Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church
Encyclopedia
Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
, U.S. It was founded in 1960 by D. James Kennedy (1930–2007), who served as the church's senior pastor until his death in 2007. The present church building seating 2,800 persons was dedicated in February 1974 by evangelist Billy Graham
. It became affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America
denomination on May 16, 1978. The church espouses a traditional Calvinist
theology
.
Beginning in 1978 under pastor D. James Kennedy, the church's weekly services were televised as the Coral Ridge Hour, eventually reaching a nationwide audience of more than 3 million. Production of new broadcasts from the church were discontinued in 2007 after Kennedy's passing, although reruns of Kennedy's sermons continue to air on some networks.
The Westminster Academy
and Knox Theological Seminary
, also in Ft. Lauderdale, are educational ministries of the church. Christian radio
station WAFG-FM
in Ft. Lauderdale is also affiliated with the church. The current senior pastor is W. Tullian Tchividjian
, a grandson of Billy Graham, who succeeded Kennedy as senior pastor of the church in April, 2009.
to share their faith by home visitation in the community. Coral Ridge became the fastest-growing Presbyterian church in the U.S. in the 1960s and had 1,366 members by 1968. Outgrowing its first church built in the early 1960s, construction of the church's present 2,800-seat sanctuary, surmounted by a 300 feet (91 m) tower and designed in a modern style, was undertaken in the early 1970s. On December 21, 1973, the first services were held in the church's new building. In February, 1974, the sanctuary was formally dedicated by Billy Graham
. By the 1980s, the church's membership had grown to a few thousand persons. Evangelism Explosion was the subject of Kennedy's doctoral dissertation, who said he earned a Ph.D.
"to dispel the idea there is an inconsistency between evangelism and education...evangelical ministers [need] to be thoroughly educated and equipped to meet on equal terms anyone with whom they come in contact". A 1970 film, Like a Mighty Army, starring actor Chris Robinson
as Kennedy, portrayed the Evangelism Explosion story at the church.
By the 1980s, the church's television ministry had a weekly audience of 3.5 million viewers, as the Coral Ridge Hour aired on more than 400 stations and four cable networks, including the Trinity Broadcasting Network
, The Inspiration Network (INSP)
and the NRB Network
, as well as broadcast to more than 150 countries on the Armed Forces Network
.
As the result of a heart attack from which he never fully recovered, Kennedy last preached at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church on December 24, 2006. His retirement was officially announced at the church on August 26, 2007, and he died in his home ten days later. In a statement following news of Kennedy's retirement, the church announced the development of the D. James Kennedy Legacy website in tribute to the life of the Christian evangelist.
, a native Floridian born in Jacksonville
. Named after third century theologian Tertullian
, he is a grandson of famed evangelist Billy Graham
. Previously, he pastored New City Presbyterian Church, an Evangelical Presbyterian Church congregation meeting at a high school in nearby Coconut Creek
. He was invited on January 12, 2009, to become Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church's senior minister, as part of a merger of the two congregations. The Coral Ridge congregation approved Tchividjian's appointment and merger of the two churches by vote on March 15, 2009, with 920 of the 1,014 members present voting in favor. Tchividjian was installed as the church's current senior pastor on Easter Sunday, April 12, 2009. He studied philosophy at Columbia International University
and earned a divinity degree at Reformed Theological Seminary
. His writings include Do I Know God? Finding Certainty in Life's Most Important Relationship and Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different. At the beginning of 2009, the church had 2,200 members and weekly attendance averaged 1,800 persons.
Several longtime members, including Kennedy's daughter, Jennifer Kennedy Cassidy, opposed the changes and garnered enough support to call for a congregational vote of confidence. The opposition group accused Tchividjian of using heavy-handed methods against those who wanted to oust him. Six leading dissidents, including Kennedy Cassidy, were banned from the church, and several members of the choir were told to recant their opposition to Tchividjian if they wanted to stay in the choir. On September 20, 2009 a sizable majority of the congregation voted to retain Tchividjian. In a news release following the decision, the church said, "attendance had doubled in the past year, that 300 new members had been added since Tchividjian was installed, and that 192 people are registered for the next new members class, making it the largest new members class in the church’s 50-year history". Tchividjian's detractors assert that a majority of these new members came from his former congregation but there is no evidence to support this claim. However, Tchividjian's followers have not denied the claim either.
