Christ the Redeemer Church in West Central,

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...

is a historic church located at 1527 W. Mallon Street. Built as the North Side Baptist Church in 1911 in a Late

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style and was added to the National Register in 1992 under the name Grace Baptist Church, the church is today an independent

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

church loosely connected to

Moore Theological College Moore Theological College, otherwise known simply as Moore College, is the theological training seminary of the Diocese of Sydney in the Anglican Church of Australia. The president of the Moore Theological College Council is ''ex officio'' t ...

History

Founded after the

Great Spokane Fire The Great Spokane Fire—known locally as The Great Fire—was a major fire which affected downtown Spokane, Washington (called "Spokane Falls" at the time) on August 4, 1889. It began just after 6:00 p.m. and destroyed the city's downtown c ...

of 1889, the North Side Baptist Church grew rapidly during Spokane's boom period. It initially met in the Spokane County Courthouse. By 1903, the church had hundreds of members, had established several missions, and had commissioned J. K. Dow to design a large church in what is today West Central. The church's National Register listing described it as "one of the most substantial structures on the growing north side, and one of the finest churches in the city. Today, it retains excellent integrity, and is distinguished by its arched openings, buttresses, battlemented parapets, stained glass, and dramatic interior auditorium." With Christ the Redeemer Church began in 1993 when a group of families at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist adopted an evangelical theological outlook. After their request to plant a new Episcopal mission church was rejected by the bishop of Spokane, the group of 17 adults and 20 children began meeting in private homes. The church incorporated in 1994 under the name Christ the Redeemer. One of the founders read about

Michael Youssef Michael Youssef (born September 25, 1948) is an Egyptian-American pastor. He is the senior pastor of the Church of the Apostles in Atlanta, Georgia, and the executive president of Leading the Way. Life and career Youssef was born in Egypt, whe ...

, who had a few years prior left the

Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, with jurisdiction over middle and north Georgia. It is in Province IV of the Episcopal Church and its cathedral, the Cathedral of St. Phi ...

and planted Church of the Apostles as an independent congregation. Youssef recommended that Christ the Redeemer contact Moore Theological College. In 1994, Sydney Archbishop Donald Robinson visited Spokane to teach, preach, and celebrate communion for Christ the Redeemer. Robinson later sent

Peter Hayward Peter Lindsay Hayward (born 1959) is an Australian Anglican bishop who has served as an assistant bishop in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney since 13 April 2010, in the role of Bishop of Wollongong. Hayward was born in Sydney, but his family move ...

—a future Bishop of Wollongong in the Diocese of Sydney—to serve as pastor of Christ the Redeemer. Hayward and both of his successors as pastor of Christ the Redeemer are Moore Theological College graduates. In the late 1990s, Christ the Redeemer moved away from historic Anglican practices like having a

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...

, the importance of

bishops A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

infant baptism Infant baptism is the practice of baptising infants or young children. Infant baptism is also called christening by some faith traditions. Most Christians belong to denominations that practice infant baptism. Branches of Christianity that ...

, and the theology of

Holy Communion The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted ...

toward its present independent reformed, evangelical stance. In the early 2000s, Christ the Redeemer began renting space from Grace Baptist. After Grace Baptist's pastor retired, the churches began worshiping together for an interim period, after which the congregations merged and Christ the Redeemer became the owner of the historic Grace Baptist building.

Theology

Despite its connection to Sydney Anglicanism, Christ the Redeemer is an independent,

non-denominational A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination. Overview The term has been used in the context of various faiths including Jainism, Baháʼí Fait ...

church. It adheres to Reformed theology,

credobaptist Believer's baptism or adult baptism (occasionally called credobaptism, from the Latin word meaning "I believe") is the practice of baptizing those who are able to make a conscious profession of faith, as contrasted to the practice of baptizing ...

practice, plural male eldership, and expository preaching.

References

External links

Christ the Redeemer website
{{Authority control Baptist churches in Washington (state) Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state) Gothic Revival church buildings in Washington (state) Churches completed in 1911 Buildings and structures in Spokane, Washington National Register of Historic Places in Spokane, Washington Churches in Spokane County, Washington 1905 establishments in Washington (state)