Now, all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:20 NLT
We invite you to learn more about our vision and celebrate it by joining us on January 8th at All City Church at 6:30 PM.
FAQ
Who is Willamette Christian Church (WCC)?
It’s really a pretty great story. A story that the Lord has been writing for many years. It spans across six different church heritages which, all together, form four pillar communities of faith in our region. The unique part of this story is that each of these churches believe it is BETTER TO BE TOGETHER, united as one, in order to serve our cities well.
The churches of WCC span across the Greater Portland Metropolitan area. Beaverton Christian Church (located in Beaverton) will celebrate 100 years next summer! New Hope Church (located in SE Portland) has existed for 72 years and recently joined with Mt. Scott Church to form one congregation. Willamette Christian Church (located in West Linn) is 67 years old. And Hope City Church (located in Milwaukie) represents another merged church; a 10 year old church family combined with an 80 year old church family (Milwaukie Christian Church). It's exciting for All City Church to have the opportunity to join in the work God is orchestrating on these campuses.
Over the past three years, our Lead Pastor Joe Gruber, has come to know the leaders of WCC. All City Church dreams big, prays often, works hard, and always seeks to improve. We develop initiatives that practically demonstrate God’s love in our community. We are a safe faith family where people belong no matter what. Our heart’s desire is to invite anyone and everyone to join us on a journey with Jesus. When we join with WCC, we join with people who share these values.
Our relationship with WCC has grown deeper and over time we have discerned that WCC is on the same mission we are! So, after prayerfully considering all the attributes our churches share, we believe we will be an even better church by partnering in our mission together.
The churches of WCC span across the Greater Portland Metropolitan area. Beaverton Christian Church (located in Beaverton) will celebrate 100 years next summer! New Hope Church (located in SE Portland) has existed for 72 years and recently joined with Mt. Scott Church to form one congregation. Willamette Christian Church (located in West Linn) is 67 years old. And Hope City Church (located in Milwaukie) represents another merged church; a 10 year old church family combined with an 80 year old church family (Milwaukie Christian Church). It's exciting for All City Church to have the opportunity to join in the work God is orchestrating on these campuses.
Over the past three years, our Lead Pastor Joe Gruber, has come to know the leaders of WCC. All City Church dreams big, prays often, works hard, and always seeks to improve. We develop initiatives that practically demonstrate God’s love in our community. We are a safe faith family where people belong no matter what. Our heart’s desire is to invite anyone and everyone to join us on a journey with Jesus. When we join with WCC, we join with people who share these values.
Our relationship with WCC has grown deeper and over time we have discerned that WCC is on the same mission we are! So, after prayerfully considering all the attributes our churches share, we believe we will be an even better church by partnering in our mission together.
What does joining with WCC mean and will we keep our name?
We will keep All City Church as our name. Our mission will remain the same. Joining signifies that we will dissolve as a business/legal entity, and merge our congregation, assets, and ministries under the WCC entity.
Why do we think this is the right thing to do?
The All City Church story is an amazing one. God has been preparing the way for us since the beginning. It started with the Foursquare organization that helped launch us - Hope Church (now Tradewinds) in Santa Cruz, California. We will forever remain grateful to them! We were then adopted by B4 Church in Beaverton, Oregon. We couldn’t have done it without them! We will never forget their friendship and support and will remain in friendship with them as we serve our city.
We met the wonderful people at Trinity Fellowship Church (located in SE Portland) in 2020. This church family had a rich heritage of over 100 years. In 2021, they made a decision to close their doors and give us their building and property. What sacrificial generosity! Although the gift of their property is amazing, the immeasurable worth has truly been found in their people. Most of the original congregation stayed to help us in our labor of love as we launched All City, and are with us to this day.
The Lord has consistently demonstrated His love and power in our midst. We’ve seen over 700 people say Yes to Jesus!, and have witnessed many be baptized. God has done exceedingly and abundantly above anything we could have dreamed or imagined. And yet, we know… He is just getting started.
