Looking for church in Chicago (Lincoln, Harvard: school, college, living in)

[srhbkkr]

Hi,

I am going to be moving to Chicago in a few months. I am going to be living in the Gold Coast area. I was wondering if anyone has recommendations for churches. I am looking for either a non-denominational church or a community church or something similar. I want to go somewhere that I can get involved and get to know alot of people. Also, I dont want a church that is really huge. I want something that is medium. Probably less than 500 people. I also want a church that has a good college group since I am in college. I want somewhere that alot of families go. Also it doesn't really matter how close it is to Gold Coast as long as I could take public transit to get there. I dont mind commuting a little bit. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Sarah

[chet everett]

Sounds you might want to check this out: Welcome to Willow Chicago - Willow Creek Community Church

[chicagocubs]

Willow Creek is quite large and can be overwhelming.

I have recently heard of a church that really sounds exciting. I hope to visit there the next time I am in town.

Soul City Church / Soul City Church

I also know of another church that seems to have a Baptist background:

Mosaic Church in Chicago - a community in Wicker Park

[srhbkkr]

The Soul City Church looks really good. I'm definitely going to have to check that out when I get there! Thanks!

[Ping322]

"Park Community Church" and "Soul City" are both really similar and really well-liked by your age group in the city. Both are non-denominational 'Evangelical' in terms of belief. Park does a lot of good community service and nice people ... like many 'young-people churches', Park does have a rep as a 'singles meet-market'. Park has multiple campuses in the city, the Lincoln Park campus meets at a school and the pastor Joe Ricardi is a really nice guy. (I went to Park for a bit, but decided to stop going to Evangelical churches and start going to 'Mainline Protestant' churches).

If you're looking for a church that's more liberal in beliefs as compared to the Evangelical churches, I highly recommend "Fourth Presbyterian Church". I spent the last year going to that church before I moved from Chicago and I loved it. Very intellectual sermons (many of the staff have degrees from Harvard, U of Chicago, etc.). Open-minded to other faiths, homosexuality, etc. A small but solid young adults group. A really good impact on the city with the 'City Lights' program.

So, IMO, depending on your cup of tea belief-wise, 'Fourth', 'Park', and 'Soul' are all good choices.

[chicagocubs]

Originally Posted by Ping322

"Park Community Church" and "Soul City" are both really similar and really well-liked by your age group in the city. Both are non-denominational 'Evangelical' in terms of belief. Park does a lot of good community service and nice people ... like many 'young-people churches', Park does have a rep as a 'singles meet-market'. Park has multiple campuses in the city, the Lincoln Park campus meets at a school and the pastor Joe Ricardi is a really nice guy. (I went to Park for a bit, but decided to stop going to Evangelical churches and start going to 'Mainline Protestant' churches).

If you're looking for a church that's more liberal in beliefs as compared to the Evangelical churches, I highly recommend "Fourth Presbyterian Church". I spent the last year going to that church before I moved from Chicago and I loved it. Very intellectual sermons (many of the staff have degrees from Harvard, U of Chicago, etc.). Open-minded to other faiths, homosexuality, etc. A small but solid young adults group. A really good impact on the city with the 'City Lights' program.

So, IMO, depending on your cup of tea belief-wise, 'Fourth', 'Park', and 'Soul' are all good choices.

I'm just going to say that I have a friend that attends Park Community Church. Park Community Church | INDEX

She says that it is similar to the church that she used to attend with me here in Charlotte, NC. However, looking at their website, they seem to be quite large and thus may not fit with what you are looking for.