A Church of Christ has been part of Cordell since before Oklahoma became a state in 1907. In the spring of 1894, the same year that found the up-and-coming soda, Coca-Cola, in bottles for the first time, a Church of Christ began meeting at the Center Point School which was located two and a half miles south-west of Cordell. John Martin Harrel, a young preacher who migrated here from near Vernon, TX, would preach regularly in those early months. The church would grow and then purchase land within city limits in 1905 from Jim Harrel, John’s brother. In 1918, construction was completed on a Church of Christ building at the corner of 4th & College in Cordell.
The Church of Christ at 4th & College has a history of being forward thinking. Cordell Christian College was founded by members of the Church of Christ in 1907, a year after Abilene Christian College (which would become Abilene Christian University). The Christian College in Cordell would remain open for about 20 years and would have a global impact, sending missionaries and ministers all over the world. The church of Christ at 4th & College would also be among the first churches to broadcast their service on television for nearly two decades in the 60s, 70s and 80s.
In 1950, the Cordell Church of Christ, would tear down their first building of about 30 years and build the current auditorium. In the 1960s, a dark season hit the church that caused a split. This resulted in two Church of Christ congregations in Cordell: Northside and 4th & College. Even with the setback, 4th & College would continue to grow and the congregation would accomplish a few significant building additions over the next several decades.
In 2020, however, the 4th & College Church reached an all-time low. The church lost a minister in 2019 and another one in July of 2020 and the attendance had fallen to between 20 and 30 people. With COVID thrown into the mix, this was a recipe for the church nearly closing.
The 4th & College Board of Directors decided that instead of just trying to keep being the church we had always been, it was time for a change. So they contacted me, Josh Yaeger, to come and lead the effort to replant the church here at 4th & College. I agreed, and I moved my family back to Cordell in August of 2020. So over the last four years, the 4th & College Church has been preparing. We secured coaching and training with Nexus, a church planting organization, and then we brought Richard Beadle and his family to Cordell to be part of the ministry team. Now, the stage has been set and the foundation laid for a new church to spring up out of the ashes of what once was. We will still be called the 4th & College Church of Christ, but the church you find at 501 N. College in Cordell will be something different than it was before.
One of the biggest changes that you’ll find is communicated by our mission statement: “Loving people and leading them to Jesus.” It is our job to love people and introduce them to Jesus the King. Jesus will change them, not us. We have been striving to create a culture of love, acceptance and belonging over the last few years where people who don’t typically feel comfortable in a church context will stick around because they feel wanted and accepted.
Another change, inspired by Jesus’ ministry, is that our system of transformation is groups. In the past, we would have Sunday school for all ages, two worship services on Sunday, and classes on Wednesdays. In fact, this was our model for nearly 100 years. Moving forward, we want to give people the opportunity to be part of life-changing groups where we hope people will find connection to both God and one another. Some of our groups focus on learning to live and love like Jesus, other groups are centered on time in Scripture and care for each other. Time, availability, and the place where people find themselves on their journey with Christ will help them determine what kind of group to join.
One of our greatest desires is to be a blessing to our community. Therefore, in addition to the things already mentioned, we want our building to have a “day job” throughout the week. In other words, we don’t want our building to simply sit empty between services. Although we aren’t sure what that day job will be, we do have some ideas. For example, we know that raising kids and managing finances are difficult things in this world. We have also noticed that when unhealthy practices in these two areas have been modeled in a family, it’s hard for people to get out of their ruts without some new information and support. Therefore, we want to be a source for that information and support by providing parenting workshops and finance classes.
It’s been a long journey for the 4th & College Church of Christ. So many things have changed over the last few years, and there are still several changes happening now that we aren’t sure how exactly they will play out. We’re thankful that our journey is not over and if you are looking for a local church community, we hope you’ll consider coming for our Re-Launch and Grand Opening that will span three Sundays: September 15, 22, and 29. Come early for coffee and donuts, and stay late for food and fun!
Richard and Hannah Beadle
Josh and Jen Yaeger