We believe in the greater things He has in store for All City! From day one, we have worked to keep in lockstep with The Holy Spirit. The Church is and always will be, Jesus. He is the One we follow. So why? Because we are following — King Jesus. We wholeheartedly believe this is how He is leading us.
That said, Jesus is strategic and practical. He has given us many reasons that have led us to come to this decision.
We met the wonderful people at Trinity Fellowship Church (located in SE Portland) in 2020. This church family had a rich heritage of over 100 years. In 2021, they made a decision to close their doors and give us their building and property. What sacrificial generosity! Although the gift of their property is amazing, the immeasurable worth has truly been found in their people. Most of the original congregation stayed to help us in our labor of love as we launched All City, and are with us to this day.
The Lord has consistently demonstrated His love and power in our midst. We’ve seen over 700 people say Yes to Jesus!, and have witnessed many be baptized. God has done exceedingly and abundantly above anything we could have dreamed or imagined. And yet, we know… He is just getting started.
We believe in the greater things He has in store for All City! From day one, we have worked to keep in lockstep with The Holy Spirit. The Church is and always will be, Jesus. He is the One we follow. So why? Because we are following — King Jesus. We wholeheartedly believe this is how He is leading us.
That said, Jesus is strategic and practical. He has given us many reasons that have led us to come to this decision.
What are the benefits of joining WCC?
Joining with WCC will allow us to:
- Mobilize Vision – We will have the ability to bring our leadership and resources together in a way that will allow us to bring even more vitality and health to our community. For All City, this means more stability to serve the growing ministry needs of our community. The WCC leaders will help shoulder the load with us, and we will grow our mission in partnership together.
- Multiply Impact – All City has amazing people who serve each and every day in their workplaces, in their communities, and in our church to bring light to our city. Joining the four WCC campuses will exponentially grow our outreach as the Big-C Church. This means more impact to reach people for Jesus, and be who He calls us to be.
- Model Unity – Coming together allows us to model unity in a way not often seen in the Pacific Northwest. We love and admire each of the leaders and the families that make up WCC, and the feeling is mutual. We are not competing in ministry but walking alongside, lifting each other up, and sharing in resources and support. We believe modeling this type of servant love will show others how churches CAN unify to impact their local communities and the world.
- Magnify Jesus – And, at the end of the day, it’s all about Him.
- Mobilize Vision – We will have the ability to bring our leadership and resources together in a way that will allow us to bring even more vitality and health to our community. For All City, this means more stability to serve the growing ministry needs of our community. The WCC leaders will help shoulder the load with us, and we will grow our mission in partnership together.
- Multiply Impact – All City has amazing people who serve each and every day in their workplaces, in their communities, and in our church to bring light to our city. Joining the four WCC campuses will exponentially grow our outreach as the Big-C Church. This means more impact to reach people for Jesus, and be who He calls us to be.
- Model Unity – Coming together allows us to model unity in a way not often seen in the Pacific Northwest. We love and admire each of the leaders and the families that make up WCC, and the feeling is mutual. We are not competing in ministry but walking alongside, lifting each other up, and sharing in resources and support. We believe modeling this type of servant love will show others how churches CAN unify to impact their local communities and the world.
- Magnify Jesus – And, at the end of the day, it’s all about Him.
How did all of this come about?
Over the past 6 months, we have invested many hours praying, planning and discerning what the Lord has for us. Each of our teams, individually and together, have prayerfully sought the Lord and grown in a deeper relationship with each other.
We’ve discussed our theological positions, our ideas about ministry, how we will structure ourselves, and our hopes and aspirations for what we could do together. Many times over these months we have been humbled and amazed at the clear hand of God involved in bringing us together.
Together with the Foursquare organization, we acknowledge the tremendous gift they have given us to thrive over the last three years. We will transition from our relationship with Foursquare with deep affection and gratitude. As we look ahead, we firmly believe that joining WCC will help us continue in our greater mission to spread the gospel and love people, for the future good of our city.
