In the late 1800s, men and women from most of the major denominations, weary of religious division and prejudice, began searching for Christian unity. They came to several points of commitment:
- Wear the name of Christ, simply claiming to be followers of Christ.
- Take the Bible as sole authority and Christ as their only creed.
- Depend on God’s Holy Spirit to unify them with other Christians, regardless of denominational affiliation.
This small group of Christians became known as the Church of God (with general offices in Anderson, IN). Today over 8,000 congregations trace their roots to this “experiment” in Christian unity. One of these churches is located in the heart of Fairfax County, VA.
In 1929, a young preacher from Maryland named Harvey Edge held a series of worship services in the eastern part of Fairfax County. A number of people responded to the Good News of the Kingdom and became passionate followers of Jesus Christ. In response to the call of Christ, these new believers started what would eventually be known as Fairfax Community Church. This new church had very few resources. Their first meeting place was a converted chicken coop. However, over the next five decades, this small congregation remained a faithful witness to the life transforming power of Jesus Christ.
In the late 1980s, the church began to re-position itself to reach a new generation for Christ and over the next decade made important strategic and structural changes. Over the past thirty years, Fairfax has grown from one hundred to over twenty-five hundred weekly attenders.
In September of 2014, Fairfax opened a new campus in Clarksburg, MD. The new campus (Clarksburg Church) is the result of a merger between Fairfax and a small congregation in Clarksburg also started by Harvey Edge eighty-five years earlier. This amazing and divinely orchestrated story, 85 years in the making, has produced an exciting new church committed to engaging Clarksburg with the Good News of the Kingdom.
Located just outside of our nation’s capital, Fairfax, through its two campuses, is not only positioned to have an impact in the Washington, DC metro area but throughout the world. Our strategy is simple but compelling: Gather the people. Tell the stories. Change the world. We want to mobilize thousands of passionate Christ-followers to give their lives away in service to God and transform every aspect of culture. We invite you to join us on this journey.