Christ Chapel Bible Church

by Jessica McElroy

Photos by Brooke Mathis: Beautiful Evolutions Photography

If you happen to be looking for a new church home, we may have just the place for you. Christ Chapel Bible Church will be celebrating the fourth anniversary of their South campus here in Burleson very soon. The campus of their home church opened in Fort Worth in 1980, with a second location planted in Willow Park in 2013. For them, Burleson felt like a natural fit for location number three. “It really started to come about when a member of our congregation, Ryan Richardson, shared with us how much he loved Burleson and how much he loved our church,” shared Micah Barnum, the South Campus Pastor. “So, we performed a little experiment. We encouraged him to spread the word and then gathered at Richardson’s home with the intent to spend a little time in Worship and then play the sermon on his TV from church that morning, and we would just see what kind of response we got.” More than 60 people showed up for that first Burleson meet up. So, they repeated the process. For the second meetup, more than 100 people showed up. “We had five of those events from October through December of 2018. From the incredible response and through a lot of prayer, we felt that God was leading us to Burleson for a reason. So, we followed.”

Christ Chapel began meeting in Burleson in an official capacity in January of 2019, at Centennial High School. “Every Sunday we would roll in a bunch of trailers and completely set up church, host each service, then get to work tearing everything back down and cleaning up to turn it back into a school. It was beautiful, and a lot of work.” They continued this process every Sunday, and then Covid hit. “The world changed. We were working to grow a new campus and were only a little over a year into that effort when it came to a screeching halt.” When the church did finally start meeting again, people were understandably hesitant to begin gathering in large groups again. And while it was the hope of everyone on the Christ Chapel leadership teams to bring each of the campuses back at the same time, they were faced with the challenge of each location being in a different county, which meant they each had different restrictions to follow. Thankfully over time the restrictions lifted and for the last year and a half they have been back and are operating at full speed again, at all three locations.

 

In February of this year, the South Campus moved into their own building on N. Burleson Blvd., a move that Micah called a gamechanger for their growth. “Since we stopped meeting in the high school, we have now more than doubled in size as a campus. Part of that was the new building and having our own space, and part of that I think was that people were just ready to come back to church. Even though the last four years planting this campus have not been easy, we are encouraged to see this exciting growth, and are working hard to help it continue.”

Should you decide to stop by for a visit, current service times are Sunday at 9:15am and 11:00am, and you can expect a great live worship band and the sermon to be livestreamed from the Fort Worth Campus. As the year is coming to a close, they are finishing up their deep dive on the Gospel of Matthew. “A deep dive approach has been our preaching method for a while now. It allows for an intense look at Scripture, broken up into bite sized amounts that our congregants can really wrap their arms around and understand.” Micah explained that they typically look at one Book of the Bible over the course of the year, and break that book up into smaller series that usually extend through 6-8 weeks at a time. It is their hope that this approach helps each member really get to know the Word of God and learn about it in a way that they find applicable to their lives beyond the hour they spend in the building on Sunday. Their current series is aptly named “Do you hear what I hear?” as a nod to the Holiday Season and will finish out their 2022 focus on the book of Matthew. Next year they will shift their focus to the book of Acts, and take a closer look at the beginnings of the Church.

If you are ready to dive in a little deeper than the average Sunday visit, Christ Chapel has several different ministry options to chose from. They host multiple small groups specific to both men and women, to include separate Men’s and Women’s Bible study, a Mom’s group, mentoring groups, and a place for Single Moms. They also host a ministry called Soul Care, as a way to walk closely with those carrying hurts, hang-ups, or even just looking for growth in a specific area of their life. Christ Chapel has also worked diligently to build separate youth ministries specific to middle school and high school students, and they have recently launched a new ministry for young adults. They are working hard to ensure that no matter who you are, there is a ministry available to you. Having the ability to meet in a smaller, more intimate setting, perhaps at a time that is more accommodating to your schedule than Sunday morning, to have fellowship and grow your faith with support from fellow believers that you share common ground with – that is a beautiful thing.

 

Christ Chapel doesn’t rest on their laurels when it comes to community outreach. They work hard to walk the walk and actively be the Church. If spending time working in your community interests you, they have several ways to get involved and currently place their community emphasis on service to Harvest House, the elementary schools they adopted through BISD, and Next Step Women’s Center. For those who aren’t familiar with Harvest House, they are an incredible organization here in Burleson that works hard to provide basic necessities, spiritual encouragement, education and care to those in our community who may just need a little help. Christ Chapel doesn’t just provide financial support toward their mission, they also host food drives and send volunteers to them regularly. The South Campus also adopted Taylor Elementary and The Academy at Nola Dunn through BISD for the school year, and they take joy in sponsoring gifts for teachers or securing items the students require, mentoring, and serving in other ways the schools may need. Next Step Women’s Center is their third main community focus, and they are an organization that relies on donations for their diligent work to support and empower women and families facing unexpected pregnancies in Tarrant County. They work to not only provide accurate information to everyone who walks through their door, but also aim to provide free services and practical support with a holistic and compassionate approach. It is a mission that Christ Chapel believes in wholeheartedly and supports both financially and through volunteer work. “We have a pro-life heartbeat here, and with that belief we also feel it is important to step up and come alongside those in our community who need it.”

With so many ways to get involved, Micah said that it is their hope that they have something for everybody. “We hope that by providing focused service options our members will be able to follow wherever their heartbeat leads them and find a way to serve in a way that aligns with that. We can really make a difference with a little focus. We also hope that by providing multiple ways for individuals and families to be involved, we can continue to make people feel welcome and grow in their faith. That is something that is really great to witness and even more special to help facilitate.”

With the Holiday Season here and in full swing, visitors can not only enjoy the new building and focused Message, but also the beautiful new Christmas decorations, which Micah feels add the perfect touch to the Message of the Season. “It is our hope that people will walk in and not only feel welcome but feel like it’s a special place to remember and celebrate.” Christ Chapel will be hosting Christmas Eve Services on December 24th at 3:00, 4:30, and 6:00pm and they would love to have you! “We are so excited to see people come and get connected and grow in their faith, and just make Christ Chapel their home.” Happy almost four years in Burleson, Christ Chapel! We are so happy that you are here!

Christ Chapel Bible Church South Campus meets at 390 N Burleson Blvd for contemporary service at 9:15am and 11:00am. They also offer both contemporary and traditional services at their Fort Worth and Willow Park locations. If you prefer the comfort of your own home, they stream their contemporary service online at
9:00am and the traditional service streams online at 11:00 am at live.ccbcfamily.org. There is childcare and ministry offered for infants to fourth graders, and student ministry offered
for fifth graders and up.

You can contact the South Campus
at (817) 546-0822 or during office
hours Monday thru Thursday,
8:30am – 5:00pm.

For more information you can also check out their beautiful and extensive website at ccbcfamily.org.