First Christian Church has stood on the northeast side of Albuquerque for over a century, gathering followers of Jesus on Montgomery Boulevard since 1973 and tracing its roots to a small meeting in 1903. Today the congregation, known around the city as FirstABQ, is a multigenerational Christian Church / Restoration Movement family that worships in two styles each Sunday morning, teaches children in the Clubhouse, disciples students in middle and high school, and sends missionaries from the Burque to the Philippines.
A Century on Montgomery Boulevard
The story begins in the fall of 1903, when Mrs. Grant Webster discovered that Mrs. Elizabeth Fouts shared her convictions about the New Testament church. Ten women met on October 8, 1903, signed a charter, and organized a Christian Women's Board of Missions. Weeks later, on November 24, 1903, just before Thanksgiving, The First Christian Church of Albuquerque was organized at the home of Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Fouts. Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Territory of New Mexico on December 28, 1905, and the young congregation purchased land at the corner of Gold and Broadway.
Unable to build a sanctuary that early, members raised a cottage for a parsonage and met there for nearly a decade, running a choir, a Christian Endeavor group for young people, a drama and elocution class, prayer meetings, and a boys' club called the Knights of the Round Table. On September 5, 1915, a handsome brick building on Broadway was dedicated with an all-day service led by a union choir of Albuquerque churches singing Handel's Hallelujah Chorus. By the late 1930s the name had been changed back to First Christian Church, and by the 1950s the Broadway property was remodeled and expanded.
As Albuquerque's downtown shifted in the 1960s and members moved east across the city, the Broadway location no longer served where the congregation lived. In February 1970, First Christian merged with North Albuquerque Christian Church to form one strengthened body. The combined church leased the old Broadway building to the city, worshipped for two years at 4616 Second Street NW, and on February 3, 1973, motored in a caravan to a new 10,600-square-foot building at 10101 Montgomery Boulevard. An expansion dedicated on March 6, 1977, added a 650-seat sanctuary and fourteen more classrooms, and FirstABQ has continued to grow into the church it is today.
Two Sunday Services, Two Sounds
FirstABQ offers two Sunday morning services. At 9:00 a.m., a Traditional Worship service gathers with hymns such as Seek Ye First, Blessed Assurance, I Know Whom I Have Believed, Search Me O God, and Thy Word. At 10:30 a.m., the Contemporary Worship service runs with a band and songs drawn from a public Spotify playlist that has included Everlasting God, Enough, Forever Reign, and You Love Oh Lord. Both services feature communion, scripture reading, and preaching from Senior Minister Brady Bryce, and both include Sunday Groups for all ages and the Clubhouse for children.
Both services are livestreamed on YouTube, and a podcast carries the sermons forward through the week. The shift to two morning hours was announced as a way to expand small group offerings for every age at both hours rather than running them in competition with one service.
The Clubhouse: From Nursery Through Fifth Grade
The children's ministry at FirstABQ is called the Clubhouse and runs during both Sunday services. The Clubhouse Nursery welcomes babies and toddlers from birth through age two and a half with age-appropriate curriculum that introduces the idea that God loves them. Preschool Clubhouse serves children from age two and a half through kindergarten with fun, safe environments for Bible lessons, games, and sensory activities that change each week. Clubhouse Kids covers grades one through five with Bible lessons, games, hands-on activities, and crafts designed for each age group.
Children's Minister Amanda Stoddard oversees the program, and a separate volunteer training track invites teens in sixth grade and up to join the Clubhouse team as helpers.
Students in the Middle
Student Ministry at FirstABQ is built around middle school and high schoolers who are figuring out how to follow Jesus in their day-to-day lives. Students gather in small groups, play games, lead and join in worship, and study Scripture together. Youth Group meets twice on Sundays: from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. and again from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Noah Dockery, one of two Formation Ministers, helps lead this ministry along with retreats and other seasonal events for grades six through twelve.
Groups for Every Season
The church takes seriously the proverb that iron sharpens iron, and its small group ministry is built around that image. Groups meet throughout the week across the city and are designed to help members be with Jesus, do the things he does, say the things he says, and go where he goes. In addition to Sunday Groups during both service hours, FirstABQ lists groups for all stages of life that members can browse through the church's online groups directory.
