Our Mission

Reach the Community, Raise the Called, Ready the Commissioned

 

Our Vision 

We envision a church that is a loving community of believers that is biblically literate, committed to godly living, and actively reaching the lost.

 

Our Beliefs

We believe the Bible and do not subscribe to any formal human creed. There are, however, core beliefs that we hold as foundational to our faith.

  1. God. God exists in three persons – the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. God is the all-powerful Creator, loving Sustainer, and righteous Judge of the universe. (John 10:30, 2 Corinthians 13:14)

  2. Jesus. Jesus is God the Father’s one and only Son, born to Mary, a virgin. Jesus lived a sinless life, was crucified, died, was buried, resurrected, and ascended to heaven so that we might accept Him as our Lord and Savior. Jesus will return to earth again as He promised. (John 1:1 & 14, Philippians 2:5-8)

  3. Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides and gifts believers for life and service in the Church. (John 14:16-17, Acts 1:8)

  4. Humanity. All humans are created in God’s image, but we have fallen into sin. Sin separates us from God, and we cannot save ourselves. We need redemption through Jesus Christ. (Romans 3:23, Ephesians 2:8-9)

  5. Salvation. Salvation is a free gift from God; it is not deserved nor can it be earned through our works. We believe that we are saved by God's grace, which we’re given by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. Because we believe in Jesus, we will show obedience through repentance, confession of our faith in Him, Christian baptism by immersion, and living a Christian life led by the Holy Spirit. (John 3:16, Ephesians 2:4-5)

  6. Scripture. The Bible is God’s inspired and authoritative Word. It is our guide for the pattern of the Church and Christian life, as well as God’s revelation of saving Truth. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, Psalm 119:105)

  7. The Church. The worldwide and local Church includes all who live in a covenant relationship with God through Jesus. The Church is the Body of Christ on earth today for the purpose of reconciling the world to God. (1 Corinthians 12:27, Hebrews 10:24-25)

  8. Eschatology. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead. Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead. Believers will enjoy eternal life with God, while the unrepentant will face eternal separation. Jesus is coming back! (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Revelation 22:20)

  9. Baptism. Baptism (immersion) is a sacred symbol given to us by Christ to mark the new identity one has in Him. (Romans 6:3-4, Acts 2:38, Colossians 2:12)

  10. Communion. The elements, the bread, and the juice, represent the body and blood of Christ, given as a sacrifice for our sins. Communion is for confessed believers. (1 Corinthians 11:27-29)

  11. Heaven and Hell: There is both heaven and hell. Those who place their faith in Jesus will spend eternity in heaven, while those who reject Jesus will be eternally separated from God in hell. (John 3:16, Romans 6:23, Revelation 20:15)

  12. Marriage. God has ordained and created marriage to be a union between one man and one woman. (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:4-6)

Our History

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.