Common Ground Christian Church

Moment #1 Graphic - We begin this series at the very beginning. In 1994, a small group of young adults at Traders Point Christian Church started meeting as an informal Bible study. There was no plan to start a church. No timeline. Just people gathering reading Scripture, asking questions, and learning how to follow Jesus together. Over time, that simple practice grew into something more. Eventually, that group became the seed of what we now know as Common Ground.

Over the coming weeks, we will continue to share moments like this. Some will mark big milestones. Others will highlight quiet decisions that changed the direction of our life together. All of them tell the story of a church shaped by community and a willingness to trust God step-by-step.

We hope these moments help you see yourself in the story of Common Ground, whether you have been here from the beginning or joined us along the way.

Moment #2 Graphic - As we continue our 25 Moments to Remember series, we’re sharing another early step in the story God was unfolding at Common Ground.

In 1995, Traders Point Christian Church hired Jeff Krajewski part time to focus on the young adult ministry. What began as a small, informal Bible study now had dedicated leadership and pastoral care. This moment marked a shift from something loosely gathered to something intentionally nurtured.

It was a simple staffing decision, but it was also a key act of faith. By investing in young adults, the church made space for questions and a growing sense of calling that would continue to take shape in the years ahead.

This moment reminds us that the story of Common Ground was always shaped by people saying yes before the full picture was clear. And it’s another reminder that God often uses ordinary decisions to do lasting work.

Moment #3 Graphic - As we continue our 25 Moments to Remember series, we’re sharing another chapter in the early life of Common Ground.

As the young adult community grew, they adopted the name Axis. Axis began meeting weekly on Wednesday nights in the Traders Point Church loft. What started as a loose gathering took on a more regular rhythm, becoming the primary space for young adults to come together during the week for teaching and shared community life. It marked a move from occasional meetups to a dependable gathering that many young adults came to count on.

This moment reflects how Common Ground developed over time as people showed up, creating space for that growth to continue.

Moment #4 Graphic - As we continue our 25 Moments to Remember series, we’re marking a major transition in the life of Common Ground. In 2001, When an aging Baptist congregation in Broad Ripple decided to close its doors, they offered their building at Westfield and Central as a gift to a new generation of Christ followers. With a generous love offering from Traders Point, Common Ground Christian Church renovated the building and officially began holding weekly worship services as an independent church that fall.

Becoming independent meant learning how to be a church from the ground up. Worship, community life, finances, leadership, and mission were no longer borrowed or shared. We were being shaped in real time by the people who called Common Ground home. That building in Broad Ripple was the first place where we lived out our calling as a church in our own right

Moment #5 Graphic - Next, we’re highlighting the launch of Common Ground’s initial training school in 2005.

Even with a building gifted to Common Ground, and generous help from Traders Point Christian Church for renovations, the church faced an immediate challenge: It was already too big for its space. Common Ground began with two services and quickly added a third, catching leaders off guard by the pace of growth. After much prayer and direction-seeking, the church sensed a call to become a church-planting church.

While one church plant team was already forming, leaders realized there was a need for a leadership pipeline that could prepare, train, and equip future church-planting teams. This became the impetus for the first iteration of the Common Ground training school. The 2005-2006 school year marked the first cohort with 11 students.

Although sending out teams did not ultimately solve the space challenges at Central and Westfield, the training school stretched the church and helped shape a growing commitment to formation, leadership development, and taking steps of faith.

Moment #6 Graphic - Next, we’re marking the moment Common Ground sent out its first church plant to Boulder, Colorado.

Common Ground was sent from Traders Point Christian Church in May of 2001 to Broad Ripple to establish an independent congregation. That sending impulse quickly became central to our identity. We believed we were sent, and called to be a sending congregation. In the early years, that conviction guided much of our work and imagination, and God provided the resources to live into that vision.

Through prayer and discernment, a team was formed from within the congregation, and Ramin and Natalie Razavi were commissioned as pastors. Together with that team, they were sent to Boulder, Colorado, carrying with them the same sense of calling that shaped Common Ground’s own beginning.

Moment #7 Graphic - Next in our 25 Moments to Remember series, we’re highlighting when Common Ground continued its sending impulse by planting a church in Flagstaff, Arizona.

In September 2006, four families were sent to launch a church that adopted the name The Refuge. Although the church closed its doors and concluded its ministry in 2020 due to COVID, The Refuge made a lasting impact. Over the church's 14 years, congregants built four homes in Mexico and led an initiative amongst Flagstaff churches to open their spaces as emergency overflow sites for people experiencing homelessness during harsh winter months.