About Us

At Christ Church, we are an energetic young family of evangelistic Anglicans who use the Bible as our guide for life. Our church was founded in 1985 here in Plano and has grown to serve approximately 2,200 worshipers per weekend. We use a small group approach to fellowship as a tool for maintaining the intimate, small-church feeling so that anyone who wants to can get connected to other people. Our doors are always open to friends in the community who want to practice their Christian faith or learn about God for the first time.

History

Christ Church began as a mission in 1985 when Bishop Patterson of The Episcopal Diocese of Dallas asked the Rev. David H. Roseberry to found a new church in the west Plano area. The first church service met at Carpenter Middle School in Plano on August 4, 1985. That day, 240 worshipers attended. Christ Church gained parish status in the Diocese of Dallas on October 30, 1986.

Christ Church officially severed its ties with The Episcopal Church USA on September 15, 2006 and came under the temporary pastoral oversight of Bishop Bill Godfrey of the Diocese of Peru. On January 22, 2007, Christ Church officially joined the Anglican Mission in the Americas (AMiA) and now receives pastoral oversight from the Rt. Rev. Emmauel Kolini, Archbishop of the Anglican Province of Rwanda. Through our affiliation with the AMiA and Archbishop Kolini, Christ Church is a member of the worldwide 77 million member Anglican Communion. Christ Church continues to welcome an average of 2,000 worshipers per weekend in six services.

The 1,400 seat Sanctuary on Legacy Drive opened in January 2001. In August 2003, our education building, called Archgate Center, opened with over 40,000 square feet of classrooms and meeting space. The most recent addition to our campus (as of May 2004) is the 205-seat Chapel, envisioned as a place for community prayer and worship for all passersby. The Chapel will also welcome baptisms, weddings and other small worship services.

Forming Our Mission

The Lord continues to bless Christ Church with newcomers and committed volunteers who embrace our mission: “Go! Make disciples and teach them to obey the commands of Christ!”

When Fr. David Roseberry founded Christ Church in 1985, he knew that the church would need a purpose, a mission to follow. His five criteria for the mission: Biblical, big, clear, effective and pro-active. He decided that the following verse of scripture should be Christ Church’s mission. It is the foundation for every sermon, every ministry, every project we undertake. It has been the same since 1985, and always will be…

Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:16-20

Our Beliefs

Christ Church is a member of the Anglican Mission in the Americas (AMiA), and therefore a member of worldwide Anglican Communion. Pastoral oversight for our parish is provided by the Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Kolini, the Archbishop of Rwanda. Formerly an Episcopal church, Christ Christ severed ties with The Episcopal Church USA on September 15, 2006 and joined the AMiA on January 22, 2007.

We believe in a Trinitarian God, which means one God of creation, redemption, and constant presence and love. We believe that the church is Christ living and visible in the world. This does not mean that any group is perfect. In fact, belonging to a church is an exercise in patience, forbearance, and love. But at every baptism, all the people are asked again to renew their own baptismal covenant. One of the questions they are asked is “Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers?” We believe that we are called to continue practices that date back to Jesus’ time.

Our beliefs can be summed up in two creeds which are recited by the congregation in every worship service: The Nicene Creed and The Apostles’ Creed, both found in The Book of Common Prayer (1979) which resides with The Holy Bible in our pew racks. (Note that the word “catholic” in these creeds refers not to the Roman Catholic Church, but to the universal church of the Lord Jesus Christ.)

• The Nicene Creed

  The Nicene Creed is the most universally accepted profession of the Christian Faith. It is affirmed by most of the Protestant denominations, as well as by the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church. It was adopted (in a slightly different version) by the Church Council at Nicaea in AD 325 and further revised to its present form by the Council at Chalcedon in AD 451. It has remained in use since that time and is currently an essential part of the doctrine and liturgy here at Christ Church.

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

• The Apostles’ Creed

  The Apostles’ Creed is the basic creed of Reformed churches. Dating back a half-century or so from the last writings of the New Testament, it has as the authors of its earliest version the twelve disciples or “apostles” of Jesus.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day He rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

Worship Grow Serve

The spiritual activities of a disciple of Jesus Christ might be categorized into these three areas: Worship, Grow & Serve. We strive to provide opportunities for you to make a deepening priority in your life.

• Worship
  Commit to attend weekly worship services. If you are a parent, make sure your children or teens are in Sunday School. Stay close to the Lord through His word. Praise the Lord through prayer, singing and giving.
• Serve
  Volunteer in and from Christ Church. Use you gifts and resources to reflect Christ’s love to the people in each part of your life: your family, your work, your community.
• Grow
  Gain biblical knowledge. Develop spiritual disciplines. Strive to become more like Jesus Christ. Strengthen spiritual muscle through small groups, Bible studies and other ministry programs we offer.