We’ve discussed our theological positions, our ideas about ministry, how we will structure ourselves, and our hopes and aspirations for what we could do together. Many times over these months we have been humbled and amazed at the clear hand of God involved in bringing us together.
Together with the Foursquare organization, we acknowledge the tremendous gift they have given us to thrive over the last three years. We will transition from our relationship with Foursquare with deep affection and gratitude. As we look ahead, we firmly believe that joining WCC will help us continue in our greater mission to spread the gospel and love people, for the future good of our city.
Who will lead us? What about our staff?
Pastor Joe will continue to lead All City Church. Lauren McCullough will continue to serve with us as our worship leader as well as in marketing and communications. Liz Byrne will also continue to serve over our administrative needs. Beth Wagner will continue to oversee our Kids Ministry. And finally, our amazing Volunteer Leadership Team will also remain to both serve and lead in current and new initiatives. Joe will also join the senior executive leadership team that serves for all the campuses of WCC.
We will also greatly benefit from the support of a Central Team who will work hard to ensure that individual staff talents and gifts at each church are deployed in the best possible ways to achieve our overall goals.
We will also greatly benefit from the support of a Central Team who will work hard to ensure that individual staff talents and gifts at each church are deployed in the best possible ways to achieve our overall goals.
What are some of the unique similarities between WCC and All City?
What excites us most about this new season of ministry is the mission alignment and similarities between our churches! All City Church and WCC are first and foremost united in vision and theology.
- We both desire to serve all those who come through our doors with extravagant hospitality. We provide a warm welcome to our services that are carefully designed to provide worship through music and applicable and approachable biblical teaching.
- We both have a heart to see people grow to be more like Jesus. We work to create the best methods at each of our campuses to serve our distinctively different communities. Our hearts are to continually invite children, youth, and adults to grow in relationship with each other and with Jesus. We work hard to make that possible for everyone!
- We each believe in making significant financial investments in local and international missions. We are excited thinking about how much greater an impact we can make in this world by joining together!
- We are committed as one to serving our local communities through the use of our buildings and properties. We understand the unique needs of those who live in each of our surrounding neighborhoods and prayerfully design ministries to reach out and serve them with the love of Jesus.
- We both desire to serve all those who come through our doors with extravagant hospitality. We provide a warm welcome to our services that are carefully designed to provide worship through music and applicable and approachable biblical teaching.
- We both have a heart to see people grow to be more like Jesus. We work to create the best methods at each of our campuses to serve our distinctively different communities. Our hearts are to continually invite children, youth, and adults to grow in relationship with each other and with Jesus. We work hard to make that possible for everyone!
- We each believe in making significant financial investments in local and international missions. We are excited thinking about how much greater an impact we can make in this world by joining together!
- We are committed as one to serving our local communities through the use of our buildings and properties. We understand the unique needs of those who live in each of our surrounding neighborhoods and prayerfully design ministries to reach out and serve them with the love of Jesus.
What will change at All City?
The mission and message of our church will not change. Partnering with WCC will give us access to additional resources that will help us make an even greater impact to reach the areas God has strategically planted us in. We choose to courageously follow His vision and be open to where He is leading us.
How will financial needs be met and what will my giving go towards?
We believe that the Lord is asking us to move forward in great faith and with great urgency. We are excited to grow the ministry of All City rapidly and in Godly wisdom. Funds received from our All City campus will generally go towards ministry in Southeast Portland. However, we will also deploy resources to grow our impact wherever they are needed to accomplish God’s overall plans. We will always be transparent and thoughtful, discerning the right plans to invest in ministry in fiscally responsible ways.
What are the next steps?
Before we join with WCC, as a church family we must affirm the decision to separate our official relationship with Foursquare. We and Foursquare together celebrate our three years together, and we both look to the future with anticipation and excitement for how this change serves building God’s Kingdom even more intentionally.
