 to 10:30 a.m. (in even-numbered months), with a powerful message from Pastor John and table discussion. In odd-numbered months they swap the breakfast for an activity such as bowling, ax throwing, canoeing or hiking. An annual men's conference launched in August 2026 with Dr. Art Aragon as guest minister, and a 2027 conference is on the horizon.
Impact Groups Around the City
Impact Groups are the church's small-group network, and the fall season launches a wide range of options for men, women, young adults and teens. Women's offerings include a monthly Ablaze Women's Gathering on Friday evenings, a Monday-night book study on friendships, a Tuesday-morning Bible study, and a Mom's Meetup on the second and fourth Saturdays with coffee and a devotional while children play alongside. Men can join an End Time Study on Monday nights or the bi-monthly breakfasts and activities. Co-ed groups include a Tuesday-night study on the last days and a Financial Peace University course through Ramsey Solutions, as well as a marriage group that meets virtually on Friday evenings with monthly couples date nights.
For younger adults, a Young Adults group meets Thursday evenings from 7 to 9:30 p.m. year-round, and youth have their own Wednesday-night gathering. Prayer anchors the week, too, with virtual United Prayer held by conference call on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings from 8:15 to 8:45 a.m., and the in-person Pre-Service United Prayer each Sunday morning.
Evangelism: Reaching Austin
Evangelism is woven into the identity of Impact Family Church. The church frames soul-winning as a basic command for every believer and runs weekly outreach teams that perform street ministry in downtown Austin and other locations, as well as a prison ministry team that visits with inmates to share the gospel. Training is offered for anyone interested in joining, and a two-minute script is available through the SoulsTrack app to help people share their faith in everyday settings like the grocery store or coffee shop.
Possess the Land and the Building Forward
Impact Family Church is in the middle of a capital campaign called Possess the Land, aimed at purchasing the vacant lots directly west of its campus. Securing this land opens room for a new kids and youth auditorium, an expanded lobby, additional office buildings, a community outreach or Dream Center, a kindergarten through fifth-grade Christian school, a Bible school and a Healing School.
Inside the existing building, the church has already completed several phases of a remodel: nursery and preschool rooms, Impact Kids and the NEXT meeting room, a green room, audio and visual upgrades, a high-resolution LED road sign, A/C improvements and other campus upgrades. The current phase focuses on lobby renovations. Giving is processed online through Pushpay, and Impact tithes 10 percent of what it receives to local, national and international missions and outreach.
What Impact Family Church Believes
Impact Family Church teaches that the Bible alone is the authoritative Word of God, inspired, infallible and inerrant in its original writing. There is one God, eternally existent as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, born of a virgin, sinless in life, crucified and physically resurrected, and He will return in power and glory.
Salvation is a free gift received by grace through faith in Jesus' death, burial and resurrection, not by human effort. The church teaches a personal baptism in the Holy Spirit, accompanied by the initial evidence of speaking in tongues, and it encourages believers to earnestly desire the manifestation of the spiritual gifts. Two ordinances are practiced: water baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper with bread and grape juice. The church holds to marriage as a sacred covenant between one man and one woman, believes in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost, and looks forward to the rapture of the church and the second coming of Christ.
Pastors John and Alison Larkam
Senior Pastor John Larkam grew up in Austin and has had a heart for God for as long as he can remember, raised by a father who read the Bible and testimonies of miracles and healings at bedtime. His preaching is marked by passion, boldness, simplicity and a strong healing anointing. Pastor Alison Larkam was born in El Paso, graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and laid aside her nursing career to pioneer World Harvest Outreach Church alongside her husband. She has returned to nursing and works as an assistant director while continuing to co-lead Impact. The couple have been married since November 21, 1987 and have two daughters, Catherine and Stephanie, who serve on staff.
Visiting Impact Family Church
The church campus is at 2909 W. William Cannon Drive, with a mailing address of P.O. Box 151810, Austin, TX 78715. Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a midday break from noon to 1 p.m. The phone number is 512-444-5550 and the general email is info@impactatx.org. Directions are available through Google Maps.
Anyone interested in taking next steps can begin with NEXT Track on the first three Sundays of the month, ask about water baptism on the fourth Sunday, or sign up for an Impact Group during the fall season. Salvation, the Grow Discipleship Track and Impact Groups all flow from the same simple roadmap the church teaches: Salvation, Water Baptism, NEXT Track, Impact Groups, and Grow.