Churches in Downtown Chattanooga: Finding the Right Community

If you are searching for churches in downtown Chattanooga, you’re not alone. Many people in Chattanooga are looking for a good church in a world that makes it hard to find one. At RiverChurch, we are a Christian church devoted to worship, prayer, Scripture, and communion. In this article, we’ll explore what to consider when looking for, finding, and choosing a church in downtown Chattanooga.

What is church?

At RiverChurch, we love looking in two places in Scripture for our model of "church" as we know it today. The first is the Tabernacle that God outlined for Moses and the people of Israel in Exodus 26-27. We see key elements in this model that Hebrews 8:5 says is a copy and shadow of the model of worship in heaven. From entering his gates with thanksgiving (Ps.100:4) to bringing a sacrifice of praise via the altar of sacrifice, to entering the holy place to partake in the table of showbread, which we know now as the sacrament of Communion, to the altar of incense which Revelation says is the prayers of the people. We beleive this model to be helpful in how we structure our gatherings and what elements to include. 
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The second place in Scripture is Acts 2 after the Spirit is poured out when  starting in verse 42 it begins outlining the model of the early church believers by devoting themselves to the teaching of the apostles, which was the teaching of Jesus, and the breaking of bread and gathering in one another's homes to study, pray for one another, and enter into generous living that flowed from the generosity they experienced from Jesus pouring out Himself and the Spirit. 

Why church matters? 

While the word "church" itself doesn't appear in that form in the Scriptures, the context in which we gather, now known as "church," is an ancient pathway in the presence of Jesus. The first and formost reason that the regular gathering of the saints is important is because this was a discipline that Jesus Himself practiced when He was on earth. While Jesus was a Jewish man living in the Middle East in a very different time period, He found it important to gather weekly with His fellow Jews in the synogogue. Clearly there is a value in the repetitive practice of showing up to hear the Scripture read, to look your brothers and sisters in the eyes to know that you are not alone in your humanity and pursuit to understanding truth and God. 

Another reason that the gathering of the saints in this context is vital is that we see this happening all throughout Revelation where the angels, elders and saints are gathered around the throne of Jesus Christ worshipping Him and joining their voices to exalt Him. We believe that if this is the eternal model happening in heaven, and we long for the things of heaven to intersect our daily human lives, then we can model our earthly gatherings around this one, and trust that Jesus will honor it and come with His presence that transforms us and brings about change. 

Church in Downtown Chattanooga

Downtown Chattanooga has a rich Christian heritage but some of it is marked by pride and territorialism. If we look back to the Trail of Tears era of history, we see that the Brainerd Missionaries dedicated themselves to serving and helping the Native American people and impoverished in Chattanooga, yet because of the pride of some of the traditional churches in downtown Chattanooga, Missionary Ridge was established, communicating to the Brainerd Missionaries, to stay on "their side" of the city. This kind of territorialism can create challenging strongholds that are still felt today. 

For those looking for a church in the downtown Chattanooga area, it might feel hard for a few reasons: (1) There are so many!!! According to a recent study, there are over 1,000 churches in the downtown Chattanooga city limits. That makes the process hard for anyone. (2) It can seem that churches like doing their own things, staying in their lanes, and not working with other churches in Chattanooga to see the work of Christ accomplished through helping those in need. At RiverChurch, while we gather weekly at 9 East 7th Street in downtown Chattanooga, we actively seek to work with other churches and ministries to see Jesus glorified. 

What to expect at RiverChurch

If you're interested in visiting RiverChurch in downtown Chattanooga, here's some things you can expect: 

• Simple, Acoustic Worship
• A laid back, coffee-shop style environment
• 75 - 100 people, ranging from young families to elderly
• A safe and bible teaching kids space with volunteers that have been trained and vetted 
• Biblically based teaching from primarily our pastor, but also other elders and leaders 
• Communion weekly - also known as The Lord's Supper or The Eucharist

Join us this week at RiverChurch

If you're looking for a church in downtown Chattanooga, we invite you to join us at RiverChurch.
We gather weekly for: 

• Sunday Worship at 10am
  
• Wednesday Worship & Prayer at 6:30pm
  
• Scripture Reading, Communion & Community

Whether you are exploring faith, looking for a church, or are just visiting downtown Chattanooga, you are welcome to join us. 
📍9 East 7th Street, Downtown Chattanooga, TN 
🕙 Sundays at 10:00 AM  |  Wednesdays at 6:30 PM