Our History

Common Ground Christian Church started a number of years ago as a Bible study of five people within Traders Point Christian Church. A Bible study was formed with the objective of finding a way to get the Church "out of the way" so people could meet Jesus. There was a sense that the tradition and “culture” of the church had become foreign and at times offensive to those on the “outside.” While no church intends for this to happen, this culture and tradition had become a barrier that prevented people from meeting Jesus. The church had become isolated and in some ways irrelevant to those who were asking very important questions about life. The church, which used to be the accepted “first place” to ask these questions was no longer a respected authority to be considered.

We believe that the story of the Scriptures and the Gospel message of Jesus Christ is relevant and that it does provide foundation for the questions of humanity no matter when they are asked. We needed to re-establish common ground so that those who were seeking could meet the Jesus of the Scriptures and wrestle with His truth. We believed that the establishing of this common ground had to do with authentic relationships and mission, two things that God has been actively pursuing since the very beginning. We believed that people wanted to find a relational context that was real and purposeful and that made a difference in the world in which they lived. And we believed that this is the church that God established through the life and teaching of Jesus.   

Common Ground Christian Church started out of that vision and small group of people. Eventually the Bible study grew into a worship service. Small-group "house churches" were formed, and the roots of Common Ground took hold. After a couple of years of holding worship services at Traders Point, the leaders of Traders Point and Common Ground prayed about what God had in store for Common Ground. Their prayers were answered when one of the last members of Central Baptist Church called. The elderly member said that they were closing the doors of the Baptist church, but wanted ministry to continue in the building. Common Ground now had its own home, and moved to 6151 N. Central Avenue in June of 2001.