Christ's Church of the Valley, although non-denominational, has a rich heritage that has influenced us greatly. Among our roots are a few influences worth mentioning:

The Reformation.

Begun by Luther, Knox, Calvin and others, this great Christian movement was the first since the early years of Christianity to forsake man-made doctrines and issue a call to return to the Bible as the only rule of faith and practice for all believers in Christ. CCV's acceptance of the Bible as authoritative in all matters is directly tied to this historical Christian movement.

The Restoration Movement.

CCV's heritage is also firmly grounded in the American Restoration Movement. Most of our staff comes from this heritage and our theology has been significantly shaped by this portion of our background.

The American Restoration Movement began on the American frontier in the early 1800's. It's essential plea was for people to put down denominational barriers separating Christians and unite upon the Bible alone. They commonly used such phrases as: "We speak where the Bible speaks. We are silent where the Bible is silent." and "In essentials unity, in opinions liberty, in all things love." Today, numerous organizations, many non-denominational churches and several denominations claim the Restoration Movement as part of their heritage. 

Because of this heritage, from our beginning, Christ's Church of the Valley has been loosely associated with several independent, non-denominational churches - most of whom refer to themselves as Christian Churches or Churches of Christ. We rejoice in this heritage while not making it the boundaries of our fellowship.

The Renewal Movement.

In the early 1900's a movement of revival began which has swept around the globe and ushered in the greatest harvest of souls the church has ever seen. Many have referred to it as the Renewal or Charismatic Movement. The Renewal Movement has been characterized by a tremendous visitation of God's Holy Spirit and a rediscovering of the spiritual gifts.

While there are aspects of this movement that CCV does not agree with (such as the teaching that all believers must speak in tongues as a "proof" of having the Holy Spirit), we also have been touched by a fresh outpouring of God's Spirit. Despite the bogus healings, lies, distortions, exaggerations, and fraud we have all seen, we have been witness to the authentic. We have been challenged to seek the presence of God as never before. We have seen Him move miraculously. And we believe He wants to do more than we will ever have the faith to ask for.

While the Renewal Movement was not a part of our historical heritage when we began, early in our journey it was instrumental in challenging us to consider the testimony of scripture afresh. It was this searching out of scriptures that led us conclude that all the spiritual gifts were operative today and we needed to seek God passionately and be open to receive all He would give.