HISTORY

THE HISTORY

In 2007, out of a deep desire to live differently, a group formed to start a new church and ministry. Having grown dissatisfied with the models of ministry we were a part of, we hoped to pursue a new vision of Christian community. And we didn’t want to do it alone. We wanted to do it together—to live out our faith in such a way that the gospel would leave a lasting imprint on our lives and the neighborhoods in which we lived.

With a core group established in 2008, Providence Bible Church was born.

We started several small groups and eventually hosted weekend worship services in September of that year. We immediately began looking for ways to serve the poor in our neighborhood. Out of this commitment, several ministries of mercy were created.

But over the course of time, we became disillusioned with the traditional model of charity. We stopped asking, “How do we help people in poverty?” and began asking the question, “How do we help people out of poverty?” In 2014, an outcomes-based approach to community development was officially launched in the form of a nonprofit called CrossPurpose. Year to date, CrossPurpose has come alongside over 1,000 neighbors as they lead their own journey out of poverty and into self-sufficiency.

Since day one, Providence has supported the mission of CrossPurpose to abolish economic, relational and spiritual poverty by providing Ally support, spiritual exploration and formation classes, identity development and discipleship.

Today, Providence Bible Church is a multiethnic, multiclass, multicultural, multilingual and multigenerational congregation. We love God together with over 200 attendees on Sunday mornings, we love our church family together through 11 Community Groups throughout the week and we love nearly 200 neighbors a year together through CrossPurpose.