Richmond Community Church
(Video of church member testimony)
(Video of church development plans)
Richmond Community Church is Richmond’ s first multi-campus church. Founded in the fall of 1993, the church began as a small group of people meeting in a basement in Glen Allen. Led by Rick McDaniel, who continues to serve as the church’ s senior pastor, the church was originally named Glenn Allen Community Church. Today, the church has grown beyond Richmond’ s West End, and has accordingly changed its name. Richmond Community Church has three campuses, one in Glen Allen, one in Midlothian and an internet campus; there are plans to add a fourth campus. Each campus has its own worship team and a campus pastor. The pastoral team of the church also includes a worship pastor and a children’ s pastor.
While the doctrine of Richmond Community Church is traditionally Evangelical, its approach to worship is innovative. The church has brought many firsts to the Richmond area; it was the first to have a website, and the first to have a web campus. It was also the first church in the Richmond area to hold contemporary worship services, utilizing media and technology to create services that are unlike traditional churches and that strive to be more enjoyable and relevant for the post-baby-boomer generation.
The architecture of the Glenn Allen campus is reflective of the church’ s contemporary inclinations. The building, which looks more like an office or educational complex than a traditional church, has received an architectural award for its clean, modern design. Inside the church, a sophisticated sound and lighting system compliments and enhances the efforts of a live band, video, dancers and dramatic presentations. The sermon is not delivered live; it is video created by the church’ s in-house production team, utilizing the church’ s state-of-the-art production facility. Even the church’ s method of collecting offerings is modern and high-tech; a “ giving station” positioned in the back of the auditorium uses as card-swipe system similar to that in most retail establishments.
Although Richmond Community Church is a non-denominational Evangelical church, it is also an affiliate of the Willow Creek Association. Bill Hybels, whose well-known Willow Creek Church made the “ seeker-service” famous, created the Willow Creek Association in 1992. The Association is not intended to be a denomination, but as a source of affordable resources. Pastors of smaller churches who join the association have access to training and to the same media and similar resources used in the Willow Creek Church. As of 2008, Willow Creek Association had more than 12,000 associated churches.
More than two thousand in the Richmond area call Richmond Community Church home. The church’ s membership is largely comprised of young adults, those between twenty and forty; it is racially diverse relative to the communities in which the campuses are located. The church has a preschool program and an outreach program called EnRichmond, which is implementing a five year plan for charitable and outreach endeavors.
Richmond Community Church
11801 Nuckols Road
Glen Allen, VA 23059
(804)-364-5000
Sources:
Richmond Community Church pastor
Richmond Community Church website
Profile prepared by Christine Woodman
January, 2009
