A Century and a Quarter on 15th Street
Christ Community Church sits at 1301 15th Street in Greeley, Colorado, just west of the University of Northern Colorado campus and a short walk from historic downtown. The congregation has been meeting in some form since 1901, when eighteen Scandinavian families who had journeyed by horse and wagon to Northern Colorado organized themselves as the Swedish Free Mission Church of Greeley. Over the course of more than a century the name, language, building and neighborhood have changed, but the church's commitment to Greeley has not. Today the congregation runs three weekend services in two worship styles and one in Spanish, operates a coffee shop in a renovated former Chevrolet dealership, and partners with more than thirty ministries in thirty-two countries.
Weekend Services
Three identical weekend services gather in the main sanctuary: Saturday at 5 pm and Sunday at 9 and 11 am. Each runs about eighty minutes and includes contemporary worship and a biblical message. The worship team leads a couple of songs to open the service, then the bulk of the singing takes place after the message, giving the congregation space to respond to what was taught. Both Sunday services are livestreamed at cccgreeley.online.church, with an interactive chat and prayer-request option for those watching from home. Teaching is also available on demand afterward.
For those who prefer a more traditional service, Traditions meets Sunday at 9 am in the Community Room, led by Pastor Howard Moffatt. The service follows a more liturgical structure but is rooted in the same Christ Community family and teaching. CCSpanish, the Spanish-language service, meets Sundays at 11 am in the Community Room under Pastors Luis and Ale Perez.
What to Expect on a Sunday Morning
First-time guests are welcomed at a New Here desk in the lobby, where volunteers hand out a small gift and answer questions. The lobby also houses a café that sells specialty coffee and food items on Sunday mornings, with complimentary drip coffee, tea, and hot chocolate available throughout the weekend services. Parking can be tight on the streets surrounding the church, so Greeley Central High School's two lots are available on weekends. A small lot on the north side of the church is reserved for seniors and people with special needs on Sunday mornings.
Children are well cared for at every service. Programming runs for kids from birth through seventh grade, with secure check-in and check-out, screened volunteers, and age-appropriate rooms. Students in eighth grade and older are encouraged to attend the adult weekend services alongside their families or to join the Wednesday night student ministry.
The Building and the Block
The church sits on property purchased in 1944 at the corner of 13th Avenue and 15th Street. For the first two years, the congregation met in what is now the Community Room in the basement. The sanctuary above was constructed between 1946 and 1949, with bricks from the earlier structure cleaned and reused in the new walls. The dedication service on June 26, 1949 was broadcast live on KFKA radio. An educational wing with more than twenty rooms was added to the west side of the sanctuary in 1964 to accommodate growing children's and youth ministries. As attendance grew through the 2000s, the church chose to buy surrounding homes rather than relocate, and the larger worship center opened in March 2003.
Christ Community's footprint extends beyond its main building. In 2009 the church acquired and extensively renovated a historic downtown Greeley property that had been everything from a 1930s Chevrolet dealership to an early-2000s nightclub. The renovated space, now called Zoë's, is a non-profit coffee shop and event center designed as a bridge to the surrounding neighborhood.
From Swedish Mission to Evangelical Free Church to Christ Community
The congregation's earliest gatherings in the 1880s were held in private homes across Greeley, Lucerne, and Eaton, with services and Bible studies conducted in Swedish. By 1901, eighteen members had formally organized, and they built a small brick church on 11th Street near 10th Avenue to accommodate growth. In the 1930s the church voted to switch its services to English to embrace Greeley's increasing ethnic diversity, and in 1936 it changed its name to Evangelical Free Church. A decade later, in 1944, the congregation moved to its present site.
The 1980s brought a difficult season: attendance fell below one hundred and the median age rose above sixty. After serious conversations about closing, the members decided to give the church one more try and, in 1990, hired a young Trinity Divinity School graduate named Alan Kraft as lead pastor. The congregation adopted the name Christ Community Church in 1994. A pivotal Father's Day sermon in 2005 reshaped the church's outward focus and launched what became Project Beyond, sending teams and dollars into ministry in Greeley and around the world.
Children and Students
Christ Community builds a deep bench for the next generation through four age-specific ministries, each with its own pastor and programming philosophy.
Tiny Tots serves children from birth through pre-kindergarten in a clean, secure environment with age-appropriate Bible teaching, songs, and play. Tiny Tots is staffed during every adult weekend service and on Wednesday mornings during the school year through Tots Club, which runs from 9 to 11 am so parents can attend a Bible study or enjoy a quiet morning.
CCKids welcomes kindergarten through fourth grade in what the church calls a vibrant, high-energy environment. Each weekend includes worship, an interactive Bible lesson, and games that reinforce the day's teaching. CCKids also has a Wednesday evening gathering called CCKids Club from 6 to 8 pm, complete with dinner, running through the school year. Daniel Steitz, a Dallas Theological Seminary graduate who joined the staff in 1991 as the church's first youth pastor, oversees the children's environment.
CCYouth is for fifth through seventh graders and meets during every adult weekend service. The format is built around small groups with intentional discussion and interactive activities. Tim Steitz serves as Pastor of 5th-8th Grade.
