Chestnut Ridge Church
Encyclopedia
Chestnut Ridge Church is a nondenominational, evangelical megachurch
in Morgantown, West Virginia
. The church spawned two sister churches: South Ridge Church, in Fairmont, West Virginia
and River Ridge in Charleston, West Virginia
. At over 2,400 active attendees, it is the largest church in the state of West Virginia.
In 2007, The Dominion Post
named the church one of the 100 most influential organizations in West Virginia because of its size, impact on the community and its new $12 million dollar facility built in 2006. CRC's Senior Pastor, Tim Haring, was named as number 21 on the paper's list.
In January 2010, it was announced that the 15-year run of The Passion would not be continued, in order to re-focus the resources used to produce The Passion in other areas.
Megachurch
A megachurch is a church having 2,000 or more in average weekend attendance. The Hartford Institute's database lists more than 1,300 such Protestant churches in the United States. According to that data, approximately 50 churches on the list have attendance ranging from 10,000 to 47,000...
in Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia. It is the county seat of Monongalia County. Placed along the banks of the Monongahela River, Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia, and the base of the Morgantown metropolitan area...
. The church spawned two sister churches: South Ridge Church, in Fairmont, West Virginia
Fairmont, West Virginia
Fairmont is a city in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. Nicknamed "The Friendly City". The population was 18,704 at the 2010 census...
and River Ridge in Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
. At over 2,400 active attendees, it is the largest church in the state of West Virginia.
In 2007, The Dominion Post
The Dominion Post (Morgantown)
The Dominion Post is the only commercial daily newspaper in Morgantown, West Virginia. It is the merger, over time, of the Morgantown New Dominion, the Morgantown News, which became the Morgantown Dominion-News and the Morgantown Post...
named the church one of the 100 most influential organizations in West Virginia because of its size, impact on the community and its new $12 million dollar facility built in 2006. CRC's Senior Pastor, Tim Haring, was named as number 21 on the paper's list.
Deep Water Media
In 2006, CRC launched a production company and released its first album under the label Deep Water Records. The album was called Vertical by J. Nicholson. Deep Water Media produced a 10-show touring production across the East Coast to launch Vertical.The Passion
Each Easter, the church produces a completely original rock-opera that tells the story of Christ. In 2006, Deep Water Media took over production of the Passion. In 2007, the production moved to the church's new venue at Cheat Lake after thirteen years at Morgantown High School. In its new home, the show attracted a record audience of nearly 7,000 over a three day run. Over the years, more than 25,000 people have seen the show.In January 2010, it was announced that the 15-year run of The Passion would not be continued, in order to re-focus the resources used to produce The Passion in other areas.