A Small Beginning
This little light for the gospel on the corner of East Avenue and Cone Street began on August 7th, 1884, when the property was purchased for the princely sum of $600. The church's initial construction was just a sanctuary, completed in 1886. This all happened during the peak of the coal and lumber boom when the population of Tioga County was more than 50,000 people (In case you’re wondering, it’s currently 42,000 people, according to the 2012 census). The original congregation (of which we know very little) eventually disbanded, and the property was purchased by a group of believers in 1914, to which we owe our real heritage.
When their official church charter was drawn up and ratified, the 40-member church was called “Church of Christ Wellsboro.”
The first pastor was Matthew S. Blair, who began in 1914. His tenure lasted until his death in 1931, though he unsuccessfully attempted to resign in 1919 and left to pastor another church for about three years during the 1920s!
1920s photo of Pastor Blair standing next to the new parsonage shortly after it was built.
Some Challenges
Over the years, like every church, there have been many ups and downs, periods of rapid growth, and even crises.
Since its inception, the church had been part of a mainline denomination called the Church of Christ Disciples, which was steadily becoming theologically liberal and ultimately began to reject the historic doctrines of the faith.
In the early 50s, desiring to hold fast to Scripture, our leadership left the denomination and became “Church of Christ Independent.” Several years later, the church was renamed “Independent Bible Church.” The name change led to a revival in the church body and years of solid testimony in the community. Some of our older church members integrated into the congregation during this season.
Revitalization
In the early 2000s, the congregation experienced some numerical decline and needed to reorient its outward focus. It was also obvious that the building needed redesign since it had not been remodeled since the early sixties (think horrific green pews and carpet!). The Elders at that time recognized the need for revitalization and, after significant prayer, careful study, and godly counsel, made a series of strategic changes.
It began with a name change. In 2012, the church was renamed “Wellsboro Bible Church” to celebrate our place in the community. Church Planter TJ Freeman was also hired to shepherd the congregation through revitalization. In place of traditional evening services, small groups (which meet in homes during the week) were also launched.
In God’s wise providence, He saw fit to grow the church in breadth and depth. It soon became necessary to start a second-morning service and hire two additional pastors to shepherd the new members. The church has been further blessed with many young families and the births of numerous “little disciples.” Since then, we have hired additional pastors to support our growth.
Going Mobile
By the end of 2017, the small size of our old building had become increasingly uncomfortable, particularly for the children’s ministry. While the Elders sought to explore new properties, they relocated the congregation to the Wellsboro High School gym and auditorium, and we officially launched our “mobile church” on Easter in 2018. We are thankful that our relationship with the school allowed us to rent their facility (until the 2020 pandemic) while searching to find or build a permanent property.
New Church Home
After much searching and prayer, God provided in amazing ways for our church to purchase the old Shell Administrative building on Route 6 in January of 2021. We remodeled the space to fit our ministry needs, including a Kid’s Ministry wing, an auditorium, and Adult Sunday School classrooms. Our church body is now larger than ever, and we press on to reach every man, woman, and child in the area with the good news of Jesus Christ.
New Congregation
In September 2023, Wellsboro Bible Church was renamed “Christ Church” to remove our geographic identity and refocus our church’s identity on Jesus Christ.
On October 1, 2023, we started our second congregation at North Penn-Mansfield High School. Since then, we have gathered in a few places around the heart of Mansfield. To learn more, visit Christ Church Mansfield.
Centered on Christ
Though our church does not have a perfect history, we strive to honor Christ and proclaim the gospel to every man, woman, and child. We desire to resemble what we read about the church in Acts 2:42, “a community of believers committed to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer.”
By the grace of God, Christ Church remains committed to the same gospel believed by Christians throughout the centuries and proclaimed by Jesus Christ, who is the “same yesterday, today, and forever.”
