Christ's Church is a non-denominational Christian megachurch located in southern Jacksonville, Florida. According to the church's website, attendance is over 1,500 at worship services in their four locations. According to the Christian Standard, Christ's Church is "one of the finest church facilities in the country".
History
Mandarin Christian Church (MCC) was founded in 1974 when Mandarin was still rural; Interstate 295 and the Buckman Bridge had recently been completed and St. Augustine Road had two traffic lanes. The family of Loraine Oden donated of land for the first church building which contained a sanctuary with seating for 160, a handful of classrooms, bathrooms, and offices for Pastor Gene Helmey and the church secretary. Forty members attended the dedication of the sanctuary on October 20, 1974, but membership grew rapidly, necessitating construction of a fellowship hall and more classrooms in 1976.
Lead Pastor
Pastor Dennis Bratton began his ministry in the summer of 1978. According to Bratton, every activity of the church helps fulfill Jesus' great commission to "preach to the world and to provide for the less fortunate".
As of June 2010, Dr. Dennis Bratton has retired from Christ's Church with the title "Pastor Emeritus" and begun his own project to go "beyond relief" in helping those in extreme poverty in different places around the world through the Kore Foundation. Lead Pastor, Jason Cullum, has stepped up to the Senior Pastor position.
As the church grew, it expanded in membership, requiring more space and more staff. In 1982, the church constructed a Family Life Center. Church members themselves volunteered their time and expertise to lower expenses of construction, finishing the interior of the professionally assembled shell. In 1987, the church increased its services for families with young children in the area, opening the Sharing Tree Preschool. It also extended its offerings for teenagers with a teen program eventually settled in a separate property called "The Ranch". Along with new staff to address the needs of youth and children, staff was added to assist with seniors, pastoral care and outreach, as well as to address needs in the church like music.
Growth continued to exceed space. A 1,000-seat worship center built in 1986 had to be expanded in 1991. Nevertheless, and even with the addition of multiple services including the popular "Saturday Night Alive" service on Saturday evening, the church realized in 1994 that it needed more space. At the same time, it decided to open a Christian school.
Christ's Church Academy
On August 29, 1995, Mandarin Christian School began providing a Christian education to students in kindergarten through fifth grades. Sixth, seventh and eighth grades were added in 1996, 1997 and 1998, respectively. After the church moved to their new home on Greenland Road, the school began to utilize all the space in the building for the 1999–2000 school year. Ninth and tenth grades were included in 2005, eleventh grade in 2006 and twelfth grade in 2007. Their first high school graduation was held in May, 2008 and the fully accredited school is "one of the (Jacksonville) area's largest private, Bible-based educational entities". The school has an enrollment of 537, with 114 students in grades 9-12, but began fielding varsity sports teams in 2007. In the 2008–09 school year, they began competing as a member of Florida High School Athletic Association class 1A.
In 2010, the Florida High School Athletic Association levied harsh sanctions against Mandarin Christian School and fined the school $142,500 (the second-largest the association has ever handed down) for 25 violations committed in their football program. Because of these violations the football team was unable to participate in state series contests for five years, after which they were placed on administrative probation for three years, concluding on June 1, 2018.
In the summer of 2011, the decision was made to change the school's name to more closely associate it with the church, and Mandarin Christian School became Christ's Church Academy.
Christ's Church Academy has a 100% college acceptance rate for graduating seniors. It is a college preparatory school that boasts excellent academics, competitive athletics and a fully integrated arts program.