Worship and Prayer Life
Worship and prayer are described as intertwined in everything the congregation does. The weekly services are the visible center, but prayer shapes the church year-round. The elders of FirstABQ hold monthly prayer services, a Prayer Team lifts up the needs of the congregation daily, and the church partners with NM Prays to keep Albuquerque and the state of New Mexico consistently covered in prayer. Members and visitors can submit prayer requests online, and the elders also gather in the lobby before services to pray with anyone who would like it.
Missions in Albuquerque and Beyond
Missions at FirstABQ stretch from The Burque to the Philippines. Locally, the church supports Family Promise of Albuquerque, a nonprofit that assists families at risk of, currently experiencing, or recently exiting homelessness through shelter, wraparound services, and a network of more than 700 volunteers from 21 faith communities. First contributes time, money, resources, and volunteers throughout the year. Members also serve an Inner City Breakfast Ministry on Saturday mornings, preparing and serving breakfast, coffee, and a Bible study for neighbors experiencing homelessness.
Globally, the church walks alongside five long-term partners. The Ap Ma Project sends missionaries Jesse and Karie Pryor to the Angoram district of Papua New Guinea's East Sepik Province, supporting an elementary school, distance education, a medical clinic, a lumber mill, and construction that equips the local Ap Ma-speaking community. Aspire Academy, led by Ivan and Jordan Mbaraga, is building classrooms in the Gitagata community of Rwanda's Bugesera District, adding two new classrooms each year toward sixteen planned. Bethshean in Estancia de Animas, Zacatecas, Mexico, administered by Abdiel and Shannon Rocha, runs church planting, a nursing home, a medical clinic, and a camp and conference center reaching into Central Mexico. Educate: Bohol, directed by Mike and Jean Propp, supplies Philippine children with school supplies, eye testing, and glasses while sharing the Gospel with students, parents, and teachers. Jul and Luz Castellano serve as pastors strengthening churches across Bohol and surrounding islands, teaching at conventions and camps, leading men's retreats, and producing Vacation Bible School materials.
What First Believes
First Christian Church roots its identity in the Restoration Movement and seeks to live inside the larger story of God. Members follow Jesus, believe in God, and live in God's Spirit, working from the Bible as the inspired authority for how people live with God. The congregation confesses the Apostles' Creed in classical form: belief in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried, descended to the dead, rose again the third day, ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty until he comes to judge the living and the dead; and in the Holy Spirit, the holy universal church of Jesus Christ, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
The InterrUPt Initiative
FirstABQ has launched a two-year ministry and capital initiative called InterrUPt, with a $3.975 million goal split into two parts. The UPLift portion of $1.475 million funds the church's two-year ministry plan, supporting every area where members are with Jesus, do what Jesus did, say what Jesus said, and go where Jesus leads. The UPGrade portion of $2.5 million renovates and expands the Montgomery Boulevard campus so the church can serve more people in the years ahead. The push is built around the conviction that special moments in FirstABQ's history, from the 1915 Broadway dedication to the 1973 move east, have always required everyone going all in together.
Visiting First ABQ
First Christian Church sits at 10101 Montgomery Boulevard NE in the Northeast Heights of Albuquerque, just east of Eubank. Sunday mornings begin at 9:00 a.m. with Traditional Worship and continue at 10:30 a.m. with Contemporary Worship; both services include Sunday Groups for all ages and the Clubhouse for children from birth through fifth grade. Services are livestreamed on YouTube and shared as a podcast, and giving is available online through the church's Church Center. First Steps gatherings are held for newcomers and longtime attendees to meet the leadership and learn the church's history, beliefs, and mission over a provided lunch. The office can be reached at 505-294-0630 or through staff@firstabq.org.
Leadership
The pastoral team is led by Senior Minister Brady Bryce and includes Formation Ministers Brice Hope and Noah Dockery, plus Children's Minister Amanda Stoddard. The board of elders is chaired by PD Stoddard and includes Mark Neuber, Lawrence Junker, Richard Arnold, and Todd Zeter.