Prior to 1965, the need for a New Testament church in Pittsburg, Kansas, had been recognized independently by several individuals. Preliminary surveys conducted at the initiative of some of those individuals, among whom were B. A. Austin, Sr., Chester Williamson, and B. A. Austin, Jr., indicated that there was a strong potential nucleus for the new church. During the spring and summer of 1965, various area ministers and Orville Brill contacted a number of prospective members to form a nucleus to begin the new church. With the support and encouragement of the Four State Christian Men's Fellowship, an organizational meeting was held on October 24, 1965, at the Pittsburg YMCA. Sixteen Pittsburg residents, along with several representatives of the Four state Christian Men's Fellowship, attended the meeting. As a result of that meeting, 15 of the group decided to begin meeting weekly for Bible study until plans could be completed for a full-time activity. Initially, the meetings were held in the Orville Brill Home, and the original participants consisted of the Wayne Hays Family, Mrs. Atha Barker, and the Orville Brill family.
Beginning in March 1966, Sunday evening services began at the Schlanger Park Community Center with part-time minister Gerald Sappington, a student at Ozark Bible College. With the financial support of the Men's Fellowship and several area churches and individuals, the church was able to hire Leroy Knight as it first full-time minister in July 1966.
The church rented the Seventh Day Adventist Church building at 21st and Grand on Sundays, and the first full day of services was held on August 7, 1966, with 50 present and 21 placing their memberships. Of the 21 placing membership on that Sunday, Orville and Elizabeth Brill, Celia Good, Elinor Hays, and Betty Wilson remain active in the congregation today. The congregation, which was called Central Christian Church, began at that time to plan for the construction of its own building. During the fall of 1967, Central Christian Church began meeting regularly at the YMCA when the building at 21st and Grand was no longer available.
In the fall of 1967, Central Christian Church purchased 3.5 acres of land in the new Countryside Addition on East Fourth Street for $3,500. Ground breaking services were held at the site on April 28, 1968. Construction began immediately afterward, with the members of the church contributing heavily in time, labor, and money. The first services were held in the new building on September 22, 1968, with an attendance of 185. On October 13, 1968, the name of the church was changed to Countryside Christian Church. An educational wing was added to the church building in February 1975, and a new auditorium and classroom addition was completed in June 1980. In 2001, continuing growth made it necessary to add a second worship service to accommodate the congregation. This growth also prompted the construction of a new facility, completed in May 2002, containing several classrooms, a large kitchen, fellowship hall/gymnasium, restrooms/showers, and a small group dining room. In 2003 the original building and the educational wing were remodeled and updated to better serve the current needs.
Countryside Christian Church was instrumental in the establishment of Campus Christians at Pittsburg State University. Many of the students have been active in the congregation, and some of them have remained as permanent residents of Pittsburg, serving in many capacities in the church. Many others have gone to other places and are actively involved in Christian churches in their communities.
