The Story of Christ Fellowship ... the Beginning
In 1995 Bruce Miller stood in his Richardson, Texas office reflecting on a tattered easel with a large pad of a mostly used flip chart paper. On the last sheet he had written in large letters what would later become a major theme of Christ Fellowship, “We walk by faith and not by sight,” 2 Corinthians 5:7. Bruce listened to the desire God was firmly planting in his heart. He told friends, “never in my life have I sensed God’s direction more clearly.” He approached his wife, Tamara, and said, “Tamara, God is calling us to start a church in McKinney.” She said, “Let’s go!” No hesitation; no questions.
Faith Walk
Bruce prayed, fasted and studied the area. The vision was for a dynamic church reaching the north Collin County region with the love of Jesus Christ, for spiritual revival, and for touching the world by the power of God. He developed a core leadership team of seven people. Those early days were filled with many faith crossroads. The team pledged to walk by faith and not by sight in all decisions. They longed to see what God would do through a team of people sold out to Jesus Christ, moving out in the Holy Spirit’s power. The vision was to cultivate a Christ-centered, Bible-based, Spirit-empowered community which dynamically draws people to trust in Jesus, worship God, build relationships, grow to maturity and serve Him.
In April 1996 Bruce and the faithful team of seven moved forward to plan the future along with a core group that grew to fifty families. They met as small groups in homes for one year. They fasted and prayed. They prayed through each page of the local phone book—for every family.
The Dream Lived Out
Christ Fellowship (then McKinney Fellowship) held its first public service on March 16, 1997. By faith, we opened with two Sunday morning services—God brought the people. By faith, we started a Saturday night service—God brought the people. By faith, we looked for land and God provided 48 acres in the heart of McKinney. By faith, we began supporting other missions with ten percent of our offerings even though we were on a ‘fledgling mission ourselves.’
Bruce told his team early on that we will always take risks for the Gospel; we’ll always be willing to try new things to live out our mission to reach more people for Christ. We’re a church of grace with open arms for all kinds of people. What ever may be “your history,” once you’ve found healing, found Christ, we call people to live all-out for Jesus Christ. At Christ Fellowship it’s not about ‘you;’ it’s about loving God with unqualified devotion and living a whole life love response to God.
Today we are still on mission to be -
People helping people find and follow Christ
In 2010, we changed our name from McKinney Fellowship to Christ Fellowship. We have a clear vision of our identity -- who we are -- and our "heart" is all about Jesus Christ. The new name reflects this, and through the transformational love of Jesus Christ we will multiply the mission in communities like Prosper and Celina, in Uganda, Africa, and beyond. (Read more about the heart of Christ Fellowship)
We will not be distracted by any other issue or agenda. Our mission is to be people helping people find and follow Christ. (Read more about the mission)
Today, we have a large central campus at Eldorado and Orchid in McKinney and we are in the process of planting new campuses. Our staff has grown from the seven early pioneers to a multi-pastoral/support staff and a faithful servant-volunteer team that numbers over 350 people. More than 800 people volunteer regularly. God is growing us to multiply: We believe that if we are in more places, we can reach more people for Christ.
Practically, we strive to practice our faith through time with Christ in Bible study and prayer; connecting with Christ's community in a small group and through worship; and contributing to Christ's cause by impacting others' lives. (Read about our practices for growing as Christ followers)
In faith, we walk into the future
We have been riding a wave of God’s Spirit that has not yet begun to crest. We are involved in a God-endeavor so much bigger than any one of us ever imagined. It is requiring more faith than we realized and it is more fun than we could have ever dreamed. God is stretching our faith. God is building, the Spirit is leading, and the faithful are growing. The joy and satisfaction of seeing God use us to build His Church for His glory are beyond words.