A large group of diverse young adults smiling and laughing for a group selfie in a lively indoor setting.

We started with people.

City Church began with the conviction that the church, at its core, is people. And if the church at its core is people, then people are the best way to start a church.

So in 2015, a group of people in Columbia, SC began dreaming about what a church in Knoxville, TN might look like.

Open moving truck with ramp extended, containing various boxes and equipment inside, parked on a residential street with trees and houses visible in the background.

Then came the move.

In the summer of 2016, 24 people moved from Columbia, SC to Knoxville, TN. They each found homes and jobs in the city, and City Church was officially planted.

Group of people sitting and listening to a woman speaking in a cozy room with stone and wood walls, some using laptops or listening attentively.

The church takes shape.

From September until December 2016, our small church met in a basement for what we called “family meetings.”

It was at these meetings that we began ironing out specifics on what a Jesus-centered family on mission might look like in Knoxville.

People attending a presentation in a large room with wooden ceiling and brick walls, facing a large projection screen displaying text.

The exterior of a brick building with large arched windows and glass doors, featuring banners with the text "CITY CHURCH" on a concrete walkway outside.

Taking it public.

On February 5, 2017, we hosted our first-ever public Gathering at Jackson Terminal, in the heart of downtown Knoxville. Thirty-six people were in attendance.

For the first four months, we simply hosted one Gathering a month, and focused our energy and efforts on our LifeGroups: communities of 20-30 people where people learned to follow Jesus together.

A large group of people seated and watching an event or presentation in a spacious, industrial-style venue with exposed wooden beams and string lights hanging from the ceiling.

A woman is being baptized in a large metal baptismal pool by a woman in a floral shirt, while another man claps and another woman watches with joy in a room decorated with string lights and palm plants.

Lives transformed.

On April 19, 2019, City Church hosted our second-ever Easter Gathering. 156 people were in attendance, and three people were baptized.

Front view of a church with a tall brick steeple, arched windows, a set of stairs leading to the entrance, and a cross above the doorway, set against a clear blue sky with trees and houses visible in the background.

A large group of people gathered in a church or auditorium for a musical performance or presentation. The stage features a grand piano, a few musical stands, and some plants. Large pipes of an organ are visible at the back, along with a large screen near the stage. The ceiling is arched, and the crowd is looking toward the stage with some standing and others seated.

Finding a home.

In 2018, City Church was gifted the former South Knoxville Baptist facilities on Sevier Avenue. After some updates and renovations to the building, we hosted our first Sunday Gathering in the new location on November 19, 2019.

We continue to meet there every Sunday morning to celebrate Jesus, learn from the Scriptures, and minister to one another.

History