College Church


College Church is a historic broadly Reformed evangelical church in Wheaton, Illinois founded in 1861 by the abolitionist and first president of Wheaton College Jonathan Blanchard. College Church is located across two city blocks facing the Wheaton College campus. Josh Moody has been the Senior Pastor of College Church since 2009.
The Church owns a Georgian revival building that faces the college campus on Washington Street.

History

College Church was organized in 1861 by Jonathan Blanchard in 1861. The church first met on the campus of Wheaton College as "The First Church of Christ in Wheaton." Blanchard wanted the church to be known for its opposition to slavery, secret societies, and alcohol use.
The church was first affiliated with the Congregational Association of Illinois. Blanchard's involvement as the first president of Wheaton College and as the founder of College Church caused the two institutions to share statements of faith and facilities. The church suffered divisions over doctrine and affiliation during the years after its founding, leading to the creation of what are now First Presbyterian Church in Wheaton and Wheaton Bible Church. After a reorganization in 1878 the church was renamed the College Church of Christ. It gained its current name, College Church, in 1963, in an effort to distinguish itself from the Church of Christ denomination, which has a different theology.
Although it is not formally associated with Wheaton College, College Church has long been closely associated with the college and drawn large numbers of students and members of the faculty to its services. Pastoral leadership throughout its history is as follows:
College Church's local ministries include a children’s, youth and college ministry. The high school ministry is led by Zach Fallon. The church offers the disability ministry STARS "to make access to worship, ministry, and fellowship a reality for any child or adult with special needs."College Church#cite note-CToday-16| College Church has ties with church plant congregations in Chicago, Batavia, Lombard, and Naperville.College Church#cite note-Patch-4| It has connections with the Outreach Community Center, and two resale shops. It runs a pastoral training program for pastoral residents.

Aerial photos and maps