CCStudents, for grades eight through twelve, gathers every Wednesday night from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at The Belair at Zoë's Café in downtown Greeley. The night includes hangout time with games, prizes, and free food, followed by teaching, worship, and small-group conversation. All students are welcome regardless of church background. Stetson Beaman, who joined the staff in 2013, oversees the Next Gen team.
Limitless: A Place for Adults with Special Needs
The Limitless ministry serves adults with special needs and meets for Friendship Club every Tuesday evening from 6 to 8 pm in the Community Room. Each gathering includes worship, sensory play, creative learning, and special events throughout the year. The space is handicap-friendly and staffed by screened volunteers. Lindsay Pearson serves as Special Needs Director.
Women's Ministry
Women's Ministry at Christ Community centers on creating intentional spaces for women of every age and season. A weekly Wednesday Night Women's Group runs from 6:30 to 8 pm in the Fireside Room with stand-alone Bible studies, snacks, and on-site kids ministry for kindergarten through seventh grade. Daytime groups include Mom's Group on Wednesday mornings, the Precept Upon Precept Bible study on Wednesday mornings, the Knitting and Crocheting Group on the first and third Thursdays at 9 am, and a Quilting Group that meets twice a month.
Other weekly and monthly offerings include the Bee-yond the Walk stroller-friendly walking group, the Widow's Group, the Single Women's Group that meets at local restaurants on the first Friday of each month, and Restored Hearts, a confidential Wednesday-evening support group for women impacted by sexual betrayal. Mariana Wakefield, a native of Brazil, serves as Pastor of Women and Hospitality.
Men's Groups
Men at Christ Community can join early-morning gatherings at Zoë's Café on Tuesdays at 6 am, an evening small group, a Thursday study working through books of the Bible at a slow pace, or a Thursday group exploring Chip Ingram's Discover Your True Self. Shane Fanning serves as Pastor of Groups and Connection.
Marriage and Family Support
The Marriage Ministry offers pre-marital counseling, the Young Married mentoring group, and one-on-one marriage mentoring for couples in difficult seasons. Cindy Chavez, Pastor of Care, oversees this work along with the broader care ministries.
Small Groups and Classes
Christ Community organizes its small groups into five categories: Study Groups for unpacking Scripture or sermon discussions, Life Groups for long-term community, Care Groups for difficult seasons, Outreach Groups for serving and praying, and Interest Groups for shared hobbies. The fall lineup includes an ASL practice group for adults and teens, couples groups, a board game night that runs late on Fridays, online groups, and several sermon-based small groups for men, women, and mixed groups. A series of new ten-week groups launches each fall.
The Christ Community Bible Institute offers eight-week courses on Mondays at 6:30 pm. Two courses are available this fall: a Survey of the Old Testament taught by Pastors KJ Tencza and Dudley Brown, and Knowing God: An Introduction to Biblical and Systematic Theology taught by Pastor Alan Kraft. The cost is twenty-five dollars per course.
Care, Counseling, and Recovery
The church hosts several ongoing support groups open to the wider community. DivorceCare meets Wednesday evenings in the Oak Room and is led alongside DivorceCare for Men on Mondays. GriefShare, Be Inspired Anger Management, and Never Walk Alone, a relapse prevention and recovery group, are all led by licensed Christian counselor David Estreich. The Healthy Boundaries Support Group meets twice a month for families affected by substance abuse. Walking in Freedom runs concurrently with Restored Hearts as a parallel ministry for men. Pastor Cindy Chavez and the care ministries team also provide visitation, meal coordination for those recovering from hospital stays or welcoming new babies, and emergency pastoral support reachable through the church office line.
Prayer Ministry
Prayer Ministry at Christ Community includes Hope Abounds, an inner-healing and deliverance prayer ministry, Deliverance Prayer for those seeking freedom from negative spiritual influences, an Educators Prayer Group that meets the last Sunday of each month, a Weekend Prayer Team that prays with people after services, and a Prayer Chain available through the church office. Requests can be submitted online at any time.
Zoë's Café and Events
Zoë's Café and Events is a non-profit coffee shop and ministry center at 715 10th Street in downtown Greeley, housed in a renovated historic building that began life as a Chevrolet dealership in the 1930s. The café is open to the community and staffed in part by volunteers. In addition to being a beloved weekend hangout after services, Zoë's hosts CCStudents on Wednesday nights, the Study Buddies tutoring program for middle and high school students from diverse cultural backgrounds on Tuesday evenings, a Tuesday Morning Men's Gathering, and a variety of church-wide events. The Belair event space next door is available for community gatherings.
Outreach and Local Partnerships
Christ Community's local mission work runs through several partnerships. Serve 6.8 is a coalition that supports families in crisis across Northern Colorado with emergency resources and long-term stability. Kids Hope USA pairs adult mentors with students at Maplewood Elementary for one hour each week. Broadview takes volunteers into Broadview Health and Rehabilitation Center to share livestreamed worship, communion, and conversation with residents. Faith in Action sends teams out on the second Saturday of each month to do house projects and offer encouragement to single moms, widows, and the elderly. Single Mothers Ministry meets Wednesdays at 6 pm. Additional community partners include the Weld Food Bank, the Immigrant and Refugee Center of Northern Colorado, Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains, Project 127, Realities for Children, and Compassion International sponsorship for children in Peru.
