Origin Story

Every church has an origin story—why and how it started. That story can define the purpose and direction of the church. CBC’s origin story proves helpful for understanding our future. I never tire of reflecting on our middle name: “Bible.” This commitment captures our church’s beginnings. Dissatisfied with the teaching found in the mainline churches, some Christians gathered at Jim Kienholz’s home for a Bible study in the late 1970s. This small gathering wanted a church in Pierre that taught the Word of God. It was this group that ultimately founded CBC in 1979. That was over 40 years ago. Fast forward to today, Community Bible Church has upheld the truth of God for several generations. Our fellowship’s “secret sauce” is simple—a commitment to preach, believe, and obey all that Scripture says.

Since my time at CBC, I’ve come to see that our greatest strength at CBC is an unwavering commitment to the Bible. For example, on Thursday mornings, some women gather for a Bible study. We’re currently working our way through Romans, and we just started investigating chapter 9. If you’ve worked through this chapter, you know that it’s a difficult portion due to the themes that arise—predestination, fairness, the Potter and the clay, and divine hardening. Despite the difficulty of what Paul teaches, we had wonderful discussion. This is possible because these specific sisters in Christ, like our entire church family, love Scripture, modeling the wonderful origin story we have as a church.

What should you expect from CBC? In all that we do, let’s have the expectation that our church will continue to “bring the Book” (Neh 8:1). By that I mean, we are committed to the truthfulness and authority of God’s Word. We wholeheartedly believe that what we need is what God has said. Thank you, beloved congregation, for loving Scripture, just as the early founders of our church loved the Bible. You are a joy to serve, as your appetite and expectation for Bible teaching greatly encourage me. 

Pastor Chance Sumner