- ChristChurch London
-
Coordinates: 51°30′40.7″N 0°6′7.1″W / 51.511306°N 0.101972°W
ChristChurch London Founder(s) David Stroud Type Newfrontiers Church Founded 3 October 2004 Location London, UK Key people Lead elder: David Stroud
Elders:
Rhys Scott
Ross Bull (as of Nov 2009)[1]
Andy Tilsley (as of June 2011) [1]
Leaders: Simon Ash[2]Area served London, Worldwide[3] Focus Evangelical Christianity Volunteers 10 Frontier Project Team (2010)[4] Employees 13 Full-time, 4 Part-time (2009)[4] Members 500 approx. (2009)[5] Motto "This City. This Nation. The Nations."[6] Website http://christchurchlondon.org Registered Charity number: 1111950 ChristChurch London ( /ˈkraɪst.tʃɜrtʃ ˈlʌndən/) (also commonly known as ChristChurch; and shorthand CCL[3]), founded 2004, is an evangelical Christian church located in the Mermaid Theatre, London, United Kingdom. It is part of the Newfrontiers global network of charismatic churches.[7]
ChristChurch London's vision is to serve and "make a difference in the heart of the nation".[8] They have a strong focus on community, loving one another, evangelism and mission work.[4][8]
ChristChurch believes in salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone, by the grace of God. They emphasise the importance of spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit, including speaking in tongues, prophecy and healing.[9] They also strongly believe in the believer's baptism by full immersion and born again Christianity.
As part of their approach to evangelism, ChristChurch hold a large number of social events throughout the year which allow members to invite non-Christian friends into the church community. These include football, curry nights, picnics and other outings.[10]
ChristChurch conveys a multicultural community with attendees from over 19 different nations as of 2007.[11]
Contents
History
ChristChurch London was founded in October 2004 by David Stroud. In 1996, whilst having lunch in Leicester Square, he felt God had asked him to plant a church in the centre of London as "God loves cities".[12][13] After a series of conversations in 2003 with Terry Virgo, the founder of the Newfrontiers network of churches, Stroud moved from Birmingham to London with his wife to set up ChristChurch.[12] Stroud then recruited Adrian Holloway and Rhys Scott to be part of the church-planting team.[1] The very first meeting was actually held in Birmingham with approximately 20 to 30 attendees.[14]
ChristChurch London officially launched in 2005 at the New Connaught Rooms in Covent Garden, and since, has relocated twice before officially obtaining church status on the 22nd April 2007.[13][15] On the same day, the church elders were appointed.[13]
On the 7th February 2010, ChristChurch announced that they will be starting two services in the Autumn, a morning and afternoon service, due to the growth of the church. They also said they are looking to move to a slightly smaller venue, with more "hanging out" space, to accommodate for this change.[16] This was confirmed on the 9th May 2010, and the move to the Mermaid Theatre in Blackfriars, London was set for the 4th July 2010.
Years Venue[15] Location Congregation 2004–2005 International Students House Great Portland Street 30 approx.[14] 2005–2006 New Connaught Rooms Covent Garden 240 approx.[14] 2006–2007 Vinopolis South Bank 300 approx.[17] 2007–2010 Piccadilly Theatre Piccadilly Circus 500 approx.[18] 2010–Present Mermaid Theatre Blackfriars > 500[18] Services at ChristChurch were originally held at 4.30pm, but as of 29 April 2007, this was changed to the earlier time of 4pm to accommodate for families with young children.[19] The addition of a further morning service at 11am, which occurred in September 2010, was likewise to improve access for the growing number of families attending ChristChurch, in addition to supporting the increasing congregation. The morning service lasts only 1.5 hours, half an hour shorter than the unchanged afternoon service.
On the 5th September 2009, ChristChurch London re-branded its logo and launched its first bimonthly publication "Broadcast Magazine".[20]
The 28th February 2010 saw the official launch of "ChristChurch London: On The City", a virtual social networking service created by Zondervan, aimed to enhance communication amongst the church community.[21] ChristChurch London is the first church community in Europe to trial the website.
Sundays
ChristChurch currently holds two weekly Sunday services, from 11-12.30pm and from 4-6pm.[22]
The service often begins with an hour of worship using largely contemporary Christian music, including songs by artists such as Chris Tomlin and Hillsong, together with original songs written by members of the ChristChurch London Worship Team.[23] This is then followed by approximately forty-five minutes of preaching, by a church elder or guest speaker, with a sermon centred on a passage of Biblical scripture.[24] The service then concludes with prayer and worship. At the end of the service, members are sometimes given the opportunity to be prayed for and for healing by the ChristChurch London Healing Team.[25]
Special Sundays
Visiting speakers
ChristChurch frequently has guest speakers from other churches, often leaders from Newfrontiers worldwide, come in to preach the main sermon.