In response, more than 400 members broke away to form a new church called The New Presbyterian Church. The breakaway church held its first service on September 28, 2009, at Butterfly World in Coconut Creek. Butterfly World's owner, Ronald Boender, had been a longtime Coral Ridge member before lending his support to the breakaway church. After The New Presbyterian Church was formed, some have stated that Tchividjian started firing people who opposed him or attended the "breakaway" church. Several members of Coral Ridge's prominent music ministry—including music minister John L. Wilson, organist Samuel Metzger and much of the choir—joined the new church. The breakaway New Presbyterian Church currently meets at Pompano Beach High School
and continues some of the musical traditions formerly held at Coral Ridge, such as the performance of Handel's Messiah
during the Christmas season and the long-running annual patriotic concert instituted by Kennedy.
On January 19, 2010, South Florida Presbytery officials reversed Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church's ban on the six dissident members from church premises, saying that Coral Ridge "acted impulsively, improperly, prematurely, and without warrant" in ordering the six off church property in August.
at its heart since Kennedy started the church over 50 years ago. With the appointment of Tchividjian the musical style shifted towards a contemporary style, and for the first time became more commonplace than the Traditional style. Mark Miller is the music director as of May 2011. There is currently no senior organist. Brandon Wells led the contemporary worship until the classical and contemporary services were combined on August 22, 2010.
From 1997 until his resignation on September 24, 2009, John L. Wilson was the director of music ministries. Other former directors were Rev. Stephen Carroll, Brian Trevor, Roger G. McMurrin and Steven Phillips. The church has a 100-voice adult Chancel Choir and the "Coral Ambassadors", composed of 50 high school-age youth, along with handbell choirs. (Attendance in choirs has seen a significant decline on account of the schism.)
The large Fratelli Ruffatti
pipe organ
built in 1974 has 6,600 pipes in 117 ranks. In 2004, the organ was expanded with the addition of 61 digital voices, resulting in the equivalent of 178 total ranks. Samuel Metzger, organist from 2003 until his resignation on September 24, 2009, has recorded seven CDs of music on the Rufatti instrument. The organ is also regularly featured on the Joy of Music television programs of Diane Bish
, one of the church's former organists, and is often heard on the Sacred Classics
radio show, along with recordings by the church's choir. Other former organists include Rebecca Owens, Colin Howland and Garrett F. Martin.
Since 1972 the church offered an annual concert series featuring guest artists as well as the church's musicians. The September 2009 church split, however, led to the departures of a large portion of the music ministry, forcing church officials to cancel the 2009-10 concert series.
s of the choir and organ have been released since the 1970s, including:
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
, U.S. It was founded in 1960 by D. James Kennedy (1930–2007), who served as the church's senior pastor until his death in 2007. The present church building seating 2,800 persons was dedicated in February 1974 by evangelist Billy Graham
Billy Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
. It became affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America
Presbyterian Church in America
The Presbyterian Church in America is an evangelical Protestant Christian denomination, the second largest Presbyterian church body in the United States after the Presbyterian Church . The PCA professes a strong commitment to evangelism, missionary work, and Christian education...
denomination on May 16, 1978. The church espouses a traditional Calvinist
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
theology
Christian theology
- Divisions of Christian theology :There are many methods of categorizing different approaches to Christian theology. For a historical analysis, see the main article on the History of Christian theology.- Sub-disciplines :...
.
Beginning in 1978 under pastor D. James Kennedy, the church's weekly services were televised as the Coral Ridge Hour, eventually reaching a nationwide audience of more than 3 million. Production of new broadcasts from the church were discontinued in 2007 after Kennedy's passing, although reruns of Kennedy's sermons continue to air on some networks.
