Chris Gratton was a climbing TikTok musical sensation when he felt a conviction from the Lord to lean away from fame and instead disciple young men in his community.

Gratton’s salvation was an unusual event. “Many believers have come to know the Lord through an altar call or an invitation. I met Jesus behind a dumpster.” One night, Gratton was throwing out the trash as a part of his job in the food industry when the conviction of his sin hit him. “That is the moment I met Jesus.”

Seizing an Opportunity

When COVID-19 hit, everything came to a standstill. “In this weird season where everybody was at home, I was like, ‘You know what? I’m musical. Let me try to do some music on TikTok.’ And then that blew up. Dude Perfect stitched it. The Panthers stitched. It was crazy,” remarked Gratton.

Gratton’s platform grew exponentially, but God pressed on his heart for something more. “The Lord started to convict me after I reached over 200,000 followers.” Gratton felt that he was spending too much time on TikTok, but the Lord had given him an opportunity to disciple young men where he was. Gratton began to use social media to share the Gospel until joining the staff at Town Creek Baptist Church in South Carolina. 

Developing a Missions Mindset

Throughout his ministry, Gratton has been able to travel on international missions. “When we travel internationally, we get to see faith from other believers who don’t have this consumeristic ideology. Instead of consuming and consuming, they are giving and giving,” shared Gratton. “There is so much to do, and the laborers are few. The Lord has you strategically placed right where you are. You have to be obedient to disciple young men and young women right where they are.”