We invite everyone who calls All City their church home to join us on Wednesday, January 8th at 6:30 PM to further hear the plans, share in the excitement, and take the administrative step to vote your approval to separate from Foursquare. We will have representatives (our friends and leaders in ministry) from Foursquare at that January 8th event, and we will have friends from WCC there as well. We believe the night will be a special and important step in our future and we hope you join us.
If you have any questions in advance that would be better answered directly from either Foursquare or Willamette, you are more than welcome to contact them personally.
Foursquare: Molly Duque | mduque@foursquare.org
Willamette: Chris Yarco | chris.yarco@willamette.cc
We invite everyone who calls All City their church home to join us on Wednesday, January 8th at 6:30 PM to further hear the plans, share in the excitement, and take the administrative step to vote your approval to separate from Foursquare. We will have representatives (our friends and leaders in ministry) from Foursquare at that January 8th event, and we will have friends from WCC there as well. We believe the night will be a special and important step in our future and we hope you join us.
If you have any questions in advance that would be better answered directly from either Foursquare or Willamette, you are more than welcome to contact them personally.
Foursquare: Molly Duque | mduque@foursquare.org
Willamette: Chris Yarco | chris.yarco@willamette.cc
What are we as leaders most excited about?
- We believe we are better together. A cord of three strands is not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 3:12). As a church that is committed to serving our community, we recognize that we are more fragile when we are doing this alone. We recognize that joining together helps to provide for our long-term success through overarching vision, central leadership, sufficient resources, and a deep bench. As we join together, we will be served by an incredibly gifted teaching team, and an incredibly wise and Godly group of leaders and elders.
- More freedom to pastor our congregation and surrounding areas. The All City team has run hard and fast in the mission to serve our city. We will benefit from the support of a human resources department, additional administrative and financial assistance, as well as support to our facilities and other logistical matters that will free us up to remain focused on our people and ministry.
- The call to multiply. We believe that we are called to plant churches, re-birth dying churches, and develop the next generation of pastors and leaders. Joining with WCC and their support increases our ability to do more of this together. We will create space and free up resources to encourage, coach, equip and catalyze other local churches and pastors who are part of the overall church heartbeat in our city.
- More freedom to pastor our congregation and surrounding areas. The All City team has run hard and fast in the mission to serve our city. We will benefit from the support of a human resources department, additional administrative and financial assistance, as well as support to our facilities and other logistical matters that will free us up to remain focused on our people and ministry.
- The call to multiply. We believe that we are called to plant churches, re-birth dying churches, and develop the next generation of pastors and leaders. Joining with WCC and their support increases our ability to do more of this together. We will create space and free up resources to encourage, coach, equip and catalyze other local churches and pastors who are part of the overall church heartbeat in our city.
What do we need from you?
- To pray and trust for this season – Pray for All City leaders and our church family. Pray for unity for all of us. Pray against distractions that would tempt us to wander off our mission. Trust that we serve an incredible God who desires to accomplish incredible things through you and through us.
- To affirm the future – join us on Wednesday, January 8th at 6:30 PM at All City to affirm the direction of our church. Your support and agreement on that night will be wind in the sails and deep encouragement for our future.
- To faithfully give – Keep being faithful. Grow in your generosity so that you experience all that God has for you on mission with Him. Your giving will be deployed as it always has been, with great care, thoughtfulness, and prayerful discernment.
- To affirm the future – join us on Wednesday, January 8th at 6:30 PM at All City to affirm the direction of our church. Your support and agreement on that night will be wind in the sails and deep encouragement for our future.
- To faithfully give – Keep being faithful. Grow in your generosity so that you experience all that God has for you on mission with Him. Your giving will be deployed as it always has been, with great care, thoughtfulness, and prayerful discernment.
Thank you for your support, your encouragement, and your prayers.
If we can answer any questions, please email Joe Gruber at joe@allcity.church.
If we can answer any questions, please email Joe Gruber at joe@allcity.church.