The Westminster Academy
Westminster Academy (Florida)
Westminster Academy is a private Christian school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, serving students in grades Pre-K2 through 12. It is an educational ministry of the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church and is related denominationally to the Presbyterian Church in America.The main campus is located at 5601...
and Knox Theological Seminary
Knox Theological Seminary
Knox Theological Seminary is an Independent Evangelical Seminary in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, founded in 1989 by D. James Kennedy. Knox graduated its first class of Master of Divinity students in 1993.- History :...
, also in Ft. Lauderdale, are educational ministries of the church. Christian radio
Christian radio
Christian radio is a category of radio formats that focus on transmitting programming with a Christian message. In the United States, where it is more established, many such broadcasters play popular music of Christian influence, though many programs have talk or news programming covering...
station WAFG-FM
WAFG
WAFG is a radio station broadcasting a Contemporary Christian music format, and includes national teaching/preaching programming.Licensed to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, the station is currently owned by the Westminster Academy. Translator Stations are 88.3 WKZG Key West, Florida and 106.9...
in Ft. Lauderdale is also affiliated with the church. The current senior pastor is W. Tullian Tchividjian
Tullian Tchividjian
William Graham Tullian Tchividjian is senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America, a visiting professor of theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, and a contributing editor to Leadership...
, a grandson of Billy Graham, who succeeded Kennedy as senior pastor of the church in April, 2009.
History
The church was founded by D. James Kennedy on May 22, 1960, who began with a congregation of 45 persons attending a typical Sunday service at a rented elementary school auditorium. Kennedy developed the "Evangelism Explosion" ("EE") method of evangelism in the 1960s, which emphasizes the training of church laypeopleLaity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
to share their faith by home visitation in the community. Coral Ridge became the fastest-growing Presbyterian church in the U.S. in the 1960s and had 1,366 members by 1968. Outgrowing its first church built in the early 1960s, construction of the church's present 2,800-seat sanctuary, surmounted by a 300 feet (91 m) tower and designed in a modern style, was undertaken in the early 1970s. On December 21, 1973, the first services were held in the church's new building. In February, 1974, the sanctuary was formally dedicated by Billy Graham
Billy Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
. By the 1980s, the church's membership had grown to a few thousand persons. Evangelism Explosion was the subject of Kennedy's doctoral dissertation, who said he earned a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
"to dispel the idea there is an inconsistency between evangelism and education...evangelical ministers [need] to be thoroughly educated and equipped to meet on equal terms anyone with whom they come in contact". A 1970 film, Like a Mighty Army, starring actor Chris Robinson
Chris Robinson (actor)
Chris Robinson is an actor who played Rick Webber #2 on General Hospital...
as Kennedy, portrayed the Evangelism Explosion story at the church.
By the 1980s, the church's television ministry had a weekly audience of 3.5 million viewers, as the Coral Ridge Hour aired on more than 400 stations and four cable networks, including the Trinity Broadcasting Network
Trinity Broadcasting Network
The Trinity Broadcasting Network is a major American Christian television network. TBN is based in Costa Mesa, California, with auxiliary studio facilities in Irving, Texas; Hendersonville, Tennessee; Gadsden, Alabama; Decatur, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Orlando, Florida; and New...
, The Inspiration Network (INSP)
The Inspiration Network (INSP)
The Inspiration Network, also known as INSP, is a religious and family programming based television network headquartered in Indian Land, South Carolina, near Charlotte. It is the flagship network of parent company The Inspiration Networks, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Inspiration...
and the NRB Network
NRB Network
The NRB Network is an evangelical Christian cable channel run by the National Religious Broadcasters, a national organization representing televangelists and Christian-themed media outlets. While the NRB organization is located in Manassas, Virginia, the channel's corporate headquarters is located...
, as well as broadcast to more than 150 countries on the Armed Forces Network
American Forces Network
The American Forces Network is the brand name used by the United States Armed Forces American Forces Radio and Television Service for its entertainment and command internal information networks worldwide...
