The Rock Church (San Diego)

Rock Church
Location San Diego, CA
Country United States
Denomination Non-denominational
Weekly attendance 15,000 +
Website www.sdrock.com
History
Founder(s) Miles McPherson
Clergy
Senior pastor(s) Miles McPherson

The Rock Church is a evangelical megachurch located in San Diego, California, with satellite campuses in San Marcos, California and El Cajon, California. Miles McPherson, a former NFL player, has served as senior pastor since he founded the church in 2000. With an average weekly attendance of more than 12,000 at five weekly services in San Diego,[1] as well as weekly services in San Marcos and El Cajon where attendees watch McPherson's sermon on a large-screen television, the Rock is one of the largest churches in the area and one of the fastest growing churches in the United States.[2]

The Rock offers more than 150 external ministries for members to serve in. These include ministries that work in Donovan Prison, homeless shelters, strip clubs, hospital oncology wings and with military families.

History

The Rock was founded in 2000 by Miles McPherson; the Rock's very first service had 3,300 in attendance.[3] Initially the church met for worship services on the campus of San Diego State University. McPherson's church growth methods led to rapid growth and in 2002, the church launched the Rock Academy, a pre-K through 12 Christian school. 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 location in Liberty Station, the former Naval Training Center San Diego in the Point Loma neighborhood of San Diego. In the interim the Rock Church moved to a temporary facility in Serra Mesa in 2004. In 2005, the church broke ground on the multimillion-dollar Liberty Station facility, and in 2007, the church moved into their new campus in Point Loma.[1] The church also meets in San Marcos, a city in the northern part of San Diego County, and El Cajon, a city in the eastern part of the county.[4] In 2014, Rock Church also launched a campus in San Ysidro, making a total of 4 campuses that meet weekly.[5]

Facility

The main church 244,000 sq ft (22,700 m2) building in Point Loma has been compared in size to Noah's Ark[6] (443 feet long and 45 feet (14 m) high) and includes state-of-the art Christian education facilities, office space, and a 3,500 seat worship center.[6] Because of the large size of the sanctuary, it is often used for high-profile funerals, such as those for police officers killed in the line of duty.[7][8][9]

The adjacent, associated Rock Academy is a preschool-through-grade-12 private Christian school with more than 400 students.[10]

Community service

Rock Church members clean up trash as part of the church's Do Something event

McPherson encourages churchgoers to demonstrate the love of God through service in their communities. McPherson, who has published several books, released Do Something: Make Your Life Count in 2009, which focuses on helping individuals do something in their communities.

In 2011, the church donated more than 235,000 hours of service on projects for the City of San Diego as designated by Mayor Jerry Sanders and other community leaders, at an estimated value of $4 million.[11][12]

The church mobilizes volunteers throughout the year to tackle beautification projects chosen by community leaders. In March 2012 and September 2011, volunteers cleaned up the Jackie Robinson YMCA and the Barrio Logan neighborhood.[13][14]

The church also sponsors large charity events such as the annual December Toys for Joy event. In 2011, Toys for Joy gave away 7,700 toys, 12,000 bags of groceries, and 130,000 articles of clothing.[11] The Rock sponsors a May food drive for the San Diego Food Bank. In 2012, volunteers collected more than 28,000 pounds of food; in 2011, 21,000 pounds were donated.[11][15]

Controversy

In its previous location in Serra Mesa, neighbors complained about traffic and parking issues. The city fined the church in 2006 for violating the terms of its use permit, and the head of the local community planning board said "We're happy to see them go."[6]

The church's current location in the middle of Point Loma has also led to conflicts with the neighborhood over traffic and parking issues,[16] leading to numerous complaints and a multimillion-dollar class-action lawsuit against Liberty Station’s developer, Corky McMillin Companies.[1][17] In May 2012 the San Diego County Grand Jury issued a report concluding that the church's location in an area designated for education use is inappropriate, and recommending that the city "Suspend the current Conditional Use Permit for the Rock Academy and Church pending a review for compliance and compatibility with the NTC Precise Plan and Local Coastal Program report (September 2001) and determine the church’s appropriateness for that area."[18] However, in August the mayor said he would not suspend the church's permit, describing the proposed suspension as "unreasonable".[19]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Burgin, Aaron (May 24, 2012). "Grand jury suggests suspending Rock Church's permit; Traffic problems raise issue of land use for building approved only as a school". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  2. ↑ Nelson, Dean (June 2012). "Miles to Go Before He Sleeps: Inside McPherson’s Rock Church". San Diego Magazine. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  3. ↑ http://www.therocksandiego.org/press/
  4. ↑ "Rock Campus". Rock Church. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  5. ↑ "Campuses". The Rock Church. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 Dolbee, Sandi (August 18, 2007). "A mighty presence". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  7. ↑ "Funeral services for slain San Diego police officer". KFMB-AM. November 4, 2010. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  8. ↑ Perry, Tony (August 13, 2011). "Thousands attend funeral for slain San Diego police officer". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  9. ↑ Kuhney, Jan Lebron (October 15, 2011). "Hundreds attend funeral of officer killed in car crash". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  10. ↑ "Our History". The Rock Academy. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  11. 1 2 3 http://www.sddt.com/Reports/article.cfm?RID=865&SourceCode=20120417cwf&_t=Rock+Church+volunteers+bring+hope
  12. ↑ http://docs.google.com/file/d/0B669OXLSm5kfY1g0bE5CRWdUdGVUX0VneTRGQXZLUQ/edit
  13. ↑ sdvoice.info/feelin-the-love-at-jackie-robinson-ymca-p1510-93.htm/
  14. ↑ https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B669OXLSm5kfNjY0MjlkODItNThjOC00MGNkLWI3YjgtMzI0YzJlMzU3ZmNl/edit
  15. ↑ http://www.sdrock.com/events/9990/
  16. ↑ "Grand jury: Rock Church too big for Liberty Station". CBS-8 San Diego. May 25, 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  17. ↑ Hansen, Bob (December 4, 2010). "Class-Action Lawsuit Filed Over The Rock Church". NBC San Diego. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  18. ↑ "Traffic Congestion in the Liberty Station Area" (PDF). San Diego County Grand Jury. May 24, 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  19. ↑ Steussy, Lauren (August 22, 2012). "Mayor Won't Suspend Rock Church Permit". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 13 October 2012.

External links

Coordinates: 32°44′09″N 117°13′07″W / 32.73575°N 117.21860°W / 32.73575; -117.21860

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