Christ Church North Bay sits on Redwood Boulevard in Novato, where it has anchored a gospel-centered congregation since settling into its permanent home in 1995. For more than forty years the fellowship has shaped the spiritual life of Marin County, drawing families and singles who share a commitment to scripture, prayer, and the sacraments.
From San Francisco Living Rooms to a Novato Home
The church was established in the late 1970s, when several pastors and former graduates of local seminaries began gathering as a home-based church in San Francisco. What started as a small group of students and young families grew into a community of believers from many walks of life. In the mid 1980s the congregation relocated to Marin County, where it has been serving the body of Christ since 1981, and in 1995 it found its permanent home in Novato.
Today the church describes itself with three phrases that capture its identity: sharing the gospel, building strong community, and participating in the kingdom. Pastors Matthew and Dawn Holiday lead the congregation, working alongside a team of elders, treasurers, worship leaders, and community council members who carry the day-to-day ministry.
Sunday Mornings at 10
The weekly gathering takes place at 10:00 AM at 6965 Redwood Boulevard. Each service includes a time of worship, prayer, a sermon, and communion. Visitors can follow along with the church online as well; sermons are livestreamed and an archive of previous messages is available for later viewing. The church calendar and event registration are accessible through the online planning center.
Raising Up the Next Generation
Children are a central part of Sunday at Christ Church North Bay. A nursery is offered for infants and toddlers, and Sunday school is available for children up through fifth grade. Children begin in the sanctuary with their parents for the opening of worship and are then dismissed to class for forty-five minutes of teaching, games, and storytelling. Each week the curriculum, drawn from The Gospel Project, introduces a fresh Bible concept illustrated through multiple learning styles.
Beyond Sunday morning, the church supports youth ministry through Left Coast Youth Camp, a summer experience for young people in the region.
Life Groups and Midweek Study
The church places a high value on community, encouraging members to join one of several life groups that meet during the week. These small groups are designed for getting to know one another on a deeper level, exploring the Word together, and gathering for shared meals and outings.
Midweek Bible study also has a regular place on the calendar. Recent series have walked through subjects such as the church's own history and Jesus and Biblical Law in the New Testament, taught in the church's multipurpose room and offered simultaneously over Zoom so that distance is no barrier to participation.
Leadership and Affiliation
The pastoral team is led by Matthew and Dawn Holiday, who serve as pastors, counselors, and elders. They are joined by elders Phillip and Meghan Titus, treasurers Derek and Jen Shelley, and a community council that includes John and Beth Daniel, Loren and Jilma Edwardson, Jackie and Samuel Davis-Flake, and Matt Holiday. Zachary Holiday leads the worship ministry.
Christ Church North Bay is part of Kingdom Ministries USA, a network formed to serve West Coast churches and now spread across multiple countries. Kingdom Ministries operates through an apostolic council and an implementation team of senior leaders from its regional bodies. Its core values are covenant, kingdom, community life in the Holy Spirit, cultural transformation, generational joining, and discipleship, and it is committed to servant leadership marked by integrity, moral purity, financial responsibility, and ethical Christian conduct.
What They Believe
The church's statement of faith centers on one trinitarian God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the creator of all things and the only One to be worshiped. Members confess Jesus Christ as the only-begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, crucified, buried, and resurrected, and now seated at the right hand of the Father. The Holy Spirit is personal and proceeds from the Father through the Son, dwelling in and transforming each believer.
The Bible is received as the inspired Word of God, a unified narrative pointing to King Jesus Christ, and the rule of faith and conduct. Salvation is understood as rescue from sin and death by grace through repentance and faith in the work of the cross, by which believers receive remission of sins.
The church practices two sacraments. Baptism is an immediate declaration of the lordship of Jesus Christ and a seal of identity as a member of his body. The Eucharist, or communion, is taken as a renewing, unifying act of anticipation of the kingdom. The church also teaches the baptism with the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit as realities available to every believer.
Believers are described as the salt and light of the earth, called to live together as the spiritual family of God, growing in Christlikeness through scripture, community, spiritual practices, worship, obedience, and the direction of the Holy Spirit. The church anticipates the personal, visible return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and a new creation in the world to come.