.
As the result of a heart attack from which he never fully recovered, Kennedy last preached at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church on December 24, 2006. His retirement was officially announced at the church on August 26, 2007, and he died in his home ten days later. In a statement following news of Kennedy's retirement, the church announced the development of the D. James Kennedy Legacy website in tribute to the life of the Christian evangelist.
Current ministry
The church's current senior pastor is Tullian TchividjianTullian Tchividjian
William Graham Tullian Tchividjian is senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America, a visiting professor of theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, and a contributing editor to Leadership...
, a native Floridian born in Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. Named after third century theologian Tertullian
Tertullian
Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicised as Tertullian , was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He is the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature. He also was a notable early Christian apologist and...
, he is a grandson of famed evangelist Billy Graham
Billy Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
. Previously, he pastored New City Presbyterian Church, an Evangelical Presbyterian Church congregation meeting at a high school in nearby Coconut Creek
Coconut Creek, Florida
Coconut Creek is a city in Broward County, Florida , nestled between Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. It had a population of 52,909 at the 2010 census...
. He was invited on January 12, 2009, to become Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church's senior minister, as part of a merger of the two congregations. The Coral Ridge congregation approved Tchividjian's appointment and merger of the two churches by vote on March 15, 2009, with 920 of the 1,014 members present voting in favor. Tchividjian was installed as the church's current senior pastor on Easter Sunday, April 12, 2009. He studied philosophy at Columbia International University
Columbia International University
Columbia International University is a Christian institution of higher education located in Columbia, South Carolina. The university is recognized for its emphasis upon spiritual formation, biblical authority and world evangelization.-History:...
and earned a divinity degree at Reformed Theological Seminary
Reformed Theological Seminary
Reformed Theological Seminary is a non-denominational, evangelical Protestant seminary. RTS's first campus remains in Jackson, Mississippi, United States though the school has expanded to include several additional campuses.-Founding:...
. His writings include Do I Know God? Finding Certainty in Life's Most Important Relationship and Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different. At the beginning of 2009, the church had 2,200 members and weekly attendance averaged 1,800 persons.
Schism
After taking over, Tchividjian instituted sweeping changes. Although he is as conservative as Kennedy theologically, he is somewhat more inclined toward contemporary worship than Kennedy had been. For instance, he usually does not wear vestments, as Kennedy did, preferring a suit and tie. Also, his sermons are less tinged with political themes than Kennedy's had been.Several longtime members, including Kennedy's daughter, Jennifer Kennedy Cassidy, opposed the changes and garnered enough support to call for a congregational vote of confidence. The opposition group accused Tchividjian of using heavy-handed methods against those who wanted to oust him. Six leading dissidents, including Kennedy Cassidy, were banned from the church, and several members of the choir were told to recant their opposition to Tchividjian if they wanted to stay in the choir. On September 20, 2009 a sizable majority of the congregation voted to retain Tchividjian. In a news release following the decision, the church said, "attendance had doubled in the past year, that 300 new members had been added since Tchividjian was installed, and that 192 people are registered for the next new members class, making it the largest new members class in the church’s 50-year history". Tchividjian's detractors assert that a majority of these new members came from his former congregation but there is no evidence to support this claim. However, Tchividjian's followers have not denied the claim either.
In response, more than 400 members broke away to form a new church called The New Presbyterian Church. The breakaway church held its first service on September 28, 2009, at Butterfly World in Coconut Creek. Butterfly World's owner, Ronald Boender, had been a longtime Coral Ridge member before lending his support to the breakaway church. After The New Presbyterian Church was formed, some have stated that Tchividjian started firing people who opposed him or attended the "breakaway" church. Several members of Coral Ridge's prominent music ministry—including music minister John L. Wilson, organist Samuel Metzger and much of the choir—joined the new church. The breakaway New Presbyterian Church currently meets at Pompano Beach High School
Pompano Beach High School
Pompano Beach High School is a full magnet high school located in Pompano Beach, Florida, which instructs grades 9 through 12...
and continues some of the musical traditions formerly held at Coral Ridge, such as the performance of Handel's Messiah
Messiah (Handel)
Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later...
during the Christmas season and the long-running annual patriotic concert instituted by Kennedy.