Baptisms
ChristChurch holds several baptismal services a year. These tend to be more evangelistic events with themes chosen to be more accessible to the wider community. Themes in the past have included "Lost: A postmodern parable of our times..." and "24: Can a man save the world in one day?". In 2009, ChristChurch baptised 36 people over four baptismal services.[4]
Anniversaries
ChristChurch London traditionally celebrates its anniversary on the second Sunday of October.
Carol services
Carol services at ChristChurch are held on two consecutive Sundays during the first two weeks of December. These have traditionally been very popular events, with many non-regular church-goers attending. December 2009 saw the highest ever Sunday attendance, with over 800 people gathering for the second Christmas Service.[4] The service includes much carol singing, followed by a seasonal sermon. Sunday services are not held for the latter two weeks of December due to the large number of church attendees who return home from London over the festive season.
Life groups
ChristChurch London has 45 life groups, as of 2009, each of about 10 members of ChristChurch hold weekly meetings on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays to "do life together".[4] Life groups are currently located near underground stations all over London.[26] Meetings, facilitated by two life group leaders, a male and a female, are used to discuss life, study the Bible, reach out to others and build community and friendships.[26] Life groups are also encouraged to pray together, participate in Communion and account for one another.
Membership
Membership at ChristChurch London was launched on 22 April 2007.[13] As of 2009, ChristChurch consisted of 326 members.[4] Official membership requires approval from the church elders, to have been baptised (preferably as an adult by full immersion) and a minimum of 10 weeks involvement in a life group.[4] Membership at ChristChurch is a form of recognition of involvement and participation in church life.[27][28] New members are then celebrated at church on "Membership Sundays".[27]
Alpha course
ChristChurch hosts a free Alpha course three times a year (January, April and October) for non-Christians and Christians.[29] The course runs on a Wednesday for nine consecutive weeks, including a weekend away.[30] In 2009, an average of 115 guests attended each of the three courses.[4] Since 2004, over 2000 people in total has attended the Alpha course at ChristChurch.[30]
Notable Alpha launches
ChristChurch London hosts two or three launches per Alpha course, which are also held at Sway Bar in Covent Garden.
3 October 2007: Simon Thomas, former Blue Peter presenter.[31]
5 October 2009: Patrick Dixon, chairman of Global Change Ltd and founder of the international AIDS charity, ACET.[32]
7 October 2009: Alister McGrath, author of the "The Dawkins Delusion?".[33]
20 January 2010: Jo Enright, comedienne from shows such as "Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights" and "I'm Alan Partridge".[34]
21 January 2010: Andy Duncan, chief executive of Channel 4.[35]
19 April 2010: Baroness Cox, founder and chief executive of Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust.[36]
4 October 2010: Dr. Ard Louis, theoretical physicist at the University of Oxford.
Beta course
ChristChurch hosts three Beta courses alongside Alpha, intended as a "follow-on" course for those who have already completed the Alpha course.[37] These similarly run for nine consecutive weeks. In 2009, a total of 81 people attended Beta.[4]
Men's Ministry
ChristChurch London's Men's Ministry, "Man by Choice", runs monthly Men's Training attended by approximately 30 men each session.[4] In addition to training, two Men's days are also held each year, each event attended by about 50 men in 2009.[4]
Women's Ministry
The Women's Ministry at ChristChurch hold two Women's days a year, attended by approximately 100 women at each event in 2009.[4]
Students' Ministry
In 2009, the ChristChurch London Student Team identified and invited 105 new students to visit the church.[4] Due to its location in the centre of London, ChristChurch has attracted many students from the nearby universities, mainly from colleges of the University of London.[38] In 2008, ChristChurch London held student launches at Imperial College London, University College London, University of the Arts London and the London School of Economics.[39] In the following year, new "freshers' life groups" were created in the South, Central and North/Central London.[40]
The Student Team vision is to equip all their students to take the lead in bringing the Kingdom of God onto London’s university campuses.[40] New students are "built in" as active members by the Student Team by one-on-one coffees and social student lunches.[4] Furthermore, the team organises one-on-one discipleship courses, prayer and praise evenings, apologetics training, Christian Union leaders Forums, student bible study and student weekends away.[4][39] In 2009, the student weekend away was attended by 58 students.[4] They also take part in the annual Mobilise conference with Newfrontiers in Brighton, UK, which was attended by 80 ChristChurch students in 2009.[4][41]
Students often serve at ChristChurch on the various teams which keep the church running, as well as volunteering in the local community and at Newfrontiers events, such as the Newday youth festival.[42]
List of teams at ChristChurch
At ChristChurch London, there are a large number of people who serve and help the running of the service every Sunday. In 2006, there were 220 people who were actively serving on at least one of the ChristChurch teams.[43]
Teams at ChristChurch London include:[44]
- Welcome Team
- Worship Team
- Choir
- Production Team
- Sound Team
- Visuals Team
- Healing Team
- Events Team
- Alpha Team
- Beta Team
- Crèche
- Little Eagles (3-6)
- KidzKlub (7-11)
- Youth (11-18)
- Student Work
Everything Matters
ChristChurch London hold a number of forums and seminars each year aimed to equip members in specific aspects of daily living, including "Work Matters", "Leadership Matters" and "Money Matters".[45]
Social action
ChristChurch London believes in caring for the poor and vulnerable as part of their service to God.[46]
In 2009, they actively began to volunteer with charities in London, including "Football in the Community", "Romance Academy", "Dance Summer School", "Kids Company" and "Food Bank". They are also focusing on the areas of Westminster, Lambeth and Highbury and Islington.[46]
Transform Everything
ChristChurch London have a focus on Cultural Transformation as part of their commitment to "loving one another".[4] This has included termly Cultural Transformation breakfasts and talks including "Transform: Teaching", "Transform: Law" and "Transform: Media and the Arts".[4][47]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Leadership Team, ChristChurch London". www.christchurchlondon.org. http://christchurchlondon.org/leadershipteam. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
- ^ "Church Leaders". Broadcast Magazine 1: 3. September–October 2009.
