Question #8

What about the “Community Church” movement?

When, where, who, and how was the " Community Church" started?

The Answer:

The term “community church” has existed for many decades. It most likely originated in small communities that could not support (numerically or financially) many different denominations. As a result, one building might be built and referred to as “the community church.” They were usually described as “inter-denominational.” This description was accurate because the church was comprised of people from several different denominations. This movement made its way into larger cities by people who liked the idea of not emphasizing denominational differences. The movement usually prospered in periods that had some greater than normal interest in ecumenicity. It was not characterized by an attempt to restore New Testament Christianity; it was no more than an attempt to live with recognized differences.

However, in the 1900’s the community church movement came to be associated with the Church Growth Movement (“CGM”). Its history is more traceable than the prior interdenominational movement. Many of the CGM’s mega-churches claim to be community churches. Although they started out with an attempt to reach the “unchurched,” most of their growth (98% according to one study) came from other religious groups in the area. If you would like to see a summary of this aspect of the community church movement you may do so at these two web sites: the first site is from a denominational vantage, the second site is by a member of the church of Christ.