It all began with a question. Argyle Community Church has been meeting every Sunday for five years in various locations around the community. Argyle High School off Canyon Falls Drive is their most recent and consistent meeting place. Don’t let the location fool you though, they have a whole team who helps set up and take down their church.
ACC, as it is often referred to, began with a single question: What happens when we die? This was inspired after a beloved local football coach died suddenly and several men in the community began meeting to have deep, meaningful conversations about Jesus. Before long, six core families were meeting to discuss this further. Now, there are over five hundred that attend Sunday sermons.
“We are a pop-up church and it takes about 100 volunteers to set us up every Sunday,” Jennifer Fitzgerald, the community director said. “We have had several people come up to say they can’t believe [our service] happens in a high school.”
A point that she stresses often is that this is not a mega-church. As Fitzgerald explains it, Argyle Community Church is proudly built around community and Jesus, not a single figurehead or personality. Their goal is to ‘do life together’ which includes a weekly service as well as one-on-one meetings at coffee shops in and around their neighborhood. It makes sense that one of their taglines in ‘at the table’ because that is basically how their congregation started.
One thing Fitzgerald says you will find within their community is authenticity.
"At ACC, rather than authenticity being just something we talk about, you can feel how real people are with each other," she explained. “God can do a lot with people when they're honest about who they are and why they need Jesus.”
Outside of their weekly Sunday service, the ACC community loves to have fun together and loving each other like Jesus. They have life groups that meet on a semester basis to meet simply for the love of gathering. According to Fitzgerald, they're playing co-ed softball, meeting for Bible studies, and serving together in the local community.
“It can be hard to connect authentically with people,” Fitzgerald said. “We believe the most exciting way to live is with a community in pursuit of the truth. There’s always room around this table for you.”
The mission of ACC is rooted in verses Matthew 28:19-20 which encourages us to “go and make disciples of all nations.” As of today, ACC has taken over three hundred people through the eighteen-week discipleship course. Those three hundred have gone on to pass it forward, inviting others to the table to learn about Jesus for themselves. For Fitzgerald, that’s what ACC is all about. For Fitzgerald, that’s what ACC is all about.
“The goal is to know who Jesus is and how he loves us, not fill seats,” Fitzgerald explained. “We are also focused on how many people are actively engaged in personal discipleship.”
Though the Argyle Community Church is more than happy to meet at the high school, they do have big plans for the future. They will be breaking ground on a new facility next year on fifteen acres of land. Fitzgerald explained that this would not just be a traditional church but a seven-day-a-week community hub. They plan to have everything from a preschool to a fully equipped gym and sports field along with a complete worship venue.
“We have so many people committed to ACC and it has nothing to do with us. It’s totally a God thing,” she said. “If you are searching for a place to connect, be a part of a community, or you are just tired of living in isolation and you want to experience the greatest joy ever, it’s in a community like this.”
Argyle Community Church meets every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. in the auditorium of Argyle High School. New attendees are encouraged to visit their website http://www.argylecommunitychurch.com to learn how to plan their visit.
"At ACC, rather than authenticity being just something we talk about, you can feel how real people are with each other,"
“If you are searching for a place to connect, be a part of a community, or you are just tired of living in isolation and you want to experience the greatest joy ever, it’s in a community like this.”