The Rock Church
Encyclopedia
The Rock Church is a protestant, evangelical megachurch
located in San Diego, California
, USA. Miles McPherson
, a former NFL player, has served as senior pastor since he founded the church in 2000. With an average weekly attendance of nearly 12,000, the Rock is currently the 19th largest and the 36th fastest growing church in the United States. The Rock Church San Diego is not to be confused with The Rock Church International of Virginia Beach, Virginia which was founded John Gimenez
& Anne Gimenez in 1968.
Each Sunday The Rock offers five services for members to attend and over 70 ministries for member involvement. These include ministries that work in Donovan Prison
, strip clubs, homeless shelters, hospital oncology wings and with military families.
; the Rock's very first service had 3,300 in attendance. McPherson's church growth
methods led to rapid growth and in 2002, the church launched a Pre-K–12, Christian school, and Rock Academy. In 2003, McPherson's sermons began to be broadcast on KPRZ
, a Christian radio station. That same year, the church began a fundraising campaign for a new building at historic Liberty Station
. The Rock Church moved to a temporary facility in Serra Mesa in 2004.
In 2005, the church broke ground on their new, multi-million dollar Liberty Station facility and in 2007, the church moved into their new facility in Point Loma. The 244000 sq ft (22,668.3 m²). building is the same size as Noah's Ark
(443 feet long and 45 feet (13.7 m) high) and includes state-of-the art Christian education facilities, office space, and a 3,500 seat worship center.
In June and October 2009, Rock Church members gathered together to clean Balboa Park and Southeastern areas of San Diego. It is estimated the The Rock Church has saved the City of San Diego over one million dollars with their volunteer service. Nineteen of the church's ministries are dedicated to serving the community.
32.73575°N 117.21860°W
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...
located in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, USA. Miles McPherson
Miles McPherson
Miles McPherson is the pastor of The Rock Church in San Diego, a motivational speaker, and a former NFL football player.-History:...
, a former NFL player, has served as senior pastor since he founded the church in 2000. With an average weekly attendance of nearly 12,000, the Rock is currently the 19th largest and the 36th fastest growing church in the United States. The Rock Church San Diego is not to be confused with The Rock Church International of Virginia Beach, Virginia which was founded John Gimenez
John Gimenez
John Gimenez was a pastor, international overseer and bishop of Rock Ministerial Family and Rock Church International. He founded the Washington for Jesus events. He died on February 12, 2008.-References:...
& Anne Gimenez in 1968.
Each Sunday The Rock offers five services for members to attend and over 70 ministries for member involvement. These include ministries that work in Donovan Prison
Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility
Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility is a state prison located in unincorporated southern San Diego County, California, near San Diego. Its is a part of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. It is a facility. It is the only state prison in San Diego County...
, strip clubs, homeless shelters, hospital oncology wings and with military families.
History
The Rock was founded in 2000 by senior pastor Miles McPherson and met for worship services on the campus of San Diego State UniversitySan Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
; the Rock's very first service had 3,300 in attendance. McPherson's church growth
Church growth
Church Growth is a movement within evangelical Christianity which emphasizes mainly missionary work combined with sociological awareness of the target population. The "seeker sensitive" label for this approach characterizes the would-be converts as "seekers".-History:Church Growth began with the...
methods led to rapid growth and in 2002, the church launched a Pre-K–12, Christian school, and Rock Academy. In 2003, McPherson's sermons began to be broadcast on KPRZ
KPRZ
1210 KPRZ is owned and operated by Salem Communications and offers Christian talk such as David Jeremiah and Christian music on Saturday nights for the San Diego market. It is licensed to San Marcos, California. The three broadcast antennas are near the area in the city, which recently became a...
, a Christian radio station. That same year, the church began a fundraising campaign for a new building at historic Liberty Station
Liberty Station
Liberty Station is a project that involves the conversion of San Diego, California's former Naval Training Center into a mixed-use community that includes several distinct districts...
. The Rock Church moved to a temporary facility in Serra Mesa in 2004.
In 2005, the church broke ground on their new, multi-million dollar Liberty Station facility and in 2007, the church moved into their new facility in Point Loma. The 244000 sq ft (22,668.3 m²). building is the same size as Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark is a vessel appearing in the Book of Genesis and the Quran . These narratives describe the construction of the ark by Noah at God's command to save himself, his family, and the world's animals from the worldwide deluge of the Great Flood.In the narrative of the ark, God sees the...
(443 feet long and 45 feet (13.7 m) high) and includes state-of-the art Christian education facilities, office space, and a 3,500 seat worship center.
Do Something
McPherson encourages churchgoers to "Do Something" in their communities. As a church, they committed to doing 600,000 hours of community service in 2009, of these hours, the church allocated 100,000 hours to be spent doing projects for the City of San Diego as designated by Mayor Jerry Sanders. McPherson has also authored several books and released, "Do Something: Make Your Life Count" in 2009, focused on helping individuals do something in their communities.In June and October 2009, Rock Church members gathered together to clean Balboa Park and Southeastern areas of San Diego. It is estimated the The Rock Church has saved the City of San Diego over one million dollars with their volunteer service. Nineteen of the church's ministries are dedicated to serving the community.
External links
- Miles McPherson - Official website
- The Rock Church - Official website
- iDosomething.org: The Rock Church
- DO Something: Make Your Life Count
- The Rock Academy - Official Website
32.73575°N 117.21860°W