|
"Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them". Deuteronomy 4:9
Concord’s history can be chronicled in segments of seven years. It began with “Seven Years of Plenty”. During this phase our church was labeled as one of the fastest growing churches in America. Six months after being established, we purchased our first property at 3410 South Polk Street. We later held an outreach revival entitled “Joy Explosion” and witnessed 1,000 people accept Christ in one week! We established a full-time staff during this season, and began leading institutes on church growth to share our methodology with churches across the country.
This segment was followed by "Seven Years of Famine", which contained years of challenge and struggle. We experienced growing pains and had to make adjustments in order to develop the infrastructure with which to support the growth of the church. Although there were various struggles, God's grace was exemplified as Concord Center for Biblical Studies (CCBS), and the Substance Abuse and Women's Ministries were launched. This became a time of character building for our church.
"Seven Years of Transition" were to follow, and God was able to move us into higher ground building from our past. Dr. Bailey established a Council of Elders to partner with him in leading the church forward. We were able to burn the mortgage notes on three different properties, and purchase our current 24-acre site in which we now reside at 6808 Boulder Drive, in order to expand our ministries.
In 1996, "Seven Years of Challenge and Commitment" began as we made great strides fulfilling the purposes of God. Pastor Bailey preached a series through our vision statement, and we began having annual themes focusing on God's will for our church. CMBC Learning Center and the Concord Senior Center were both launched in 1999. Through our "Share the Joy" effort in 2000, 10,000 people accepted Christ! During this season, we witnessed Pastor Bailey's valiant fight with three distinct bouts of cancer, yet we displayed tremendous maturity as we continued to grow and flourish.
Fourth Seven Years –
Years of Challenge & Commitment (1996 – 2003)
Finally the time had come! We moved into our beautiful new church facility one year after renovations had been completed. In December of 1997 a series of services were held so that sons of the church, long time friends and area pastors could join us in thanking God for our building. Pastor Bailey preached a series through our vision statement and began to establish themes that would make us more intentional in our efforts. The theme for 1999 was “Saved to Serve.” The theme for 2000 was “Share the Joy” and over 10,000 people were lead to Christ. The theme for 2001 – 2003 was “Reclaiming the Village.” During this time the Concord Senior Center and CMBC Learning Center were launched and have successfully completed three audits now with a budget exceeding 4.3 million dollars. We have also made a commitment to our students and we have provided more than $100,000 in scholarships to Concord youth that have exhibited academic and spiritual excellence.
As promising as these years had been, we still endured hardship. We lost some of the most influential people in our church history including three staff members whose contributions were significant. Our Pastor encountered three bouts with cancer in this phase – kidney cancer in 1996, nasopharyngeal carcinoma in 2001 and lung cancer in 2002. Although our pastor was out of the pulpit for eighteen months, ministry did not cease and our church continues to marvel at God’s sustaining power. It is obvious that God not only protected and provided for our pastor, but He has taken our congregation and our community “further in and deeper down.” We praise God for healing our pastor of kidney cancer and nasal cancer and we patiently waited for Him to “Do It Again!” God has even secured our future by leading our pastor and church to appoint Assistant Pastor, Rev. Bryan Carter to assist him in managing the daily responsibilities of the church staff and sharing the preaching load. These years can be described as “Years of Challenge and Commitment.”
Fifth seven years – (2004 – 2011)
We have now entered a new era at Concord. We find ourselves in a unique season in our church as we have transitioned in senior leadership for the first time in the history of our church. As we continue through this season of transition, God has invited us to a new level of dependence upon Him. Concord has witnessed a variety of experiences as a church family and we have responded well. Thus, God is preparing us to accomplish even more for the Kingdom.
Together, we have witnessed new believers come to Christ, new members join our family, and members mature in Christ. We are well on our way to being “A Church That Makes A Difference.”
Back to top.
|
