At 4806 Trousdale Drive in Nashville, Tennessee, Crieve Hall Church of Christ is known for full congregational singing without mechanical instruments, Bible-centered teaching and ministries that stretch from preschool through senior adulthood. Founded in 1955, the congregation has grown from 15 people in a family basement to an English-, Spanish- and French-speaking church with a large education ministry and support for more than 30 mission points. Its history, worship and work remain closely tied to the Bible, congregational fellowship and service to others.
From 15 People to an Educational Campus
The Crieve Hall congregation dates to November 6, 1955, when 15 people gathered in the basement of the Bob Kerce home at 5012 Montclair to hear Charles Moore deliver a gospel message. In May 1956, the congregation began meeting at 530 Elaine Drive. It purchased the property at 4806 Trousdale Drive on February 2, 1958, and a building was completed in July 1962 with seating for 460, 18 classrooms, offices and a nursery. A kindergarten began that fall and continues to operate within Crieve Hall's ministry.
The church's physical growth continued through a series of additions and renovations:
- In 1967, 30 classrooms were added in a two-story expansion and the auditorium was enlarged.
- A multipurpose building was completed in 1971, and a duplex was constructed in 1976.
- On January 11, 1981, the first service was held in a new auditorium. Tom Holland preached to 1,601 people that morning and Paul Tucker preached to 935 that evening.
- A 1990 education wing added seven classrooms with space for 650 students.
- A 2,000-square-foot nursery addition was completed in 1993.
- A 3,000-square-foot addition for the Nashville School of Preaching was built in 1997, followed by a 3,000-square-foot office and administrative addition in 2001.
- Major classroom and fellowship-area additions were made in 2009.
Over the decades, Crieve Hall has become known throughout the brotherhood for good works, devotion to God's Word and financial support for missionaries. Its present mission involvement spans more than 30 points in the United States and other countries.
Sunday at 9:00, 10:15 and 5:00
The central Sunday rhythm is 9:00 a.m. Morning Worship, 10:15 a.m. Bible Study and 5:00 p.m. Evening Worship. French worship also takes place at 5:00 p.m. in Room 313, while Hispanic worship gathers in the chapel at 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. On Wednesday, Bible Study begins at 5:15 p.m. from August through May, with Bible Classes and a Summer Series at 6:30 p.m. A Ladies Bible Class meets at 10:30 a.m. from September through May on Thursdays. Every service is broadcast live, and Crieve Hall also maintains an archive of audio and video lessons.
A first arrival is met with practical attention. Leaders and members are ready to answer questions and direct visitors to the welcome center, auditorium or Bible classes. A plan-a-visit form also allows the congregation to prepare for an upcoming arrival. Those who wish to participate in congregational singing and the rest of the service are invited to do so, while visitors who prefer simply to observe are welcome to do that as well.
The worship itself is distinctive. The congregation sings in full a cappella style, without mechanical instruments, and members of the congregation lead the prayers. A minister presents a Bible-centered lesson with applications to life. The Lord's Supper is an important part of Sunday morning worship. Following a prayer that directs thoughts to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the congregation uses unleavened bread as a symbol of his body and grape juice as a symbol of his blood. The observance is shared as a memorial and celebration of Jesus' sacrifice.
After the Lord's Supper, there is an opportunity to give financially. Guests may participate, but they are never expected to contribute. Attire is similarly relaxed and welcoming: modest dress is encouraged, with some worshippers choosing more formal clothing and others wearing casual outfits. Live services and online giving are both available.
English, Spanish and French Gatherings
The Hispanic ministry is led by Benjamin Colunga and holds Spanish-language worship in the chapel at 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. The ministry also offers free English classes for Spanish speakers at 3:30 p.m. on Sundays. Other activities include prison visits, benevolence ministry, a women's group, youth classes and children's classes. The Spanish-speaking congregation is encouraged to come to God as it is, to respond in obedience and to share the message of salvation with families and neighbors.
French-speaking believers meet each Sunday at 5:00 p.m. in Room 313 to sing, pray and study the Bible in French. People who are not highly proficient in French are still welcome to participate. Crieve Hall's French-language ministry also extends well beyond Nashville through French Christian literature, a free periodical distributed to congregations and individuals in about 40 countries, and short radio messages heard in several African countries, including Muslim-majority nations.
The French literature work includes the Centre d'Enseignement Biblique, which produces tracts, brochures, study books, New Testaments, children's curricula and correspondence courses. Much of this material is printed in Crieve Hall's own facilities, with volunteers helping prepare publications for distribution. Chemin de Vérité is published five or six times each year, while Chemin de Vérité radio messages run about 15 minutes each.
Children Learn by Hearing, Making and Moving
Sunday morning worship includes an attended nursery for infants and toddlers. Activity sheets give children ways to draw and take notes during the sermon, and the general Sunday and Wednesday class periods include classes from six months of age through adulthood. Crieve Hall Children's Ministry, known as CHCM, serves children through fifth grade with lessons designed for different ages and learning styles.
CHCM formally began in August 2021. Its three-year curriculum takes children through the entire Bible at least two or three times during their years in the program. A general assembly brings the children together for singing, Scripture and memory verses before they divide into classes. Lessons are presented through stories, skits, videos, games and creative activities so that children can hear, explore, create and review biblical teaching.
Sunday breakout rooms include the Creation Station, where children retell stories through crafts; the Exploration Station, which uses tactile, visual and kinesthetic activities; and the Recreation Station, where energetic review games include Bible Basketball. Wednesday evening classes use different approaches: Digging Deeper asks what a Bible story means and how to apply it, Show Me the Knowledge reviews lessons already learned, and the CHCM Theater brings stories to life with skits, costumes, props and songs.