- ^ a b "Charity Commission: ChristChurch London Charity Framework". www.charitycommission.gov.uk. http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/ShowCharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityFramework.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1111950&SubsidiaryNumber=0. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t ChristChurch London (2010). "Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2009". London: ChristChurch London
- ^ "Together on a Mission: Speakers". www.newfrontiers.xtn.org. http://www.newfrontiers.xtn.org/together-on-a-mission/programme-and-speakers/speakers/. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
- ^ Broadcast Magazine 1: 1. September–October 2009.
- ^ "ChristChurch London, Newfrontiers". www.newfrontiers.xtn.org. http://www.newfrontiers.xtn.org/apps/church-search/church-details.php?id=345. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
- ^ a b "Vision, ChristChurch London". www.christchurchlondon.org. http://christchurchlondon.org/ourvision. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
- ^ "CCL Podcast: "Does God Heal Today?"". www.christchurchlondon.org. 2007-02-25. http://www.christchurchlondon.org/sermons/audio/20070225_Does_God_Heal_Today.mp3. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
- ^ "What's Going On, ChristChurch London". www.christchurchlondon.org. http://christchurchlondon.org/whatsgoingon. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
- ^ "CCL Podcast: "Building an International Church"". www.christchurchlondon.org. 2007-01-07. http://www.christchurchlondon.org/sermons/audio/20070107_Building_an_International_Church.mp3. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
- ^ a b "CCL Podcast: "Becoming All That We Could Be"". www.christchurchlondon.org. 2006-10-08. http://www.christchurchlondon.org/sermons/audio/20061008_Becoming_All_That_We_Could_Be.mp3. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
- ^ a b c d "CCL Podcast: "Vision 2007"". www.christchurchlondon.org. 2007-01-28. http://www.christchurchlondon.org/sermons/audio/20070128_Vision_2007.mp3. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
- ^ a b c "CCL Podcast: "Living a Life that Glorifies God"". www.christchurchlondon.org. 2007-10-07. http://www.christchurchlondon.org/sermons/audio/20071007_Living_a_Life_that_Glorifies_God.mp3. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
- ^ a b "ChristChurch London Vision '08". www.youtube.com. 2008-01-29. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xr7zAy3DhM&feature=channel. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
- ^ "CCL Podcast: "Vision Sunday"". www.christchurchlondon.org. 2010-02-07. http://christchurchlondon.org/sermons/audio/20100107_Vision_Sunday.mp3. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
- ^ "The Mystery Worshipper: ChristChurch, London Bridge". www.ship-of-fools.com. 2006-03-05. http://www.ship-of-fools.com/mystery/2006/1243.html. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
- ^ a b "Who Are We, ChristChurch London". www.christchurchlondon.org. http://christchurchlondon.org/whoarewe. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
- ^ "CCL Podcast: "Passing the Test"". www.christchurchlondon.org. 2007-04-29. http://www.christchurchlondon.org/sermons/audio/20070429_Passing_The_Test.mp3. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
- ^ "The News". Broadcast Magazine 1: 5. September–October 2009.
- ^ "Christchurch London: On The City". http://www.onthecity.org/.+2010-02-28. https://christchurchlondon.onthecity.org/. Retrieved 2010-03-01.
