Philip Anthony Mitchell Draws 80,000 for a Texas Prayer Service

A stadium best known for NFL football became a gathering place for a massive prayer service last weekend as Atlanta-based 2819 CHURCH brought its worldwide following to AT&T Stadium in suburban Dallas.

An estimated 80,000 people attended “ACCESS — That Powerful Hour of Prayer,” led by Pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell, 2819’s charismatic founder, according to Praiseworld Radio. The free gathering marked the ministry’s largest prayer event yet, extending its reach well beyond its hometown congregation.

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The turnout followed enormous demand: All 80,000 tickets were claimed well before the event. But Mitchell had emphasized that filling seats would mean little without a deeper spiritual response. He invited Christians everywhere to pray during the same hour, broadening the invitation beyond the confines of the physical stadium in North Texas. 

Salvation Invitation

The event announcement outlined three organizing themes: The Cross, The Warning and The Cry. Together, they framed an invitation to embrace salvation through Jesus Christ, repent and unite in prayer.

“Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!” was featured in the announcement. Its explicitly urgent message asked participants to consider their spiritual readiness alongside their immediate needs.

For 2819, that invitation reflects the church’s stated purpose. 

Its name references Matthew 28:19, Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations. The congregation describes its mission as spreading the gospel and developing followers whose faith shapes how they serve others and live within their communities. 

“Just learned that a teenage girl was healed of deafness and removed her hearing aids last night at ACCESS in TX,” Mitchell posted on social media the next day. “This to the glory of God.”

Bigger than Atlanta

The Texas gathering came nearly a year after the larger-than-expected response to a 2025 ACCESS event in Atlanta, where an estimated 40,000 people filled State Farm Arena and a nearby overflow location. Thousands more who couldn’t get in remained outside, according to the church.

The explosive growth of Mitchell’s church has come with growing interest in his message. Praiseworld Radio reported that weekly attendance at 2819 CHURCH rose from fewer than 200 people in 2023 to more than 6,000, with an additional audience watching online. The Texas gathering demonstrated the ministry’s ability to bring that broader following together in person in a city far from the church’s home base. 

Mitchell’s concern for young Black men offers another dimension to the story of 2819 CHURCH. In a recent interview with The Dallas Weekly, Mitchell connected that concern to his own journey from the streets of Queens, New York, and incarceration at Rikers Island to leading a worldwide congregation in arguably the nation’s fastest-growing church.

“I want my life to be a testimony to them that God could do anything with a surrendered life,” Mitchell said.

Old-School Message, Youth Appeal

Asked about his phenomenal appeal to younger Christians, Mitchell said his congregants are seeking credibility and substance in a world full of corruption and inauthenticity in religious settings. He said his message centers on biblical teaching and openness about his own shortcomings. Those priorities place personal transformation at the center of his ministry’s expanding public profile.

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On its website, the church’s published values pair prayer and passionate worship with community, generosity and service. Its understanding of discipleship includes gathering in smaller groups, strengthening relationships and supporting one another through ongoing spiritual growth. Those commitments provide a framework for what can follow a stadium gathering: Sustained participation in a community of faith. 

The huge crowd in Texas made ACCESS a striking public expression of religious commitment. Its lasting significance, however, remains an unfolding story — one that will be told through the lives of participants and the communities to which they return.