cpc history

On the first Sunday in January, 1981, the NEW CHURCH met at Hillsboro High School in the Green Hills area of Nashville. Dr. Lane Adams, former pastor of Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis, TN preached the sermon that day, and he remarked that he had been told this church started from scratch. Looking out on the 1000 people in attendance, he quipped, “It must have been a tremendous itch!” We discovered that over 85 congregations were represented in worship on that first day. There were several important decisions to make – would we align with a denomination? Would we be a facility-based church? Would we sponsor a Christian school? What were our responsibilities to the urban community?

The first major decision was to align ourselves with the Presbyterian Church in America, voted by the congregation in the spring of 1981. The second decision was to become facility-based. We were a mobile congregation in those days – our deacons and other volunteers would set up and take down “church” every week. We turned the school library into the nursery, had Sunday School in classrooms and labs, met for worship in the un-airconditioned auditorium. People ask why we have our worship service at 9am on Sunday mornings..the answer, because the Hillsboro HS auditorium was not air-conditioned and it was much cooler before 11am!!

Then in 1982, 49 acres of land became available at 2323 Old Hickory Boulevard. There were three tracts of land, owned by five different people. God graciously allowed us to purchase the property and we built what is now our Building B, elementary classroom space, gym, fellowship hall and chapel. We met for worship in the “gymnatorium” for the first time on May 13, 1984, and used that space for worship until our sanctuary was completed in November of 1996.

The other two major decisions have shaped us in growth and impact. Christ Presbyterian Academy opened its doors in September 1985 and Salama Urban Ministry began that same year, ministering in various ways in the Edgehill Community of Nashville.

Several Nashville area churches have their “roots” at Christ Presbyterian Church. Christ Community Church in Franklin, TN, Covenant Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Midtown Fellowship in Nashville and Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Dickson, TN were all birthed from the ministry here at CPC.