Young People, College Students and Young Families
Youth Minister Isaac May guides a ministry for kindergarten through twelfth-grade students centered on spiritual growth, service and fellowship. Youth classes study the Bible and its application to daily life. Camp Kalos, the church's annual summer camp, combines Bible study, worship, activity and fellowship for third through eleventh graders. Older students also take part in fall and spring retreats, monthly devotionals, youth rallies, Bible Bowl and service projects averaging one each month.
Youth service has included visiting nursing homes and shut-ins, caring for children of young families, assisting with Special Olympics and assembling college care packages. Fellowship activities include Tuesday Nights Together, bowling, miniature golf, game nights, laser tag, camp reunions and seasonal outings. Leadership opportunities include student representatives, teacher training through HiSTEP, mission VBS, worship leadership and summer ministry internships.
The YAC ministry serves college students, young professionals and others in that stage of life who want to study God's Word and build Christian friendships. Classes are organized around the needs of each group, with social and service activities bringing them together. On the third Wednesday of each month at 6:00 p.m., Free Food Wednesday offers a free meal to college-age participants and a meal for $2 to those in their twenties. A Stairwell Singing follows the Wednesday evening classes on those evenings.
The Young Families group ranges from newly married couples to families with elementary-school children. Its classes connect Bible teaching to family situations, while shared meals, women's Bible studies with childcare, men's outdoor activities and gatherings create fellowship beyond the classroom. For senior adults, Seniors Minister Eddie Wood leads the active PrimeTimers and Golden Group, which organize trips and activities throughout the year and publish a monthly senior newsletter.
The Nashville School of Preaching and Biblical Studies
One of Crieve Hall's most distinctive ministries is the Nashville School of Preaching and Biblical Studies. The church's elders took oversight of the former night school in 1990, and enrollment and facilities grew. An expansion completed in 1998 added two classrooms, a reception area, work area, office and storage space. A renovation created a library with 42 bookcases, giving students an extensive place for biblical study.
The faculty includes Crieve Hall members and full-time preachers from as far away as Georgia. Classes meet on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights. Students range from full-time and part-time ministers to Bible teachers, entire families and others who simply want to study the Bible and Christ's teachings more deeply. The addition of Biblical Studies to the school's name reflects the participation of women in the curriculum. Ed Slayton serves as director, and Gary Wilder is assistant director and librarian.
Other education ministries include Bible 101, a course for people who want to review biblical basics or explore life's major questions, and several correspondence courses that can be completed at home. Available studies cover biblical interpretation, covenants, forgiveness, the Testaments, faith and works, acceptable worship, the New Testament church, repentance and baptism. Crieve Hall also maintains a church library with adult and children's collections and an online catalog.
What Crieve Hall Teaches
Crieve Hall's statement of faith defines the mission of the Church as seeking the lost and bringing people into a relationship with Christ. It affirms one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one body, one spirit, one hope and one God. The church intends to glorify God by sharing his love and Word, handle the Word without adding to or taking from it, worship as he directs, and live with grateful recognition of the sacrifice of his Son to redeem people from sin.
Its teaching emphasizes belief in God, acknowledgment of personal guilt, salvation by grace through obedient faith, and the life of godliness modeled after Jesus. The response of faith includes believing in Jesus as the Christ, repenting of sin, confessing faith in him and baptism by immersion. The Bible is central not only to worship but also to education, personal growth, family life and service to others.
Works Close to Home and Mission Fields Around the World
FaithWorks organizes volunteers to meet practical needs in the community. At least one weekend each month, people of all ages receive assignments for projects that range from small tasks to major work. Past projects have included yard work, light housework, painting, building handicap ramps, landscaping the church grounds and renovating a yard damaged by a tornado. Families participate together, with children taking on age-appropriate tasks.
WinGS, Women in God's Service, organizes women for church and community support. Its ministries include absentee visitation, encouragement cards, baptismal assistance, fruit baskets for hospital stays, help for funerals and new babies, nursing-home visits, nursery work, kitchen cleaning, a missionary guest house, meals for new mothers and coordination of showers for new members.
Recovery through Christ is a nine-month Bible-based program for people dealing with life-controlling issues. It follows six stages from pre-contemplation through relapse and emphasizes that biblical study and obedience form the action stage of recovery. The group meets on Mondays during the January-through-September season, beginning with a joint devotional and continuing in separate small groups for men and women.
Other ministries include premarital education and counseling for engaged couples, which is offered without charge and covers communication, finances, spiritual growth, sexual relations, time management, family relationships and personality types. The Men's Outdoor Outreach group studies Scripture while sharing interests such as hiking, camping, fishing, hunting and shooting. The Revealed to Us ministry respectfully presents Christian beliefs to people of the Muslim faith, using biblical and Qur'anic quotations to explain the Gospel and address common objections.
Crieve Hall supports more than 30 foreign and domestic mission points through local missionaries, preacher-training schools, broadcasting, printed materials, small congregations, building projects and special projects. It oversees work in France, Mexico, Malawi, South Africa, Greece, the Philippines and the Dominican Republic, along with a French literature program. It also supports missionaries in Scotland, India, Australia, New Zealand, Greece, Louisiana and Ukraine. The Missions Committee monitors the work, evaluates new opportunities and encourages support for missionaries serving through other congregations.
At Crieve Hall, the same a cappella voice heard on Sunday morning is joined by children's Bible classes, school of preaching, family groups, senior activities, home projects, French literature and mission support. From the 1955 gathering in a basement to a campus serving Nashville and supporting work across the world, Crieve Hall continues to center its life on God's Word, worship, education and service.