- ^ "Sundays, ChristChurch London". www.christchurchlondon.org. http://christchurchlondon.org/sundays. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
- ^ "Working Together, ChristChurch London Worship Team". Rhys Scott. http://web.me.com/rhys.scott/ChristChurch_Worship_Team/Working_together.html. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
- ^ "The Mystery Worshipper: ChristChurch, Piccadilly". www.ship-of-fools.com. 2009-08-09. http://www.ship-of-fools.com/mystery/2009/1779.html. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ "CCL Podcast: "Why Does God Heal?"". www.christchurchlondon.org. 2007-03-04. http://www.christchurchlondon.org/sermons/audio/20070304_Why_Does_God_Heal.mp3. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
- ^ a b "Life Groups, ChristChurch London". www.christchurchlondon.org. http://christchurchlondon.org/lifegroups. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
- ^ a b "Church Life, ChristChurch London". www.christchurchlondon.org. http://christchurchlondon.org/churchlife. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
- ^ "Becoming a Member, ChristChurch London". www.christchurchlondon.org. http://www.christchurchlondon.org/resources/becoming_a_member.pdf. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
- ^ "UK hosts its big Alpha party". www.alphafriends.org. 2008-11-26. http://www.alphafriends.org/news/uk-hosts-its-big-alpha-party. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
- ^ a b "Alpha, ChristChurch London". www.christchurchlondon.org. http://christchurchlondon.org/alpha. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
- ^ "What really matters?: CCL Life Group Discussion Outline". www.christchurchlondon.org. 2007-09-16. http://www.christchurchlondon.org/sermons/notes/160907_what_really_matters.pdf. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
- ^ "Pandemics, Recession and the Unexpected, An introduction to the Alpha Course". www.christchurchlondon.org. 2009-10-05. http://www.christchurchlondon.org/resources/Alpha-Dixon.pdf. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
- ^ "Is Dawkins Deluded?, An introduction to the Alpha Course". www.christchurchlondon.org. 2009-10-07. http://www.christchurchlondon.org/resources/Alpha-AlisterMcGrath.pdf. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
- ^ "An Evening with Jo Enright, An Invitation to Dinner". www.christchurchlondon.org. 2010-01-20. http://christchurchlondon.org/images/events/Jo_Enright_1.jpg?1260275998. Retrieved 2009-12-08.[dead link]
- ^ "An Evening with Andy Duncan, An introduction to the Alpha Course". www.christchurchlondon.org. 2010-01-21. http://christchurchlondon.org/images/events/andy_duncan_1.jpg?1260275998. Retrieved 2009-12-08.[dead link]
- ^ "An Evening with Baroness Cox, An Invitation to Dinner". www.christchurchlondon.org. 2010-04-19. http://christchurchlondon.org/images/events/baroness_cox_1.jpg?1269599803. Retrieved 2010-04-19.[dead link]
- ^ "Beta, ChristChurch London". www.christchurchlondon.org. http://christchurchlondon.org/beta. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
- ^ ""ChristChurch London STUDENTS" Facebook Group". www.facebook.com. http://te-in.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2345178701&_fb_noscript=1. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
- ^ a b "Events, "ChristChurch London STUDENTS" Facebook Group". www.facebook.com. http://te-in.facebook.com/events.php?oid=2345178701&vm=all. Retrieved 2009-08-26.[dead link]
- ^ a b "Students, ChristChurch London". www.christchurchlondon.org. http://christchurchlondon.org/students. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
- ^ "Mobilise: For Students and Twenties". www.mobilise.xtn.org. http://www.mobilise.xtn.org/. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
- ^ "Serving at Newday". www.newdaygeneration.org. http://www.newdaygeneration.org/Groups/111242/Newday/The_event/serving_at_newday/serving_at_newday.aspx. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
- ^ "CCL Podcast: "Staying Connected to God"". www.christchurchlondon.org. 2006-11-19. http://www.christchurchlondon.org/sermons/audio/20061119_Staying_Connected_To_God.mp3. Retrieved 2009-08-29.
- ^ "Serving, ChristChurch London". www.christchurchlondon.org. http://www.christchurchlondon.org/serving.php. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
- ^ "Everything Matters, ChristChurch London". www.christchurchlondon.org. http://christchurchlondon.org/everythingmatters. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
- ^ a b "Social Action, ChristChurch London". www.christchurchlondon.org. http://christchurchlondon.org/socialaction. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
- ^ "Transform Everything, ChristChurch London". www.christchurchlondon.org. http://christchurchlondon.org/transformeverything. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
External links
- ChristChurch London official website
- ChristChurch London Worship Team website
- Man by Choice, ChristChurch London's Men's Ministry website
- The City, ChristChurch London social networking website
- ChristChurch London information videos
- ChristChurch London, Registered Charity no. 1111950 at the Charity Commission
·
Founder: Terry Virgo Everything Conference · Mobilise · Newday · Stoneleigh International Bible Week · Together On A MissionCategories:- Newfrontiers
- Churches in London
- Churches in the City of London
- Christianity in London
- Religious organizations established in 2004
- British New Church Movement
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