Who We Are

Welcome to the Laurel Church of Christ. We are an independent, Christ-centered, Spirit-led and Bible-based family of God. Our mission is to be Christ’s body, making a positive, eternal difference in the lives of all who come our way and all to whom we are sent. Our ministers, ministry leaders, and members are led by a group of elders who are chosen by our members based on Biblical qualifications.

We are a diverse, vibrant spiritual family. Because of our nearness to the university campus, we have opportunities to engage people from across a wide cultural spectrum. Our membership comprises every age group and income group.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to be Christ's body, making an eternal, positive difference in the lives of all who come our way and all to whom we are sent.

We strive to uphold 4 core values: Honest Seeking, Honest Worship, Honest Ministry, and Honest Relationship.

What to Expect at Sunday Morning Worship

We believe in both living our daily life as an act of worship (Romans 12:1-2) and gathering the church body together to encourage one another (Hebrews 10:25). Our Sunday morning worship services (8:30am & 10:30 am) include acapella or voices alone singing (words and music projected on a screen), praying, sharing news related to our church family, taking communion or the Lord’s Supper, contributing to a collection used to finance the church’s work, and listening to a Bible-based lesson presented by our pulpit minister. A weekly bulletin provides the plan for worship for members and visitors to follow along.

At the conclusion of each Sunday’s message, we offer an opportunity for anyone to ask for prayers or to be added to the church through baptism. Our elders and ministers and members will pray with anyone publicly or privately and can arrange further study and counseling if needed.

Our History

In 2011, Laurel Church of Christ celebrated 100 years as a congregation. Begun through the efforts of four people, Laurel has grown to about 500 members. The first full-time preacher was E.C. Holt. Before members hired Holt, university students filled the preaching duties.

In 1928, members purchased a building from the Church of Christian Scientists at the corner of Laurel Avenue and 17th Street near the University of Tennessee campus and chose the name Laurel Avenue Church of Christ. When the church grew and moved to its present location on Kingston Pike in May 1968, members changed the name to simply Laurel Church of Christ. The family at Laurel stayed committed to the UT campus despite moving away from it and began the Christian Student Center in 1955. The CSC moved to its present location at 1821 Melrose Avenue in 1963.