On January 19, 2010, South Florida Presbytery officials reversed Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church's ban on the six dissident members from church premises, saying that Coral Ridge "acted impulsively, improperly, prematurely, and without warrant" in ordering the six off church property in August.
Music
The church has a rich history of traditional music with the Rufatti Pipe OrganPipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
at its heart since Kennedy started the church over 50 years ago. With the appointment of Tchividjian the musical style shifted towards a contemporary style, and for the first time became more commonplace than the Traditional style. Mark Miller is the music director as of May 2011. There is currently no senior organist. Brandon Wells led the contemporary worship until the classical and contemporary services were combined on August 22, 2010.
From 1997 until his resignation on September 24, 2009, John L. Wilson was the director of music ministries. Other former directors were Rev. Stephen Carroll, Brian Trevor, Roger G. McMurrin and Steven Phillips. The church has a 100-voice adult Chancel Choir and the "Coral Ambassadors", composed of 50 high school-age youth, along with handbell choirs. (Attendance in choirs has seen a significant decline on account of the schism.)
The large Fratelli Ruffatti
Fratelli Ruffatti
Famiglia Artigiana Fratelli Ruffatti is a manufacturer of pipe organs based in Padua, Italy.- History :...
pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
built in 1974 has 6,600 pipes in 117 ranks. In 2004, the organ was expanded with the addition of 61 digital voices, resulting in the equivalent of 178 total ranks. Samuel Metzger, organist from 2003 until his resignation on September 24, 2009, has recorded seven CDs of music on the Rufatti instrument. The organ is also regularly featured on the Joy of Music television programs of Diane Bish
Diane Bish
Diane Joyce Bish, born on May 25, 1941, in Kansas, is an organist and composer as well as executive producer of the Joy of Music television series. As a concert organist, she performs frequently at recitals throughout North America and Europe....
, one of the church's former organists, and is often heard on the Sacred Classics
Sacred Classics
Sacred Classics is a weekly two–hour radio show originating from WBVM-FM in Tampa, Florida, featuring choral and organ music from international venues. Founded in October 1983, it is broadcast on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as streamed over the Internet at various times to accommodate...
radio show, along with recordings by the church's choir. Other former organists include Rebecca Owens, Colin Howland and Garrett F. Martin.
Since 1972 the church offered an annual concert series featuring guest artists as well as the church's musicians. The September 2009 church split, however, led to the departures of a large portion of the music ministry, forcing church officials to cancel the 2009-10 concert series.
Discography
A number of phonograph records and compact discCompact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
s of the choir and organ have been released since the 1970s, including:
| Title | Artist(s) | Genre |
|---|---|---|
| Artistry at the Coral Ridge Organ | Diane Bish Diane Bish Diane Joyce Bish, born on May 25, 1941, in Kansas, is an organist and composer as well as executive producer of the Joy of Music television series. As a concert organist, she performs frequently at recitals throughout North America and Europe.... |
organ |
| Be Still My Soul | Samuel Metzger | organ |
| The Best of Coral Ridge | Chancel Choir | choral |
| Christmas Festival | Diane Bish | organ |
| Fanfare! | Samuel Metzger | organ |
| His Truth is Marching On | Chancel Choir | choral |
| Hymns on the Coral Ridge Organ | Diane Bish | organ |
| Joy to the World! | Samuel Metzger | organ |
| King of Instruments | Samuel Metzger | organ |
| Majesty and Glory | Samuel Metzger | organ |
| Morning Has Broken | Chancel Choir | choral |
| Pipes and More Pipes | Diane Bish and St. Andrews Bagpipes |
organ and bagpipes |
| Prayer and Meditation | Samuel Metzger | organ |
| Shout to the Lord! | Coral Ambassadors | choral |
| Toccata! | Samuel Metzger | organ |