Global Impact
Christ Community supports more than thirty global ministry partners, ranging from student ministry and church planting to medical missions. The International Training Institute, founded in 2011 under Pastor Dudley Brown, sends teams to equip pastors and leaders worldwide with a biblically-based, eight-course curriculum. Since its inception, more than two thousand leaders have been trained, many of whom have gone on to train others. Compassion International child sponsorship through Christ Community supports children in Peru.
What We Believe
Christ Community holds to the historic Christian faith. The church believes in one God, eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who created and sustains the universe. The Bible is understood as the inspired Word of God and the ultimate authority in matters of faith and practice. Every person is created in God's image but marred by sin, in need of the salvation Jesus Christ provides through his death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer at conversion, filling and empowering each person for ministry. The church is described as God's forever family, called to enfold the hurting, make disciples, reach the lost, and bring restoration to a broken world.
Christ Community is associated with the Evangelical Free Church of America. On marriage and sexuality, the church affirms the historic Christian view of marriage as a one-flesh covenant between one man and one woman, with sexual intimacy reserved for that union. Baptism is practiced as Believer's Baptism, a public expression of personal faith rather than a requirement for salvation, and is celebrated three times a year during weekend services. On women in ministry, the elders have articulated a mediating policy: women and men are equal before the Lord and may use their spiritual gifts across ministry, but only men may serve as Senior Pastor. On the gifts of the Spirit, the church affirms the continuation of gifts including tongues and prophecy, with tongues welcomed in personal prayer but not emphasized in public worship.
The church chooses not to endorse political candidates, host voter registration drives, or distribute voter guides, focusing instead on prayer for leaders and the proclamation of the gospel.
Leadership and Teaching Team
The teaching team is led by Pastor Alan Kraft, who has served since 1990 and holds a Master of Divinity from Trinity Divinity School. The pastoral team includes KJ Tencza (Church Connections, on staff since 2004), Nate Davis (Outreach, on staff since 2018 with a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary), Stetson Beaman (Next Gen, on staff since 2013), Mariana Wakefield (Women and Hospitality, on staff since 2018), Bruce Hoppe (Pastoral Care and Staff Team Lead, on staff since 2004), Dudley Brown (Global Impact, on staff since 2012, directing the ITI), Matt Larkin (Local Outreach, on staff since 2004), Daniel Wakefield (Worship, on staff since 2014), Cindy Chavez (Care, on staff since 2011), Howard Moffatt (Traditions, on staff since 2022), Shane Fanning (Groups and Connection, on staff since 2015), Daniel Steitz (Children's Ministry and Environment, on staff since 1991), Luis and Ale Perez (CCSpanish, on staff since 2021), and Tim Steitz (5th-8th Grade, on staff since 2014).
The church is governed by an elder board that provides spiritual leadership and oversees the well-being of the congregation. All staff serve under the direction and accountability of the elders.
Membership, Baptism, and Next Steps
Baptism is offered three times a year during weekend services, with a baptism orientation in the Community Room before each celebration. The next baptism weekend is in October, and the process begins with a registration form and a short orientation conversation. Christ Community practices believer's baptism by immersion, and the church recommends baptism for anyone who has trusted Christ but has not yet been baptized as a believer.
Those exploring membership or looking to take a next step can speak with a pastor at the New Here desk, attend a Newcomer's Lunch held every couple of months, or sign up for membership classes through the church office. Stories of changed lives, including those of Marilou, Dallas and Carley, Jillian, Patrick and Jeanine, Jonah, Steve and Debbie, Fran, Scott and Lisa, and Andrew, are shared online through short videos.
Giving
Tithes and offerings fund the church's mission. According to the most recent breakdown, twenty-two percent of giving supports missions, twenty-one percent administration, seventeen percent NextGen ministries, sixteen percent the weekend experience, fourteen percent groups and care, and ten percent building costs. Gifts can be made online through PushPay, by texting cccg to 833-868-6336, through the church app, by check, in person at the giving stations in the lobby, by crypto or stock through Engiven, or through King Soopers Community Rewards by linking a loyalty account to Christ Community EF Church.
Media and Resources
Weekly messages are posted on the church's YouTube channel and can be listened to as podcasts. The current teaching series, 1 Samuel: The Heart God Sees, walks through the lives of Hannah, Samuel, Saul, and David, emphasizing God's concern for the heart over outward appearances. Christ Community provides free access to RightNow Media, a Christian streaming library of Bible studies, conferences, and kid-friendly programming, through a church-provided sign-up code.
Visiting Christ Community
Christ Community sits in the heart of Greeley, surrounded by longtime neighbors and the University of Northern Colorado. The congregation draws families, college students, retirees, and people from across Northern Colorado. Visitors are welcome at any of the three weekend services, the Wednesday night CCStudents gathering at Zoë's, or any of the dozens of groups meeting throughout the week. The church office can be reached at 970-353-1159, and prayer requests can be submitted at any time through the church office.